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Interesting early development FYI,
Barry Wetherington
[Susannah Dare, d/o Gideon Dare, whose aunt was Elizabeth Dare (Cleverly?)
md Robert Widdrington d 1722]
[James Somervell (1731-1774) married Susannah Dare, d/o Gideon Dare]
http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~cleghorns/geoneilson.txt
Richard With(er)ington and the Jacobite Prisoners Transported to Maryland
on the Ship Good Speed- 1716 (from Liverpoole) and other interesting things.
By Michael A. Smolek April 30, 1999, edited May 1, 1999
Jacobite Prisoners
In 1716 two ships, the Friendship of Belfast and the Good Speed of
Liverpoole, arrived in Annapolis Maryland with Jacobite prisoners taken in
the Rebellion at Preston, in Lancashire. These two shiploads of prisoners
were sent over after the defeat of Mar and Derwentwater's risings in
1715-1716 (Scharf 1880:385). Listed among the prisoners is a Richard
With(er)ington , a Jacobite, who was transported 28 July 1716 on the ship
Good Speed which arrived in Maryland in October, 1716 (Dobson 1992:v-vi).
(Another possibly interesting W'ton development was that from the
'Derwentwater's' risings, came the well known in England verse celebrating
'Witherington's heroic feat' of continuing his fight for his Liege on 'both
stumps' of his legs. bw)
After the political union of Scotland and England in 1707 all
restrictions on trade between Scotland and the colonies were lifted.
The Scottish Burghs expanded their economic links to the Chesapeake, but the
first major group of Scottish emigrants to arrive were the Jacobite
prisoners captured after the Siege of Preston in 1715 and subsequently
banished to America. (Dobson 1992:v-vi) Jacobites fought for the restoration
of the House of Stuart well into the 18th century and their devotion stemmed
variously from their belief in divine right, attachment to Catholicism, and
later with their discontent with the Hanoverian Dynasty. Richard
Witherington was probably a Catholic who was being banished to the Catholic
colony (Maryland). The prisoners were sold into indenture for the standard
seven year term.
It is noteworthy that Richard's last name is variously spelled. In
Dobson's Scots on the Chesapeake 1607-1830, which appears to have used
several secondary sources to create the lists of names, Richard's last names
is spelled Witherington. Whereas in the transcription of the documents
provided in Scharf's A History of Maryland, he is referenced as Withington.
In some subsequent documents he is listed as Withorington. It is probably of
no real significance since the spellings of W....ington varies so wildly,
however it may explain some of the various spellings in the descendant
lines.
The documents relating to the disposition of the prisoners were
transcribed by Scharf (1880: 387-389) and the documents relating
specifically to the Good Speed were re-typed and are presented below. The
documents concerning the Ship Friendship were also included in Scharf but
are not provided here. The Friendship carried eighty prisoners and the Good
Speed carried 55 prisoners.
According to the documents, transcribed below, Richard With(er)ington's
indenture was purchased by Randall Garland. Garland also purchased the
indentures of Thomas Berry and James Maclearn. A quick search of the
Maryland State Archives probate records indicates that Randolph Garland's
Will was probated in Charles County, Maryland in 1722 (State Records Liber
17 folio 299, County records Liber AB3, folio 159). No mention of Richard
Witherington is made in the Garland will, however there also survives three
Perogative Court accounts from 1723, 1724 & 1727, as well as inventories
from 1722 and 1723. The Accounts are listings of payments related to
settlement of the estate. In one of these account listings Rd.
With(o)rington is listed as being paid 600 lbs of tobacco.
This provides several very important bits of information. First and most
importantly, Richard With(o)rington was no doubt still living in the area of
his (former) master's residence of Charles County, which is adjacent to St.
Mary's County. Secondly, the absence of a bequest in the will is evidence
that the payment was owed Rd. With(o)rington, rather than being left
something in Garland's will. Thirdly, it also indicates that although
Richard's indenture was probably for the term of the standard seven years,
only six years after his arrival he was probably already free. His former
master died owing him. It was fairly common for indentured servants, if they
earned outside income, to be able to buy themselves out of indenture. The
shortage of labor in the region provided many opportunities. Richard
Witherington/Withington/Withorington a Jacobite Catholic came to Southern
Maryland where he was welcome in this significantly Catholic region. He may
be the original founder of the St. Marys/Charles County
Withington/Witherington[Worthington(?)] families, however it is unclear how
he relates to James and Thomas Withington [Note: Jean Witherington indicates
that she had understood that this Richard W...ington had no issue- May 2,
1999]
A Curious Coincidence or Unknown Connection
[Susannah Dare, d/o Gideon Dare, whose aunt was Elizabeth Dare (Cleverly?)
md Robert Widdrington d 1722]
James Somervell (1731-1774) married Susannah Dare, d/o Gideon Dare
On the ship the Good Speed there was a James Somervell. According to the
Biographical Dictionary of the Maryland Legislature James Somervell
(Somerville) was a physican who studied at the University of Edinburgh. He
was captured at the Battle of Sheriff Muir in 1715 and was transported with
the other prisoners. Dr. Somervell settled in Christ Church Parish, Calvert
County where his descendants still reside. Curiously, on the inventory of
Robert WIDDRINGTON / Witherington who died in Calvert County in 1722 James
Somervell is listed as a creditor. In fact the only creditor. It is probably
only a strange coincidence that James Somervell happened to be one of
fifty-five Catholic prisoners on a ship that also brought Richard
With(o)rington to Maryland and that Somervell later became involved with
possibly the only other known Witherington family (Robert) in the Maryland
colony at the time. It is certain that Robert and Richard were not the same
person, although they may have been related. Robert
Widdrington/Witherington, his wife's ancestors and subsequent families
appear to be Quakers and/or Protestants rather than Catholic, although this
is only an impression.
In a further twist of fate, James Somervell's son, James Somervell
(1731-1774) married Susannah Dare, daughter of Gideon Dare. Gideon Dare's
aunt was Elizabeth Dare Widdrington/Witherington who was married to Robert
Widdrington (d. 1722).
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