John Prescott (1604-1681) (Week 39) Theme: "Unusual"

For this week's "Unusual" theme, I've asked myself which of my immigrant ancestors brought the most unusual item from Europe to North America. What couldn't be left behind in England? Perhaps it could be William Mullins, my 11th great grandfather, a merchant who brought a full supply of boots and shoes with him on the Mayflower. (William's plan to set up shop selling footwear in the New World ended before it began. He died shortly after arriving at Plymouth.) But, no, the award for most unusual item clearly belongs to my 9th great grandfather John Prescott who brought along a full suit of armour. Either he brought it from England, or as a blacksmith and metal worker, he may have made it for himself after arriving in New England - something that would be equally unusual.

No, not John's actual armour but a "Suit of Armour c. 1530"  from Wikimedia Commons
Carnegie Museum of Art, Gift of Hearst Foundation; Original photo from flickr by Moira Burke

John may have been born in Lancashire, England, although there is some confusion and lack of proof as to exactly where he originated. Unfortunately, no records firmly attached to this John Prescott have been identified for the first two dozen years of his life.

The first definite record occurred when he married Mary Gawkroger Platts in her home town of Sowerby, Yorkshire, England on 11 April 1629.

1629 Marriages (middle column) include 11 April marriage of John Prescott and Mary Gawkroger

Their first five children were born at Sowerby with two dying young.

Google Earth Image showing location of Sowerby, Yorkshire

John, Mary and their three surviving children migrated first to Barbados in 1638 where daughter Hannah was born in 1639. They came to Watertown in what is now Massachusetts in about 1640. Daughter Lydia Prescott (my 8th great grandmother, wife of Jonas Fairbanks) was born in Watertown on 15 August 1641.

John owned 126 acres of land there, but by 1643 he and others purchased 80 sections of land from the Nashaway, an Algonquin tribe of Native Americans. The settlement was known first as Nashaway Plantation and later as Lancaster, MA. "Nashawog" means "land in the angle made by two rivers", which certainly describes the geography here. The area around Lancaster was thought to contain a wealth of minerals to be exploited and several of the men interested in the enterprise, including John Prescott, were workers in iron.

Lancaster, MA sits in the angle where the North and South Branches of the Nashua River meet
Google Earth Image

There was some difficulty in gaining access to their new lands since the Sudbury River posed a natural barrier. The purchasers petitioned the General Court to have a bridge constructed, but this was not a priority for the General Court. Apparently Prescott lost his horse and all its load while crossing the River and when his wife and children tried to cross on horseback a week later, they barely made it across with their lives.

Notwithstanding the difficulties, by 1645, he settled on his land there and is regarded as the founder of the town. Two sons, Jonathan and Jonas, were born there in 1646 and 1648, completing the family.

The original name proposed by the settlers for the town of Lancaster was Prescott  in John's honour, but this was rejected by the General Court as smacking of "man-worship". At the next sitting of the General Court, the name became Lancaster, probably to honour the settlers' English homeland. Even though his name had been rejected, Prescott was the first to subscribe to the town covenant.

Signatories of the town covenant for Lancaster MA include ancestors John Prescott (his signature at the top of the page) and his son-in-law Jonas Fairbanks (name starts inside the circle)
Image from Nourse's "Early Records of Lancaster Massachusetts 1643-1725", 1884, page 25 

Elizabeth Titcomb says in her book that "Mr. Prescott at a very early day became a leading spirit and a prominent and influential man." She says that he "was a man of strict integrity and of great energy and perseverance."

Certainly he made his mark on the community and is frequently mentioned in its records. He had other professions as well as blacksmith - farmer, surveyor, millwright and miller as well as builder and operator of sawmills. Prescott had a millstone delivered to Lancaster in 1653 and this enabled the locals to grind their grain locally rather than having to take it to nearby Watertown. Nourse in his 1884 "Early Records of Lancaster" describes the significance of this venture on page 31:

"The arrival of Prescott's millstone in Lancaster must have been an event of matchless interest to every man, woman and child in the settlement. Until that began its tireless turning, the grain for their every loaf of bread had to be carried to Watertown mill, or ground laboriously in a hand quern, or parched and brayed in a mortar Indian fashion, or hulled and softened with lye and crushed, as is the practice to this day in some regions of North America."  

