USA > Massachusetts > Bristol County > A History of Bristol County, Massachusetts, vol 3 > Part 11
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(III) Walter (2) Giffard, second Earl of Bucking-
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ham; this nobleman adhered faithfully to King Henry I. and distinguished himself in that monarch's cause at the battle of Breneville in 1119 against the French commanded by their King in person, where Henry obtained a victory. His Lordship during this reign founded the Abbey of Nutley, County Buck- ingham. He died without issue, in 1164, when the lands of his barony came, according to the noted authority Dugdale, to be shared among his next of kin, "for it seems," states Dugdale, "in the first Richard I. that Richard de Clare, Earl of Hertford (in respect of his descent from Rohaise, sister of the Earl, and wife of Richard Fitz-Gilbert, his lineal ancestor), and William Mareschall, Earl of Pem- broke (in right of Isabel de Clare, his wife), ob- tained a confirmation from that King of all the lands of this Walter, Earl of Buckingham, both in Eng- land and Normandy. Of these lands, Richard, Earl of Hertford, was to have the chief seat in England, and William, Earl of Pembroke, the chief seat in Normandy and the residue in both countries to be equally divided among them."
The line of the eldest male of the Giffards, Earls of Buckingham, thus became extinct; the title, it is claimed, was subsequently borne by Richard de Clare, surnamed Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, and in later centuries titles of Earl and Duke of Buck- ingham were granted to other individuals not of the surname Giffard. The branches of the younger sons of Gifford, however, survive in England. In 1154-89 (reign of Henry II.) is found Sir Peter Gifford, who married Alice, daughter of Sir Grey de Corbuchin. In the reign of Richard I. Coeur de Lion, Sir Stephen Gifford, of this lineage, was one of the barons who accompanied that monarch on his ex- pedition to the Holy Land and took part in the Crusades; he was conspicuous for his bravery during the siege of Jerusalem and was there killed, while his son, Sir Stephen, was wounded.
From the younger sons of the house of Gifford descended the Giffords of Buckinghamshire. In the fifteenth century, John Gifford was of Twyford, County Buckingham, and his grandson, Roger Gif- ford, leased the manor of Middle Claydon in 1535, which his heirs retained, and leased the same to Martin Lister, who surrendered it to Sir Edward Versey. A direct line of descent from John Gifford, aforesaid, to Margaret Gifford, who married Hugh Sargent, is preserved. Their descendant, William Sargent, was the American pioneer.
(Gifford of Buckinghamshire)
(I) John Gifford, of Twyford, County Bucking- ham, living fifteenth century, had issue: Thomas, mentioned below.
(II) Thomas Gifford, of Twyford, County Buck- ingham, died November 25, 1550. He married Marie Staveley, daughter of William Staveley, of Bignell. Issue: Roger, mentioned below. 2. Anna, who married Richard Samwell, of Edgcote, County Northampton.
(III) Roger Gifford, of Middle Claydon, County Buckingham, Esquire, living at that Manor, 1535, son of Thomas and Mary (Staveley) Gifford, of
Twyford, married Mary and died about 1542, leaving issue: Nicholas, mentioned below.
(IV) Nicholas Gifford, of the Abbey of St. James, County Northampton, son of Roger and Mary Gifford, of Middle Claydon, County Bucking- ham, gentleman, was bailiff of that place, and died in 1546. He married Agnes Masters, daughter of John Masters, of Sandwich, County Kent, who died about 1583. Issue: 1. Roger, mentioned below. 2. Margaret, mentioned below.
(V) Roger (2) Gifford, of the Abbey of St. James, County Northampton, gentleman, son of Nicholas and Agnes (Masters) Gifford, died in 1591. He married Amy Samwell, daughter of Francis Samwell, of Thorpe, County Northampton, who died about 1618.
The Samwell family was a notable one. It bore arms as follows:
Arms-Gules, two squirrels sejant addorsed of the first.
