VIRGINIA PATENT RECORDS SHOW THAT IN JUNE, 1639, AN EARLY VIRGINIA PLANTER NAMED JOHN PAWLEY PAID FOR PASSAGE OF 12 IMMIGRANTS FROM ENGLAND, AMONG THEM A THOMAS WATTON. PAWLEY TOOK OUT HIS PATENT NEAR THE HEAD OF THE LAWNES CREEK ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE JAMES RIVER, WHERE JAMES CITY CO. AND ISLE OF WIGHT CO. THEN MET. CA 1640 A WILLIAM TRODLODER TRANSFERRED 150 ACRES TO THOMAS WATTON. THOMAS MARRIED WIDOW OF ARTHUR WOOD SOME TIME AFTER 1646.
Will of Thomas Wotton: Dated 3-15-1669
In the Name of God Amen, I Thomas Wotton being sick & weak in Body, but of good and perfect memories praised be the almighty God for it, I ordain this my last will and testament, that this to say I give my soul to God my maker & Christ my redeemer, hoping in his mercies to have pardon for my sins, my body I Comitt to the ground, to be buried as my executors deem good, I ordain my well loved wife Sara Wotton Richard Wotton my only & true begotten sonne, my Executors of this my last will and Testament That is to Say, after my debts being first paid: I give my wife's sonn Thomas Wood the worth of twohund pence, and no more. And all the rest of my goods, that is to say, land houses cattell & hoggs & household goods I give to my wife Sara Wotton & Richard Wotton my only sonne. And I leave my estate to my wife & sonne Richard wholly & fully. And after my decease, I ordain my sonn: Richard Wotton, wholy executor to look after the estate. And after my wife's decease my sonne Richard to be possessed of the estate wholly , and after my sonn Richard's decease, he having no issue, I give it to my next kinn of Name in Northampton Shire att a town called Castor neere unto Peterborough: And I desire my loveing friends James Sampson and Richard Briggs to be overseers of this my last will & testament. Amen, written in one sheete of paper in the year of our lord God march the 15th day 1669
Wit. Thomas Wotton
Elizabeth Sampson
This will is proved by the oath of Mrs. Elizabeth Sampson in open Corte held for the Isle of Wight County this Ninth Day of December 1670 and then Recorded y m: Jno Jennings Cl Cur
This Indenture made the 14th day of January Anno Domini 1668 Between Thomas Wood Sonne of Arthur Wood and Sarah Wooton, his mother & Relict of Arthur Wood decsd of the one part and Richard Bennett of Blackwater of the other part... by these presents for ever pass over unto him the said Richard Bennett his Heirs Extrs Adms and Assigns for ever, A certain parcel of Land containing One Hundred Acres...Beginning upon the Mouth of the South Branch and soe runing along the Branch to a marked pine, and from the said marked pine to __?__ into Tho. Woods and his broadth (?) to runn also northerly by the Main Swamp, this aforesaid Land lying att Blackwater in the County of Isle of Wight, this said land being included & contained in a pattent of Seaven hundred & forty six acres taken up by Francis (?) England in the year of our Lord 1645..." signed (by hand) Tho. Wood, Sarah Wooton (her mark). Wit: Thomas Wooton (by hand), Richard Wooton (by mark)Proved in Open Court for the Isle of Wight County this 16th day of Nov 1669. Signed by John Jennings, clerk. The deed was proved by Thomas Wood and Sarah Wooton in open court. (IOW WDB I, pp 199-200)
Monday, January 12, 2009
Our Wooten Families Beginnings
1. THOMAS AND JANE WATTON There was no record of their marriage in the Castor Register, so it would appear that they were married in some neighboring parish. Their Castor Register entries begin May 1608 with the baptism of a son Thomas son of Thomas Watton, followed in December 1609 with the burial of Thomas son of Thomas Watton. Jane must have been very pregnant at the time of the death of little Thomas, for the next entry comes in January 1610 (1609 old styleP with the baptism of "John the Sonne of Thomas Watton". In May 1611 comes the baptism of Agnes daughter of Thomas Watton.
