Penelope (Ashley-Cooper) Massie (abt. 1645 - aft. 1681)

Descendants

Died after 1681 after about age 36 in St Peters, New Kent, Virginia [uncertain]

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Penelope (Ashley-Cooper) Massie resided in the Southern Colonies in North America before 1776. Join: US Southern Colonies Project Discuss: southern_colonies

Biography

Penelope Cooper or as more commonly called, Ashley-Cooper is claimed to be a daughter of Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, 1st Earl of Shaftesbury, either with his third wife, Lady Margaret Spencer, or as the result of an extramarital liason with an unnamed member of the Massey family. ^[1] Sometimes she is given the name, Lucretia, or sometimes Lucretia is said to be her twin sister. Sometimes she is said to be Ashley-Cooper's grand daughter rather than his child, however, to date there have been no credible documents or verifiable sources found that even support the existence of Penelope Cooper, much less as being Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper's child or grand daughter. Although some have said that Margaret Spencer (3rd wife) produced twin daughters Lucretia and Penelope, traditionally accepted sources tell us that the marriage to Lady Margaret Spencer produced no children and that she dutifully raised her step-son and Sir Anthony's only living heir, Anthony to maturity. ^{[2] [3]}

Disputed Parentage

Some researchers have insisted that Ashley-Cooper's published papers and his biographies make it clear that he had several daughters, and that one of them is Penelope and the other a twin sister named Lucretia. It has also been said that he had at least one illegitimate son, born during his first marriage. On the other hand, traditional sources including a memoir and diary written by Ashley-Cooper indicate that there were no children that lived to maturity other than his son and heir, Anthony Ashley-Cooper who was raised by his step-mother, Lady Margaret Spencer.^[4]

Penelope Ashley-Cooper is claimed to be the legitimate or sometimes illegitimate daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury. ^[5]She is sometimes said to be the daughter of Ashley-Cooper and Margaret Spencer, or in another account the daughter of Ashley-Cooper and a house servant by the surname of Massey, said to be the daughter of Andrew Massey, regent of Edinburgh College. Some think she and Peter Massey must have wed in England which would explain the lack of records in Virginia. She is also by some accounts said to have been sent to America where she married Peter Massey, of New Kent, Virginia ^[6] and produced children from this relationship. Although her marriage to Peter Massey is unproved, it has not prevented speculative claims from being offered as fact. The father - daughter relationship to Anthony Ashley-Cooper has been vigorously disputed and largely dismissed by most serious researchers as a fabrication while others take the position that her relationship, although unproved, should not be totally dismissed. (see G2G discussion titled "More false American lineages connected to English nobility?" for some compelling evidence).

Evidence

There is a Wikipedia article, "St Giles House, Wimborne St Giles", that also addresses the question of "Who is Penelope." The article, while not giving specific sources, puts forth the idea that Ashley-Cooper had two daughters by Margaret Spencer. The article states, "Shaftesbury's third wife was Margaret, daughter of William Spencer, 2nd Baron Spencer of Wormleighton. and Margaret's mother was named Penelope, first daughter of Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of Southampton. Her given name Penelope is proffered as circumstantial evidence of the Penelope Ashley-Cooper story.

Even though "Burke's Peerage" states that Ashley-Cooper had only one child, son and heir Anthony Jr that lived to maturity, it is a repeated claim that Ashley-Cooper's published papers and biographies state that he had several daughters. It is also documented that he had at least one illegitimate son, Charles, born during his first marriage." ^[7]

The birth and christening records of Dorset, England have been searched. The search failed to find any supporting documents of the birth of Penelope Cooper, or Penelope Ashley-Cooper.

Ashley-Cooper Memoirs

A careful reading of "Memoirs, Letters, and Speeches of Anthony, Ashley Cooper, first Earl of Shaftesbury, Lord Chancellor, with other papers provide a revealing look into the life of Anthony Ashley Cooper I. Earl of Shaftesbury 1859", These documents reveal that Ashley-Cooper did, in fact have two children, one born in 1647 and one born in 1648, from his 1st marriage to Lady Frances Cecil (1633–1652), however, Cooper documents that they both died shortly after birth. In spite of the claims, nothing in this work leads one to believe he had more than one child that lived to adulthood, that being his son, heir and namesake, Anthony. ^{[8] [9]}

Ashley-Cooper in Colonial America

Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, one of the wig-bedecked Lords Proprietor among whom Charles II divvied up the Carolina colony, once owned land in colonial South Carolinia. ^[10] In 1663, the king granted the Province of Carolina to eight individuals. Cooper was one of those men, and he came to lead the management of this huge tract of land in North America, which Parliament named from the Latin Carolus in honor of Charles I. Cooper also had a connection to the Raleigh name, as Sir Walter Raleigh’s son, Carew Raleigh, married the widow of Cooper’s maternal grandfather. The Ashley and Cooper Rivers in South are named after Cooper himself. Apparently Cooper liked the water so much that he sent a letter to Sir John Yeamans, then governor of the Province of Carolina, requesting “12,000 acres in some convenient healthy fruitful place upon the Ashley River” for his own enjoyment. (The Ashley River is in present day South Carolina.) Ashley-Cooper never visited his lands in colonial America. ^[11]

A Case for Penelope

Miss Massey, the mother of Penelope ?