Amy (Samwell) Gifford's sister, Margaret Sam- well, married Robert Pargiter, of Gretworth, County Northampton, eldest son and heir of William Par- giter, whose arms were:
Arms-Barry of four, or and sable; three mascles counter- changed.
Ann (or Amy) Pargiter married Lawrence Wash- ington, of Sulgrave, County Northampton, ancestor of George Washington, of Virginia, Commander- in-chief in the Revolution, and the first President of the United States. The arms of Washington were :
Arms-Argent, two bars gules in chief three mullets of the second.
Richard Samwell was a son of John Samwell, of Cotesford, County Oxford, and grandson of James Samwell. William and Anne (Washington) Par- giter were grandchildren of Richard Pargiter, of Gretworth, County Northampton. Lawrence Wash- ington was the great-grandson of John Washington, of Whitfield, County Lancaster. Issue of Roger and Amy (Samwell) Gifford: 1. Francis, of the Abbey of St. James, County Northampton, who died in 1625, having married Jane Throughton, daughter of Richard Throughton, of Hanslop, Coun- ty Buckingham.
(V) Margaret Gifford, daughter of Nicholas Gif- ford, of the Abbey of St. James, County Northamp- ton, and Agnes (Masters) Gifford, his wife, and granddaughter of John Masters, of Sandwich, Coun- ty Kent, married Hugh Sargent, of Courteenhall, County Northampton. (See Sargent).
JOHN CHIPMAN-The crest surmounting the Chipman arms indicates, by heraldic significance, a most honorable fact in the family history. The mural crown displayed thereon was only accorded to such distinguished warriors who, scaling the walls of a besieged citadel, were the first to set their standards upon the rampants, and thus it appears that among the ancestors of the line was a distin-
Washington
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guished soldier noted for his prowess upon the battlefield. The surname itself originates in Chipen- ham, Chippenham, Chipman, and lastly, Chipman. Its first syllable arises from the Anglo-Saxon Ceapin, whose form is seen in the Dutch koopen, German keupen, Danish kiobe, and Swedish kopa, The second syllable of the name "man" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ham, identical with the Dutch and German heim, the Danish hiem, and the Swedish hem. So ancient is the name that many present-day localities in England bear it from Anglo-Saxon times, when in that language the form was Cypanham, modified in the Domesday Book to Cipham, Cippenham, and was modernized into Chipman, Chippenham, etc.
Arms --- Argent, a bend between six estoiles gules. Crest-A loopard sejant argent murally crowned.
Among the ancient representatives of the name was Willielmus de Chipenham, chairman of the commissioners in the Hundred of Staplehou, Cam- bridgeshire, England, who by order of William the Conqueror, A. D. 1085, took the inventory (pre- served in the Cottonian manuscripts in the British Museum under the heading "Tiberius A. VI") of the extensive estates of the Monastery of Ely. This inventory may be seen incorporated as a part of the printed copy of the Domesday Book issued under the direction of the Records Commission of the British Parliament under the heading "Inquisitio Eliensis." A. D. 1306, Ricardus de Chippenham was burgess for Wallingford, Berkshire, and in that year and in 1313 also obtained a "Writ de Expensis" for attending parliaments at Westminster. A. D. 1313, Johannes de Chipman was burgess, returned for Chippenham, County Wilts. Sir and Rev. John de Chippenham, living in 1360, is noted as among the one hundred and nineteen legatees of Elizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Clare, daughter of Gilbert, Earl of Gloucester, and Joan d'Acre, daughter of King Edward I. of England. Beginning with A. D. 1198, there is a long line of representatives of the name in distinguished station in England. A. D. 1198 appears Walter Chiepman, and in the same year Segar Chiepman; 1216, Henry de Chippenham, Johannes de Chippenham, member of Parliament; 1327, Walterus de Chippenham; 1355, Johannes de Chipenham; 1385, Walter Chippenham; 1421, Henry Chippenham; 1433, Henry Chippenham; 1509, Juli- ana de Chipman; 1518, Nicholas Chippenham, eccle- siastical commissioner; 1625, Edward Chipman; with many others,-distinguished prebendaries, arch- deacons, ambassadors and magistrates.