And then comes 27 Sept 1612 the baptism of Thomas the Sonne of Thomas Watton. The parents were apparently determined to have a son named Thomas; after the first one's death, they simply used the name again. More children followed: Richard (1613), Henry (1617), Dove (dau-1618), jane (1620), Maria (1622). Then come burials: John (1624), , Richard the Sonne of Thomas and Jane Watton (1639), and Jane the wife of Thomas Watton, buried the third of March 1642. Since Jane was described as wife rather than widow or relict, it seems probably that Thomas the father was still living in 1641.
2. THOMAS WATTON (WOOTON, WOTTON) THE EMIGRANT. The evidence is overwhelming that the child Thomas baptized 1612 in Castor was the same man who in 1670 made his will and died in Isle of Wight County Virginia.
In his will, that Thomas Wotton left his property to his " only begotten son" Richard, with the provision that if Richard died without issue, the property was to go to Thomas' next of kin of name (Wotton) in the village of Castor near Peterborough in Northamptonshire. This seems to leave no doubt that IOW Thomas I (as we may call him) was born and raised in or near Castor, and that he believed members of his family still to be living there in 1670 when he made his will. (3)
It was this provision of Thomas' will which has led several Wooten descendants to look to Castor for the English origins of the Isle of Wight family. In June 1979, I went to Northamptonshire and went through all entries in the Castor Parish Register from 1538 well past 1660, copying all Wotton/ Watton entries. I found them in abundance, except that the name was always written Wa- -, never Wo.
This suggested that those Wootton descendants searching for records of Thomas' arrival in Virginia should try Watton instead of Wotton. The search for the latter name had proved fruitless, except for those who had accepted the Jamestown Surgeon of 1607 as their family patriarch!
A search for a Thomas Watton yielded immediate results. Virginia Patent records show that in June 1639, and early Virginia planter named John Pawley had paid the passage of 12 immigrants from England. For doing this, Pawley was entitled to have these people work for him for a period of years (depending on their ages), and to boot he was awarded a patent (land grant) for 50 acres per head, a total of 600 acres. One of these 12 immigrants was Thomas Watton. (4)
Pawley took out his patent near the head of Lawnes Creek on the south side of the James River, where James City County and Isle of Wight County then met. It appears likely that Pawley sooner or later assigned Thomas Watton to work on the clearing and seating of this land. In 1645, we find Pawley's neighbor Robert Eley deeding to William Troloder 150 acres of a patent which Eley had received in 1639, (5)
About a year later, Troloder transferred this 150 acres to Thomas Watton. The assignment is simply added to the bottom of the original deed from Eley to Troloder. It is dated 11 Jan 1645 ( our 1646), and may be seen on Isle of Wight County Records Microfilm 1, p 99, in the Virginia State Library in Richmond.
One of the witnesses to this assignment was Arthur Wood, evidently a friend and neighbor of Thomas Watton. Arthur died some time after 1646, and Thomas Watton married Arthur's widow Sara. Thomas and Sara had one son, Richard who is our next in the IOW line. (6)
Richard Wotton I (Watton, Wooton, Wootton, etc.) It is clear from Thomas' 1670 will that Richard had no children as yet, and also likely that he was quite young, probably still a minor. But within two or three years, Richard had married Joyce, maiden name not yet known. Reports that his wife was an Albrighton or Algridgton are incorrect."