Among the family lore and various internet stories that relate the tale of Penelope Ashley-Cooper, said to be the illegitimate daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, is one tale that does have some basis in fact.

According to "My Massey Family in England" by Judge Frank A. Massey, Fort Worth, Texas (1974), Penelope was the product of an illicit affair between a Miss Massey, of Edinburgh, Scotland and Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper that may have taken place around 1645/46. Miss Massey, is said to have been the daughter of Andrew Massey, a professor of logic at Edinburgh College. It turns out that there was indeed an Andrew Massey who was a regent and professor at both Aberdeen and Edinburgh College. Further research turned up some interesting facts that added fascinating details to the story and perhaps gives support to the tale.

The story goes that in the 1620's, Andrew Massey, a regent of Aberdeen and Edinburgh College became the father of a Miss Massey and that the fair, Scottish maiden was to become the mother of Penelope and lover of Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper. The problem is that this particular story can't possibly be true because the facts reveal that Prof Andrew Massey was born too late to have been her father. In fact, the records indicate he would have been born about the same time Miss Massey. Newly found evidence does show however that Andrew Massey's father, was the Rev Andrew Massey Sr and that Rev Massey, the elder, was the right age to have been Miss Massey's father. The historical records tell us that Rev Massey had at least two sons, Andrew Jr., the regent, and William, who like his father became a minister. There were also at least two daughters born to Rev Massey. These are provable facts. What is still not known for certain is whether William and one of his sisters traveled to England to work for Sir Anthony as the story goes on to claim. Miss Massy must have been lovely and fair for It is said that Sir Anthony became enamored of Miss Massey and soon an affair between the two led to the birth of a girl child. Also possibly tying into the later story is the fact that Sir Anthony was an investor in land on Barbados. Interestingly, it does turn out that there are records of a number of Masseys immigrating to Barbados at that time and one story even suggests that Penelope and her mother may have been among the Massey immigrants to Barbados.

A more detailed discussion of the story presented with supporting evidence can be found here.

Conclusion - Disproven Existence

There have been no reliable sources ever presented that prove the claim that Anthony Ashley Cooper, had a daughter named Penelope. The evidence given in support of her existence is in large part based on speculative, unproven claims and poorly sourced family trees. The existing primary sources, including the papers of Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper often claimed as proving Penelope's existence unfortunately, do not present us with evidence of a child named Penelope. While Ashley-Cooper's Journal and private papers do reveal that he had at least two daughters, his writings clearly state that they were stillborn or died young except for his son and heir, Anthony. Additionally, the claim that Penelope was sent to colonial America and there she married Peter Massie (Massey) of New Kent, Virginia is also disputed, having been thoroughly researched and largely discounted by critics of the story. The few remaining colonial records that are available from New Kent, Virginia, including parish registers, have been researched. Although they establish the existence of Peter Massie, and his children, they do not reveal the claimed marriage or even the presence of Penelope Ashley-Cooper. To date the name of Peter Massie's spouse(s) is unknown and has not been found in the remaining records of colonial Virginia or in England .

Her purported immigration to America, life, marriage to Peter Massie, birth of children, death and burial of Penelope Ashley-Cooper in colonial Virginia is not supported by any verifiable records or documents. Additionally, research has never produced evidence in support of the claim that Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper was her father. Lacking evidence, Penelope Ashley-Cooper has been removed as spouse of Peter Massie, and as a child of Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper. It is also suggested that any other link to a profile said to be the child, spouse, sibling, or parent be removed as well since evidence indicates that Penelope may be a fictional person, whose actual existence is unsupported.

Research Notes

DNA Information

The Ashley family in South Carolina claims direct ties to the first Ashley-Cooper. This position is said to be supported by the fact that Maurice Ashley acquired the South Carolina estate of the First Earl of Shaftesbury. The Ashley family in America has offered to compare their DNA results with the Ashley-Cooper line in England. However the current Earl (Nicholas) has declined to participate in a DNA comparison. He also continues to deny that the first Ashley-Cooper had any descendants in America.