(The Ancient Lineage).
(I)Thomas Chipman, of Dorsetshire, England, ancestor of the line, was himself descended from a family of that name who had long held estates in the county. He inherited from his father a valu- able estate in Whitchurch, Dorsetshire, England, long in the family, the history of which property very vitally affected the fate of his only son, John, the American founder of the family. Thomas Chip- man was born probably in Whitchurch (not far
from Dorchester, County Dorset, England) about 1567. He resided for a time at Bryan's-Piddle, in the same county, and was the owner of a property de- scribed as "Some certain Tenement or Tenements with a Mill and other Edifice thereunto belonging Lyding and being in Whitchurch of Marshwood vale near Burfoot Alias Breadport (Bridport) in Dorset- shire aforesd heretofore worth 40 or 50 Pounds p Annum." The history of the loss of this property is a most interesting one. Thomas Chipman ap- pears to have remained unmarried until after the age of thirty years. In the vicinity of his estate dwelt his kinsmen (of the wealthy family of Derby) to whose influence he seems to have been highly susceptible. There kinsmen induced him, for what reason is not known, to part with his patrimonial acres, which he did "about three-score years" before, 1651, for a small consideration, or (as it has been described) "By reason of Some Kind of Sale made of Inconsiderable value by the sd Thomas (In the time of his Single Estate not then minding Mar- riage) unto his kinsman Mr. Christopher Derby living Sometime in Sturtle (Sturthill) near Burfort aforesd." Later, however, Thomas Chipman mar- ried, and having three children, the unwisdom of his course became apparent, for his kinsman refused absolutely to make any provision for his family, and his son and heir, John, the American founder, un- availingly attempted at a later period to regain possession of the family property.
Thomas Chipman died about 1623. He married, about 1590, a lady whose name is unknown; she died about 1637. The information as to the children of this marriage is gathered from the document prepared by their son, John, the America founder, then in American, hereinafter referred to, in which he speaks of his sisters "Hanor and Tumsun." It thus appears that Thomas Chipman had three chil- dren as follows: 1. John, mentioned below. 2. Hanor. 3. Tumsun.
(The Family in America).
(I) John Chipman, founder of the family in America, son of Thomas Chipman, of Dorsetshire, England, was born near Dorchester (and probably Bryan's Piddle), County Dorset, England, about 1614. His kinsman, Christopher Derby (hereinabove. referred to as being connected with the sale of Thomas Chipman's property), with an evident in- tention of preventing any awkward questions by the young man, then rapidly approaching years of judgment, appears to have sought for him "a good opening for a young man." He apprehended, ap- parently, states the family chronicler, that John Chipman "now near his majority might on reaching it, bring, should he remain in England, an action at law for ejectment, so troubling, if not ousting Christopher, but who, removed to America, would scarcely attempt such litigation."
By a comparison of the document which John Chipman later prepared concerning his right to the family property, and the record of incoming inhabi- tants made by Governor Winthrop, the age, date of arrival, and various other important facts concern-
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ing the founder Chipman are gleaned. He states he "supposeth his Age to be thirty seven years," and as the document is dated February 8, 1651, it appears that he was born about 1614. He further proceeds to relate that he left England "next May Twenty and one year Since he Come out of England," which figured by the calendar as it then was, would give the year of his arrival in America as 1631. Governor Winthrop supplements and confirms this by the entry: "Year 1631 * * * July 14, the ship called the Friendship, of Barnstable (England) arrived at Boston, after she had been at sea eleven weeks and beaten back by foul weather. She set sail from Barnstable (England) again, about the midst of May." Thus we discover the ship and date of sailing of the founder of the family as the "Friendship," out of Barnstable, Devonshire, Eng- land, leaving in May, 1631, which after a rough passage, and once putting back, at last reached Bos- ton, in New England, July 14, 1631.