NOTES AND REFERENCES TO THE PRECEDING ARTICLE by Richard C. Wooton
Abbreviations used:
WARFA=Wooten and Related Families AssociationWARFA SS= WARFA Special StudiesVSL = Virginia State LibraryIOW = Isle of Wight County VirginiaWQ = Wooten QuarterlyDB = Deed Book
1. L. F. Salzman (ed), VICTORIA HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF NORTHHAMPTON, (Oxford University Press, 1937), Vol IV pp 292-32. WARFA SS I, pp 2-73. IOW Deeds/Wills Vol II p 95. The compile will is reproduced below, p 894. VA Patent Book I pt 2; abstracted in Nell M. Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS ( Richmond 1934), Vol I p 110, ( hereinafter Nugent). The complete document is reproduced below, p. 865. VA Patent Book I pt 2 p 670; abstracted in NUGENT Vol I p 114, where Eley's patent is described as "adjoining land of John Pawley". A 1642 patent to Georg Busse is described as "parallel to John Pauley and William Troloder". (NUGENT I p 863). The assignment to Thomas Watton is reproduced below, p 87.6. WARFA SS I, pp 31-32
RECORDED IN THE CASTOR PARISH REGISTER (CURRENTLY (7/90) ON FILE AT THE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNTY RECORDS OFFICE IN NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND), ALL OF WHICH PROBABLY TOOK PLACE IN THE CHURCH OF ST. KYNEBURGHA, CASTOR Children: i Thomas Watton b. May 1608, Castor, Northamptonshire, England, d. Dec 1609, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. ii John Watton b. Jan 1610, Castor, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1624. iii Agnes Watton b. May 1611, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. 3. iv Thomas Watton b. Sep 1612. v Richard Watton b. Mar 1613, Castor, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1639. vi Henry Watton b. Jun 1617, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. vii Dove Watton b. Dec 1618, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. viii Jane Watton b. Jan 1620, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. ix MARIE Watton b. Jan 1622, Castor, Northamptonshire, England.
St Kyneburgha's Church Castor is part of a group of four old village churches, the others being at Marholm, Sutton and Upton. The main Sunday Service is a traditional Sung Eucharist at 10.15 am and we have a flourishing Choir, Sunday School and Bell-ringers Groups. Children are admitted to Communion. The Office is said daily with Mattins at 7.30 am and Evensong at 6 pm. The church is Saxon - Norman, having been founded by St Kyneburgha in 650 AD, on the site of a Roman Palace. The church is listed in Simon Jenkin's book "1,000 Best Churches" as in the top 100 in England. Visitors are welcome to look round or join us for services.
And then comes 27 Sept 1612 the baptism of Thomas the Sonne of Thomas Watton. The parents were apparently determined to have a son named Thomas; after the first one's death, they simply used the name again. More children followed: Richard (1613), Henry (1617), Dove (dau-1618), jane (1620), Maria (1622). Then come burials: John (1624), , Richard the Sonne of Thomas and Jane Watton (1639), and Jane the wife of Thomas Watton, buried the third of March 1642. Since Jane was described as wife rather than widow or relict, it seems probably that Thomas the father was still living in 1641.
2. THOMAS WATTON (WOOTON, WOTTON) THE EMIGRANT. The evidence is overwhelming that the child Thomas baptized 1612 in Castor was the same man who in 1670 made his will and died in Isle of Wight County Virginia.
In his will, that Thomas Wotton left his property to his " only begotten son" Richard, with the provision that if Richard died without issue, the property was to go to Thomas' next of kin of name (Wotton) in the village of Castor near Peterborough in Northamptonshire. This seems to leave no doubt that IOW Thomas I (as we may call him) was born and raised in or near Castor, and that he believed members of his family still to be living there in 1670 when he made his will. (3)
It was this provision of Thomas' will which has led several Wooten descendants to look to Castor for the English origins of the Isle of Wight family. In June 1979, I went to Northamptonshire and went through all entries in the Castor Parish Register from 1538 well past 1660, copying all Wotton/ Watton entries. I found them in abundance, except that the name was always written Wa- -, never Wo.
This suggested that those Wootton descendants searching for records of Thomas' arrival in Virginia should try Watton instead of Wotton. The search for the latter name had proved fruitless, except for those who had accepted the Jamestown Surgeon of 1607 as their family patriarch!