The value of Prescott's estate by 1654 was in excess of 366 pounds, making him the 2nd wealthiest man in the area. By 1659 he also had  built a sawmill and house in nearby Clinton and a sawmill in Groton in 1667. Describing the significance of Prescott's sawmills to the housing situation in Lancaster, Nourse says on page 57:

"Before Prescott started his saw-mill, all houses of the town must have been rude structures of logs, hewn timber, stone and clay, for it was an impossibility to bring from the lower towns over the existing roads, and on the rude cart of the period, any large amount of sawn lumber. . . . It would be natural at first for builders to rest content with a single story, for few pioneers could afford more; but after 1658, with Prescott's saw-mill in successful operation, doubtless a few more pretentious structures arose. Daniel Hudson, a brickmaker and mason, was here resident in 1651. Nails, large and small, and all other articles of constructive hardware were made laboriously by hand upon the smith's anvil. Paint was unknown. "

There is some suggestion that he served under Oliver Cromwell in England. Some believe this to be impossible because he had moved to New England by the time of the English Civil War, but some of the early settlers did return to England to fight with Cromwell.

As to his "unusual" possession, John is known to have owned and worn a complete suit of armour - coat of mail, helmet, cuirass and gorget. Perhaps it came with him on his original voyage from England or on a return trip after serving with Cromwell - or some have suggested that capable iron worker John fashioned it for himself. In any event, there are some interesting tales that surround it and its owner.

Although the settlers of Lancaster had many amicable dealings with some of the Native Americans, there was understandable discontent brewing among the Native Americans who saw the newcomers expanding their settlements ever deeper into their traditional territories. In some instances, alliances were made with some some Native American tribes to fight others.

According to Elizabeth Titcomb, John would put on his suit of armour whenever he had difficulties with the Native Americans. She says that "He was a very strong athletic man of a stern countenance and upon such occasions he presented a very fierce and frightful appearance."

One particular situation is described in which a group of Native Americans had stolen a horse of John's and he put on his armour and went in hot pursuit. Surprised that he would follow them on his own, a chief approached him with upraised tomahawk. When Prescott told him to go ahead and strike him, the chief did so and was amazed that it made no mark on Prescott's head. The chief wanted to try it out for himself and put the helmet on so that Prescott could strike him. However, the helmet was too small and scraped the sides of the chief's head when Prescott banged on its top, resulting in an increase in Prescott's mystique. John got his horse back.

Another time, the American Natives set fire to Prescott's sawmill. Again, he donned his armour and went out and doused the flames with no fear of ambush.

When they attacked his house, he was well-armed with many muskets but he and wife Mary were there alone. Mary loaded the guns and John discharged them, all the time shouting loud orders as if he had a house full of soldiers. Eventually, the attackers withdrew with their dead and wounded.

Map of Lancaster 1675 - John Prescott's land highlighted in yellow #1 (beside the letter B)
From Marvin's "History of Lancaster" 1879

We have seen that John could be a man of action as well as a capable and practical man of industry. He didn't neglect his community obligations either. He served on a grand jury on 28 March 1673/4 and 20 March 1674/5 and often served as prudential manager or Selectman of the town.

Before the massacre at Lancaster during King Philip's War, he owned about 1200 acres of land in South Lancaster, Clinton, Washacum Pond in Sterling and Groton. The massacre left all the homes burned and some 50 inhabitants dead or captive. John Prescott lost family members including two grandsons and two sons-in-law (including my 8th great grandfather Jonas Fairbanks). The surviving town members left the area for safety in more populated towns for the duration of King Philip's War. They returned in about 1779, with aging John Prescott again taking the lead. At the time of his death in 1681, he still possessed about 700 acres at Lancaster.

He is buried in the Old Settlers' Burial Field at Lancaster. This cemetery is difficult to find down a twisting trail under a railroad bridge. The site has a mystical quality to it, especially on a misty drizzly day such as we enjoyed during our May 1999 visit there.

Old Settlers Burial Ground at Lancaster MA, 24 May 1999

His original headstone is a very crude one ("John Prescott|Decased (sic)") located in front of the large memorial put up some 50 years after his death.