John Chipman was about sixteen or seventeen years of age at the time of his arrival, and settled first in Dorchester, Massachusetts. Until he reached full age, he was a ward of Richard Derby, who exercised the rights of a guardian in regard to his affairs. This Richard Derby was a member of the same family which had deprived John's father of his estate; they were large landowners in England, and men of much influence and power, who were heavily concerned in the commercial side of the Massachusetts colonization. From 1631 to 1635, and perhaps thereafter, John Chipman resided in Plym- outh, where his guardian, Richard Derby, had his home. Later he was in Yarmouth, from 1646 to 1649, and thereafter in Barnstable, from about 1649 to 1679. Somewhat later he removed to Sandwich.
Of his record in the New England settlements, we have a long and honorable account. He became ruling elder in the church; and was the owner of considerable land. On June 1, 1649, while living in Barnstable, he purchased from Edward Fitz- randolph a tract of land; on December 10, 1672, he made a purchase of lands in Barnstable from Lieu- tenant John Howland, the locality of the property being the Great Marshes, later known West Barnstable. This property was destined to remain in the Chipman family for more than seven genera- tions. Among his offices of honor were those of selectman for many years, and magistrate in Plym- outh Colony; he was also deputy to the General Court, and strong in the faith, was authorized "to frequent the Quaker meetings to endeavor to rescue them from the error of their wayes." In accordance with the custom of the Colonial period, his gentle blood and excellent station were recognized by the prefix "Mr." to his name in documents, and in token of his valuable services, he received various grants of land made to "Mr. John Chipman" during 1661 to 1673. On January 30, 1652-53, he entered the Barnstable church, his wife having become a mem- ber in August, 1650. On April 14, 1670, he was invested with the office of ruling elder. Later, when he removed to Sandwich, "the church in Barn- stable made him offers of an annual salary, and the
town of Barnstable voted to him the propriety (i. e. proprietorship) of valuable meadow lands, conditioned that he would return to that position (of ruling elder) there.
As to the English property of the Chipman family, though he was clearly entitled thereto, the founder, John Chipman, while convinced of the injustice of which he had been the victim, could never enforce his claims against his wealthier and more powerful kinsmen; it appears that he tried to regain the estate, and "that one step towards such an attempt was taken." On March 2, 1641-42, a suit was brought against John Derby with the "intent to re- cover money which John Derby withheld from 'his cousin Chipman'." This suit was tried in Plymouth by Edward Winslow, then an assistant and previ- ously and thereafter Governor of Plymouth Colony. A deposition of one Ann Hinde, taken on behalf of the complainant in the above suit, is illuminating as to the facts of the case, and among other items disclosed, it appears that:
Ann Hinde, the wife of Wm. Hoskins, * being ex- amined * * afeirmeth upon oath as followeth: That the said Ann lived in the house of Mr. Darheys father with the said John Chipman att such times as the said John Chipman came from thence to New England to serve Mr. Richard Dar- bey, his hrother. * * The said Ann came afterwards likewise over, to serve the said Richard Darbey.
The deposition continues that on her leaving England:
old Mr. Darbey requested this deponent to comend him to his cosen Chipman, and tell him if he were a good boy he would send him over the money that was due to him when hee saw good; and further, wheras this deponant heard the said John Darbey affeirme that his money was payed to John Chipman's mother, shee further deposeth that his mother was dead a quarter of a yeare or thereabouts before her old master sent this message to his cosen Chipman; to which this deponant sweareth.
So far as is known, nothing beneficial to John Chipman resulted from the above suit. After hav- ing been in America about twenty years, John Chipman, encouraged by his relatives and friends, determined to make an effort to obtain redress and satisfaction in the matter of his English property. On February 8, 1651-52, he prepared a document, of which an ancient copy is preserved, which was in- tended to be transmitted to England and to form the basis of his claims there, which document he entitled :
A brief Declaration with humhle Request (to whom These Presents shall Come) for further Inquiry and Advice in ye behalf of John Chipman now of Barnstable in the Government of New Plimouth in New England in America (he) being ye only Son & Heir of Mr. Thomas Chipman Late Deceased at Brinspittoel (Bryan's-Piddle) ahout five miles from Dorchester in Dorsetshire, in England.