A search for a Thomas Watton yielded immediate results. Virginia Patent records show that in June 1639, and early Virginia planter named John Pawley had paid the passage of 12 immigrants from England. For doing this, Pawley was entitled to have these people work for him for a period of years (depending on their ages), and to boot he was awarded a patent (land grant) for 50 acres per head, a total of 600 acres. One of these 12 immigrants was Thomas Watton. (4)
Pawley took out his patent near the head of Lawnes Creek on the south side of the James River, where James City County and Isle of Wight County then met. It appears likely that Pawley sooner or later assigned Thomas Watton to work on the clearing and seating of this land. In 1645, we find Pawley's neighbor Robert Eley deeding to William Troloder 150 acres of a patent which Eley had received in 1639, (5)
About a year later, Troloder transferred this 150 acres to Thomas Watton. The assignment is simply added to the bottom of the original deed from Eley to Troloder. It is dated 11 Jan 1645 ( our 1646), and may be seen on Isle of Wight County Records Microfilm 1, p 99, in the Virginia State Library in Richmond.
One of the witnesses to this assignment was Arthur Wood, evidently a friend and neighbor of Thomas Watton. Arthur died some time after 1646, and Thomas Watton married Arthur's widow Sara. Thomas and Sara had one son, Richard who is our next in the IOW line. (6)
Richard Wotton I (Watton, Wooton, Wootton, etc.) It is clear from Thomas' 1670 will that Richard had no children as yet, and also likely that he was quite young, probably still a minor. But within two or three years, Richard had married Joyce, maiden name not yet known. Reports that his wife was an Albrighton or Algridgton are incorrect."
NOTES AND REFERENCES TO THE PRECEDING ARTICLE by Richard C. Wooton
Abbreviations used:
WARFA=Wooten and Related Families AssociationWARFA SS= WARFA Special StudiesVSL = Virginia State LibraryIOW = Isle of Wight County VirginiaWQ = Wooten QuarterlyDB = Deed Book
1. L. F. Salzman (ed), VICTORIA HISTORY OF THE COUNTY OF NORTHHAMPTON, (Oxford University Press, 1937), Vol IV pp 292-32. WARFA SS I, pp 2-73. IOW Deeds/Wills Vol II p 95. The compile will is reproduced below, p 894. VA Patent Book I pt 2; abstracted in Nell M. Nugent, CAVALIERS AND PIONEERS ( Richmond 1934), Vol I p 110, ( hereinafter Nugent). The complete document is reproduced below, p. 865. VA Patent Book I pt 2 p 670; abstracted in NUGENT Vol I p 114, where Eley's patent is described as "adjoining land of John Pawley". A 1642 patent to Georg Busse is described as "parallel to John Pauley and William Troloder". (NUGENT I p 863). The assignment to Thomas Watton is reproduced below, p 87.6. WARFA SS I, pp 31-32
RECORDED IN THE CASTOR PARISH REGISTER (CURRENTLY (7/90) ON FILE AT THE NORTHAMPTONSHIRE COUNTY RECORDS OFFICE IN NORTHAMPTON, ENGLAND), ALL OF WHICH PROBABLY TOOK PLACE IN THE CHURCH OF ST. KYNEBURGHA, CASTOR Children: i Thomas Watton b. May 1608, Castor, Northamptonshire, England, d. Dec 1609, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. ii John Watton b. Jan 1610, Castor, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1624. iii Agnes Watton b. May 1611, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. 3. iv Thomas Watton b. Sep 1612. v Richard Watton b. Mar 1613, Castor, Northamptonshire, England, d. 1639. vi Henry Watton b. Jun 1617, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. vii Dove Watton b. Dec 1618, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. viii Jane Watton b. Jan 1620, Castor, Northamptonshire, England. ix MARIE Watton b. Jan 1622, Castor, Northamptonshire, England.
St Kyneburgha's Church Castor is part of a group of four old village churches, the others being at Marholm, Sutton and Upton. The main Sunday Service is a traditional Sung Eucharist at 10.15 am and we have a flourishing Choir, Sunday School and Bell-ringers Groups. Children are admitted to Communion. The Office is said daily with Mattins at 7.30 am and Evensong at 6 pm. The church is Saxon - Norman, having been founded by St Kyneburgha in 650 AD, on the site of a Roman Palace. The church is listed in Simon Jenkin's book "1,000 Best Churches" as in the top 100 in England. Visitors are welcome to look round or join us for services.
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