John Prescott Memorial on far left
Old Settlers' Burial Ground, Lancaster 24 May 1999

The larger memorial says: "Here with his children around him lies John Prescott, founder of Lancaster and first settler of Worcester County. Born at Standish, Lancashire, England, died at Lancaster MA December, 1681. Inspired by the love of liberty and the fear of God this stout-hearted pioneer forsaking the pleasant vales of England took up his abode in the unbroken forest and encountered  wild beast and savage to secure freedom for himself and his posterity. His faith and virtues have been inherited by many descendants who in every generation have well served the state in war, in literature, at the bar, in the pulpit, in public life and Christian homes."  (Text by Senator George F. Hoar)

After this death, his favourite matchlock musket gun that he had brought from England (and that Mary had reloaded during the attack on their house) was passed down to oldest son John and through his family line until it was finally donated to the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin where it no doubt still resides. Pictures of it can be seen through this link.

So then, what became of his suit of armour after his death? Although there is no specific mention of it in his will, as part of his "movables", it would have first gone to his wife for her lifetime (and although she was obviously a strong and capable woman, one cannot imagine her ever making much use of it). After her death, such movables were to be divided evenly between sons John and Jonathan. No further records or stories have been found of anyone making use of John's suit of armour as he had done in such an unusual manner.

References and Further Reading:

• Marvin, Abijah P., "History of the Town of Lancaster Massachusetts 1643-1879", Lancaster: Published by the Town 1879 (copy reviewed by the author at the Lancaster Town Library Historical Collection 1999 and now also available online at Google Books at this link)
• Nourse, Henry S. ed., "The Early Records of Lancaster Massachusetts 1643-1725", Lancaster 1884 (copy reviewed by the author at the Lancaster Town Library Historical Collection 1999 and now also available online at this link.) 
• Nourse, Henry S. ed., "The Birth, Marriage and Death Register, Church Records and Epitaphs of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643-1850", Lancaster 1890 (copy reviewed by the author at the Lancaster Town Library Historical Collection 1999)
• Prescott, William, M.D., "The Prescott Memorial or a Genealogical Memoir of the Prescott Families in America", Boston, 1870
• Titcomb, Elizabeth, "Early New England People", Boston, 1882, pp 133-213 available online at Google Books at this link

Jonas Fairbanks (1625-1676) Wearing Great Boots Contrary to the Law (52 Ancestors Week 27) Theme: "Independence"

Having already written about two ancestors who fought for American independence (see John Bullen and Henry Vought stories), this week's suggested theme of "Independence" will be largely ignored as I strike off on my own independent path. My 8X great grandfather Jonas Fairbanks also showed an independent streak.

Jonas was the third son of immigrants Jonathan Fairbanks and his wife Grace Smith. He was born early in 1625 and baptised at Halifax, Yorkshire, England on 06 March 1625. His early years were probably comfortable ones with his father a reasonably well-off wool merchant. Most likely his parents were religious dissidents and that may well have been the cause of their move to New England when Jonas was still a boy.

Growing up in the Fairbanks House at Dedham, Massachusetts, must have been quite a happy time for Jonas and his 7 siblings. This was a new town and there would have been many other children with whom to play. No doubt the education that he had started to receive in England would have been continued in the new land and he would have received as good an education as was available in Dedham at the time. A church and a school were always established along with the settlement of all these New England towns.

Jonas's boyhood home in Dedham, Massachusetts

One of the stories that I cherish about Jonas involves his running afoul of the sumptuary laws when he was about 22 years old. Although he was making his way as both a carpenter and a farmer, he was fined a few shillings for wearing great boots before his estate amounted to more than 200 pounds. I love the image of young Jonas strutting about Dedham in his great boots! Apparently he got off without paying the fine because the law wasn't actually in effect at the time he was seen wearing the boots. (Presumably he hid them away in Fairbanks House until his estate was large enough to permit him to legally wear them again.)

By the time Jonas entered manhood and planned to start his own life with his own family, most of the lands around Dedham had been claimed and there was a push for expansion farther into the wilderness. Jonas moved to western Massachusetts as one of the original settlers of Lancaster in 1657. It has been said that he was a strong man, both in his mental and physical abilities.