No result so far as has ever been learned came from the efforts of the founder in this matter. More than a century later, one of his descendants, who was "by the right of primogeniture the lawful heir" * * * "caused inquiries to be made of Silas Dean or Dr. Franklin (one or both) colonial agent (then) in England, in regard to the estate," which enquiries "resulted in ascertaining that the rental
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was (then) worth £500 sterling." These inquiries were made just before the Revolution; it had been the intention of the then head of the Chipman line to prosecute his claims in England, but the outbreak of war, and his strong Colonial sympathies, caused the whole matter to be abandoned. John Chipman died April 7, 1708.
He married (first), in 1646, Hope Howland, daughter of John Howland, the "Mayflower" Pil- grim, and Elizabeth (Tilley) Howland, his wife. (See Howland II. See Tilley II). He married (second), in 1684, Ruth Sargent, daughter of Wil- liam Sargent. (See Sargent). Issue (among others) by first wife, Lydia, mentioned below.
(II) Lydia Chipman, daughter of John and Hope (Howland) Chipman, was born in Barnstable, Mas- sachusetts, December 25, 1654. She died March 2, 1730. She married (as his third wife) John Sar- gent, son of William and Sarah (Minshall) Sargent. (See Sargent).
JOHN HOWLAND-The original, highly orna- mented, water color painting of the Howland es- cutcheon, from which copies of the arms used in this country have been made, is said to have been brought to America shortly after the arrival of the "Mayflower." In 1865 this painting was in the possession of Rev. T. Howland White, of Shel- bourne, Nova Scotia, a lineal descendant of Joanna Howland, daughter of John Howland, son of the Pilgrim. The arms bear the following inscription: "He beareth sable, two bars argent, on a chief of the second three lions rampant of the first, and for his crest, on a wreath of his colors a lion passant sable. By the name of Howland."
This ancient English family is found seated in Essex, prior to the reign of King Henry VII. A somewhat remarkable fact connected with the lineage is that its surname of Howland is disclosed, in early centuries, in only one county or England, Essex, and although various families have spread to other parts of the kingdom, they all, either nearly or remotely derive from the Essex root. Several of the representatives of the family during its long course acquired great fortunes and were honored with knighthood; and of these, one line, eventuating in an heiress, united the Howland blood with the ducal house of Bedford, the then head of which obtained the title of Baron Howland, which is still borne among the honors of that exalted line of peers.
By a curious error, into which several writers have fallen, a certain Humphrey Howland, of Lon- don, is made the father of the American pioneers, John, Henry and Arthur. He was in fact their brother, as well as brother to George, who remained in England; he was doubtless the oldest brother of the family. Humphrey Howland, citizen of Lon- don, where he engaged in business as a draper, died in 1646, leaving a will dated May 28, 1646, and proved July 10th of that year, by which he be- queathed, in the order named, to George of St. Dunston's in the East, London; Arthur, John and Henry; these last named three brothers were to
receive -- Arthur, £8, John, £4, and Henry, £4, out of the debt due to Humphrey "by Mr. Ruck, of New England." This John Ruck was in the year 1646 a resident of Salem, a son of Thomas Ruck, of England, and it is evident that he owed £16 to Humphrey Howland, who thus willed it to his brothers, then at Plymouth. Annie Howland, widow of Humphrey Howland, was executrix of the will, and she likewise administered upon the estate of George Howland, July 11, 1646. She died in 1653, and was buried at Barking, Essex, the old home county of the Howlands, December 20, 1653, leaving a will dated December 10, 1653, and proved Novem- ber 22nd of the year following, by William Court- oyse, to whom she left considerable legacies. George Howland was, apparently, deceased in or prior to 1646, and probably without leaving a widow or chil- dren, since his sister-in-law was appointed to settle his affairs. Arthur, John and Henry Howland all came to America.