Sources

1. ↑ [http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~genealogyquest/ashley_cooper_anthony.htm Notes on Sir Anthony Ashley-Cooper
2. ↑ The Royal Families of England, Scotland, and Wales: With Their Descendants, Sovereigns and Subjects, Volume 2, John Burke, Bernard Burke, E. Churton, 1851
3. ↑ A Life of Anthony Ashley Cooper: First Earl of Shaftesbury. 1621-1683, Volume 1, William Dougal Christie, Macmillan and Company, 1871
4. ↑ Christie, Vol. 1, p. 121; Cokayne, vol. 11, p. 646
5. ↑ Who was Penelope?
6. ↑ A Massie Family History: Descendants of James R. Massie of Virginia and Kentucky and His Sons William Redmon Massie (born 1800) and John Colin Massie (born 1816), Including Some Early Families of Riley (and Others), Evelyn Hepworth Massie,1972
7. ↑ "St Giles House, Wimborne St Giles"
8. ↑ Memoirs, Letters, and Speeches of Anthony, Ashley Cooper, first Earl of Shaftesbury, Lord Chancellor, with other papers illustrating his life Anthony Ashley Cooper I. Earl of Shaftesbury 1859 - 224 pages
9. ↑ St Giles House, Wimborne St Giles : Wikipedia
10. ↑ "Archaeologists dig it up on Lord Ashley Cooper's land : Collecting Colonial Clues: , By Paul Bowers, Charleston City Paper, June 29, 2011
11. ↑ Cooper, Anthony Ashley (First Earl of Shaftesbury), by Brian Anderson, North Carolina State University, 2013

See also:

• Nicholas Ashley-Cooper, 12th Earl of Shaftebury

• A Life of Anthony Ashley Cooper: First Earl of Shaftesbury. 1621-1683, Volume 1, William Dougal Christie, Macmillan and Company, 1871 -

• Memoirs, Letters, and Speeches of Anthony, Ashley Cooper, first Earl of Shaftesbury, Lord Chancellor, with other papers illustrating his life Anthony Ashley Cooper I. Earl of Shaftesbury 1859 - 224 pages -

• Memoirs, Letters, and Speeches, of Anthony Ashley Cooper: With Other Papers Anthony Ashley Cooper Earl of Shaftesbury John Murray, 1859 - Great Britain

• A Genealogy Of The Wives Of The American Presidents And Their First Two Generations Of Descent (Google eBook) Craig Hart McFarland, Jan 1, 2004 - History - 303 pages. Page 47. "Laura Bush. Peter Massie, b 1640, d Dec 25, 1719, m Penelope Cooper b 1646

• A son (illegitimate) of Anthony Ashley-Cooper was a Charleston colonist ?

• Ancestry.com Title: A Massie family history : descendants of James R. Massie of Virginia and Kentucky and his sons William Redman Massie (born 1800 Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005.Original data - Massie, Evelyn Hepworth,. A Massie family history : descendants of James R. Massie of Virginia and Kentucky and his sons William Redman Massie (born 1800) and John Colin Ma; Repository: #R1 NOTEIncludes bibliographical references and index.

• Ancestor Lineages of Members Texas Society/National Society Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century Repository: #R1

• Yates Publishing Title: U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004.Original data - This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was derived; Repository: #R1

• Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R1 NOTEThis information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.

• Author: Edmund West, comp. Title: Family Data Collection - Births Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2001.; Repository: #R1

• Who was Penelope?

• Penelope Who?, A Genealogy Blog by Dana Huff

• Lucretia (or Penelope) Ashley-Cooper, notes concerning the Gershom Perdue letter

• "Families of Sequoyah County, OK & Others"

CORRESPONDENCE:

• e-mail from Ray Parker to Rose Haddle 6/24/04 (my mother's cousin) stating documentation.

• "Who was Penelope", <soc.genealogy.medieval>, post by Bronwyn Edwards.

• LDS FHL Ancestral File # 8J38-6S (familysearch.org)

• "ReVeal - Davis Family Tree Jan 2005" Kacy Davis

• "Williams Latham Tomlin Charlier" tree, Kenneth Williams

• Janice Hardin, firsthand knowledge. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Janice and others.

• My Massey Family in England Book I by Judge Frank A. Massey, Fort Worth, Texas (1974) p. 46-47 with a chart indicates that Peter Massie married Penelope Ashley Cooper (twin to Lucretia Ashley-Cooper) Her father was Anthony Ashley Cooper and the mother was named Massey.

Research Sources

• "When Scotland Was Jewish", pages 91-92, by Hirschman & Yates.

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XY6J-JPG : 10 February 2018), Massie, 16 Nov 1622; citing SAINT NICHOLAS,ABERDEEN,ABERDEEN,SCOTLAND, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 991,133.

• "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XY6F-2VY : 10 February 2018), Jeane Massie, 24 Dec 1623; citing SAINT NICHOLAS,ABERDEEN,ABERDEEN,SCOTLAND, reference , index based upon data collected by the Genealogical Society of Utah, Salt Lake City; FHL microfilm 991,133.

• A lifetime of denial

• Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Name: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members.; Repository: #R1 NOTEThis information comes from 1 or more individual Ancestry Family Tree files. This source citation points you to a current version of those files. Note: The owners of these tree files may have removed or changed information since this source citation was created.

Acknowledgments

• Thank you to Heath Vogel for creating WikiTree profile Ashley-Cooper-5 through the import of Vogel Wiki Upload.ged on Jan 22, 2013.
• Thank you to Rena Donze for creating WikiTree profile Ashley Cooper-2 through the import of Bocock Family Tree.ged on Apr 20, 2013.