He subscribed to the Lancaster town laws and orders on the 7th day of the 2nd month of 1658/59. Shortly after arriving in Lancaster, Jonas married Lydia Prescott who had moved there with her parents John Prescott and Mary Platts. Lydia had been born in Watertown, MA on 15 August 1641 and would have been just under 17 years of age when she married Jonas on 28 May 1658. Jonas would have been 23. This was the first marriage to occur in Lancaster. The young couple would go on to have numerous children including Mary, Joshua, Grace (my 7X great grandmother, born 15 November 1663 in Dedham), Jonathan, Hazadiah, Jabez and Jonas Jr.

The westward migration of settlers had not gone unnoticed by the native population. At first friendly and welcoming, they must have become concerned when it became apparent that the newcomers were expanding their communities farther into traditional Wampanoag territory. In 1675, when three American Indians were hanged in Plymouth Colony for the murder of a Christian member of his Wampanoag tribe, Chief Metacom (more commonly known by his English name King Philip) launched assaults on more than half the towns in New England. This went on until 1678 and is generally called "King Philip's War". Considering the population at the time, it could well be considered the deadliest war during the European settlement of North America. The colonial population was decimated with about 10% of the men killed, a dozen towns destroyed, crops ruined, the economy left in tatters.

Jonas Fairbanks was a victim of the Indian massacre at Lancaster of 10 February 1676 along with his 15 year-old son Joshua. It is not known where they are buried, but many of the Fairbanks and Prescott family members are buried in the beautifully mysterious Old Burying Ground at Lancaster, Massachusetts.

Old Burying Ground at Lancaster; memorial to Jonas's father-in-law John Prescott on far left

Another Jonas Fairbanks buried at Lancaster

Sources:

• Clemens, William Montgomery, "Marriage Records Before 1699", Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1967
• Fairbanks, Jonathan Leo, "An Old Family Burial Site" accessed 21 June 2015 at http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~walkersj/Jonathanfairbanks1666.html
• Fairbanks, Lorenzo Sayles, "Genealogy of the Fairbanks Family in America 1633-1897", Fairbanks Family in America, Incorporated, 1991 based on an edition printed for the author by the American Printing and Engraving Company, 1897
• Nourse, Henry, "Birth, Marriage and Death Register, Church Records and Epitaphs of Lancaster, Massachusetts 1643-1850", Lancaster 1890
• Nourse, Henry, "Early Records of Lancaster 1643-1725", Lancaster 1884 

William Longespee c.1176-1226 (52 Ancestors #2) Theme: "King"

William Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury

I must confess to wearing my skeptic's hat when I claim William Longespee as my 22nd great grandfather on my mother's maternal line. He lived so long ago during the times of chivalry that his story seems to belong more in the realm of romantic fairy tales than in a collection of real family stories.  There is one link in the ancestral chain that has not been proven, namely that my 9th great grandfather John Prescott, who emigrated to Massachusetts in 1637, was the son of William's 12th great grandson Ralph Prescott of Standish, Lancaster, England. Circumstantial evidence is strongly in favour of such a relationship but this is one area that requires additional research.  For purposes of this week's challenge on the "King" theme, I cannot resist using William's story because it has so much going for it - illegitimate royal birth, battles and honours, illustrious marriage, intrigue and quite possibly murder.

As a child, I revelled in the tales of Robin Hood. I despised the villainous Prince John while admiring King Richard I the Lionheart (later learning that their characters were not so black and white as portrayed on television and in storybooks). Remembering childhood visions of knights in shining armour, castles and kings and princes, the possibility of having an ancestor living in a castle as John's and Richard's half-brother seems very unlikely.

William grew up in court as the acknowledged son of King Henry II, but for the longest time it was not clear which of Henry's mistresses was William's mother. It is, of course, unusual for the mystery parent to be the mother rather than the father. For some time she was thought to be "The Fair Rosamond", Rosamond Clifford.  However, meticulous research conducted by historical fiction writer Elizabeth Chadwick led to the discovery of a document of William's that identifies his mother as Ida de Tosny.  Ida was a royal ward of King Henry II and also his mistress. By today's standards, this would be considered outrageous conduct and a clear breach of Henry's duty to protect the young woman. Nevertheless, Henry thereafter arranged a good marriage for her to Roger Bigod, 2nd Earl of Norfolk, and returned to Roger the manors that had previously been taken from him. But Henry kept young William at court.