John Howland was of the "Mayflower" company. The progeny of these three Howlands is a large and prominent one in New England, and from the earliest years of the struggle of Plymouth Colony for a foothold in the New World has played an important part in our life and affairs.
(The Family in America).
(I) John Howland, the progenitor, was born about 1592 in England. It is probable that had he not early become imbued with Puritan doctrines, his family would have established him creditably in England, but his pronounced opinions at an early age laid him open to the persecution which was driving the Puritans out of England by the ship- load. Imbibing Pastor Robinson's tenets at Scrooby, he left England for Amsterdam, and after a year of residence there, removed with others to Leyden, where the Rev. John Robinson had gathered his flock about him. For his subsequent actions, we must look to the events leading up to the epochal removal of the Pilgrims from Holland, which have thus been described:
The "Mayflower" *
* was chartered in London. * At Southampton the Pilgrims found the "Mayflower" with English Separatists who were to join the colony. * * * From Plymouth for New England, on the sixth of September, sailed the "Mayflower." * She was deeply laden with the winnowed remnant of the Pilgrim band and a few recruits * a hundred and two in all and all their outfit.
John Howland was among this famous band of the "Mayflower" Pilgrims, and on the noted list or history of the voyage and passengers prepared by Governor Bradford (a document indited in his own handwriting and long lost, but at last restored to Massachusetts), his name appears. The end of their long and suffering voyage in sight, the famous "Mayflower Compact" was entered into, and signed by forty-one out of the adult males among the pas- sengers, and John Howland's name was the thir- teenth in order of signing. Before the weary Pil- grims could make a landing, a suitable site for settlement had to be selected, and John Howland was among those sent out to circumnavigate Cape
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Cod harbor in search of a good place to land. States the historian: "The cold was extreme. 'The water froze on their clothes and made them many times like coats of iron'," and they narrowly escaped with their lives in a severe storm. This was the second occasion when John Howland had nearly lost his life before the voyage closed. At this time he was twenty-eight years of age and, accord- ing to Prince, was a member of Governor Carver's family. How this came about is not known, but it is probable that Carver saw elements in his character which led him to supply young Howland's wants for the journey to America, and to cause him to be considered one of the family. That he pos- sessed sound judgment and business capacity is shown by the active duties which he assumed, and the trust which was reposed in him in all the early labors of establishing a settlement. With the land- ing of the Pilgrims at Plymouth, the notable work of John Howland's career began. He continued in importance in the settlement until his death. The first mention of John Howland in old Plymouth colony records is on a list of freemen, and in an enumeration of the members of the Governor's "councill" of seven, of which he is the third. He was highly esteemed by Bradford, who on all occa- sions selected him among the principal men of the settlement to carry forward important undertakings. He was made one of the assessors in 1633-34. In 1627, with Governor Bradford and six others promi- nent in the colony, he was selected to conclude a compact with various merchants in London, relating to the relinquishment of their claims against the colonists which "continued to give much vexation;" in this year also he was enumerated in the cattle division, while previously, in 1623-24, he had taken part in the division of lands. Beginning with 1652 he served as deputy from Plymouth eight times, was selectman from Plymouth, 1666, surveyed the lands, acted on committees of every description, aided in settling estates, performed the duties of trustee, and "was a profitable member both in Church and Commonwealth," says Governor Bradford. He was not only full of zeal for the temporal welfare of the colony, but gave powerful encouragement to a high standard of morals and religion, so much so that he is recorded as "a godly man and an ancient professor in the ways of Christ." In 1667, at the ordination of John Cotton, Jr., he was appointed by the church "to join in the imposition of hands." He was, how- ever, liberal in his religious opinions, and of a kindly sympathy of spirit; his brothers became affiliated with the Quakers, and at the time of the troubles with that sect, he was for a period, through his sympathy with that persecuted body, dropped from the General Court.
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