King Henry acknowledged William as his son and gave him many honours. William was said to have been a very prudent man and tended to stay out of trouble while being supportive of his father and his half-brothers. No wonder he was considered one of Henry's favourites! In 1196, his half-brother King Richard the Lionheart married him to a great heiress, the nine year-old Ela of Salisbury, 3rd Countess of Salisbury in her own right, thereby making William the 3rd Earl of Salisbury.

He was still in favour when his other half-brother ascended the throne to become King John.  William was often at court and participated in many significant events of the day.  Among many other appointments, he was Sheriff of Wiltshire, Warden of the Welsh Marches and Sheriff of Cambridgeshire and Huntingdonshire.

William was considered to be one of the most experienced and capable military leaders in England at the time. During King John's disputes with Philip of France in 1212, William commanded a fleet of 500 ships and a force of 700 knights and horse soldiers that attacked and destroyed the unsuspecting French fleet. Two years later things did not go so well. In another battle with the French, he was beaten from his horse and taken prisoner. King John entered into negotiations and arranged his release.

When William returned to England, it was a time of revolt among the barons leading to King John's signing of Magna Carta at Runnymeade in 1215. William's name appears in the preamble to Magna Carta in the list of illustrious men who had provided advice to the King. He was one of the few who remained loyal to King John throughout this difficult time.

After King John's death, William and other barons worked to have John's young son crowned as Henry III. He held an influential position during young Henry's minority.

In 1220, William and wife Ela were principal patrons in the building of Salisbury Cathedral. In addition to their busy public life, the couple had a large family of four sons and six daughters.

The final chapter of his life reads like a mystery. His ship was nearly lost at sea while returning to England from Gascony in a storm in 1225. William survived for several months by taking refuge in a monastery on a French island. While he was gone, many assumed he was dead and Ela (with her lands and title) was considered a great catch.  William did return home but died very shortly thereafter. It was suspected that he might have been poisoned by one of Ela's suitors, Hubert de Burgh. Credence was given to this centuries later when William's tomb was opened to reveal the well-preserved corpse of a rat in his skull, possibly indicative of arsenic poisoning.

William was the first person to be buried in Salisbury Cathedral.  His splendid tomb and effigy are prominently displayed in the south aisle of the nave. 

Sources:

• Stroud, Daphne I., M.A., "Magna Carta", Paul Cave Publications Ltd., Southampton in association with the Dean and Chapter of Salisbury 1980 
• Dennys, Rodney, "Heraldry and the Heralds", London: Cape c.1982
• Wikipedia entries for William Longespee, 3rd Earl of Salisbury, Royal Descent, Ela of Salisbury and for Ida de Tosny
• Oral history told to author and her family by tour guide at Salisbury Cathedral on June 3, 1998
• Appleby, John T., "John, King of England", New York: Alfred A. Knopf 1959
• Weiss, Frederick Lewis Th. D and Arthur Adams, Ph.D., "Magna Carta Sureties, 1215", Baltimore, 1985, page 142
• Chadwick, Elizabeth, "The Time of Singing", Sphere, 2008

Final Notes:

• In case you were wondering: the widow Ela did not remarry.  She was the Sheriff of Wiltshire for two years following her husband's death and then in 1129 founded Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire.  She entered the Abbey as a nun in 1138 and became its Abbess. She is attributed with many good works for both the Abbey and the village during her tenure.  Ela died in 1261 and is buried at Lacock Abbey.
• Respected genealogist Gary Boyd Roberts is attributed with saying that most Americans who have significant New England ancestry (as does my mother's maternal line) are descended from medieval European kings. Often, such descent is from illegitimate children who would have married into non-royal families and thereby contributed to the gene pool of us common folk. Also remember that the number of ancestors doubles each generation so that a person would have over 8 million 22nd great grandfathers. Perhaps the odds of finding one illegitimate royal in that number is not so unlikely after all.