Walter Aston Gent (abt. 1607 - 1656)

Born about 1607 in England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Warbowe) Aston — married 1628 in England

Husband of Hannah (Unknown) Hill — married 1656 in Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died 6 Apr 1656 at about age 49 in Charles City County, Virginia Colony

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Magna Carta Gateway Ancestor Descendant of Magna Carta Surety Baron Robert FitzWalter (see text). Join: Magna Carta Project Discuss: magna_carta

Biography

Walter Aston Gent migrated from England to Colonial America.

Walter Aston Gent is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

Walter Aston Gent was a Virginia colonist.

[Lieut. Col.] Walter Aston, Gent.,^[1] merchant and planter, fourth son of Walter Aston, Gent., of Longdon, Staffordshire, and Joyce Nason, was born about 1607.^[2][3] He may have been born at Longdon, Staffordshire, where his father held lands.

Immigration

Walter immigrated to Virginia in 1627 aboard the ship James, bringing with him foodstuffs and tobacco pipes. It is thought that his cousin, Sir Walter Aston, Lord Aston,^[4] statesman and member of the Virginia Company, had some influence in securing Walter's immigration to Virginia.^[2]

Property and Positions

In 1628, Walter was granted a 590-acre patent for the "personal adventure"/transport of himself, his wife ("Warbowe") and ten others to Virginia.^[2][5][6] In 1641, he received an additional 250 acres in Charles City County as headright for transporting five people.^[2] Walter and his son Thomas were named in the will of Capt. Thomas Pawlett,^[2] dated 12 January 1643/44.^[5][7] On 12 August 1646, Walter patented 1,040 acres near Shirley Hundred, 200 acres of which were known as "Cawsey's Care".^[4][5]

Walter served the colony as a justice of the peace in Charles City County, a lieutenant colonel of the militia, and sheriff.^[2][5] He was a burgess,^[4] being elected 1630 through 1633 and from 1641 to 1643 and possibly other terms (not all records of membership have survived).^[2] He was appointed by the Assembly as a tobacco inspector in 1639 and, in 1641, he was given a fourteen year monopoly to explore and trade in the "Unknowne land bearing west southerlye from Appomatock River".^[2]

Marriages and Children

Walter married first before 26 July 1628 (date of patent) to a woman named "Warbowe". He married second to Hannah,^[2][4] whose surname has been given by some as Jordan, but no evidence exists to substantiate this claim. See notes below for more information on the names of his wives.

From Walter's two marriages, he had two sons and three daughters:

• Walter,^[2] who sold some of his inheritance to his mother, after her remarriage.^[4] He was born about 1639 and died 29 January 1666/7, apparently unmarried.^[4][5]
• Thomas,^[2] living 1644, when he was mentioned as a god-child in the will of Capt. Thomas Pawlett.^[7][8] Thomas probably died without issue.^[5]
• Susan (or Susannah), wife of Lieut. Col. Edward Major^[4] and William Batte (1611-aft.1659). Her will was dated 1662 in Nansemond.^[5]
• Mary, wife of Lieut. Col. Richard Cocke^[4][5] and Lieut. Col. Daniel Clarke^[2]
• Elizabeth, wife of Thomas Binns^[4][5] and Col. Francis Mason^[2]

Death and Legacy

Walter Aston died testate on 6 April 1656, aged 49 years, and was buried at Westover Church in Charles City County, Virginia,^[2][4] which afterwards passed into the hands of the Byrd family.^[4] His tomb with the following inscription is still intact at Westover:^[4][5]

Walter left a widow, Hannah, who proved his will on 25 January 1656/7 in Charles City County.^[2] She married second to Col. Edward Hill, Esq., of Shirley, after 8 January 1660 (date of patent).^[2] Edward died about 1663 and Hannah was still living in 1666, when she was named a legatee in the will of her son Walter Aston, the younger,^[4] which was dated 21 December 1666.^[2]

Research Notes

Disputed Birth

No record of his birth, baptism or first marriage has been found in England. The Visitation is the principal basis on which he is identified, and the age given on his tombstone is the ground for giving his birthdate as "about 1607". This identification was challenged in an article by Paul C. Reed, which reported a record showing that Walter Aston of Longdon had died in England. It was later discovered that there were two men of that description, and a retraction was duly published. See Flank.

Name of First Wife

The name of Aston's wife, "Warbowe", or perhaps "Narbowe",^[4] has not been explained or even confirmed, as the Secretary's clerk would make out the patent from the details sent by the County clerk (which were not retained). An office copy would be made, probably by a more junior clerk. Much later, these office copies, on loose sheets, were copied into books, which Nugent worked from to compile Cavaliers and Pioneers. After so many opportunities for misreading, it's not at all certain what the name of Aston's wife really was. Contrary to Boddie, it is not implied by the patent that she sailed with Aston, or even that he paid her fare: only that he had come into possession of the as-yet-unredeemed headright for her transportation. We aren't told what name she had when the headright was originally issued.

Surname of Second Wife

Cabell identified her as a Jordan, but his source is not indicated, and it seems distinctly possible that he might have confused her with somebody else. Boddie repeated what Cabell wrote, and now it will not lie down. See Richardson vol. I, page 63.

Mother of Walter's Children

The 21 December 1666 will of Walter Aston (the younger), names Hannah Hill as his mother.^[2][4] Assuming this is literally correct (i.e. he isn't calling his stepmother his "mother"), we can infer that she was also the mother of Thomas and (at least) any younger sisters (and possibly of all Walter (the elder's) children).

Sources

1. ↑ Aston, Walter - A213; born 1607, died 6 April 1656, Charles City Co.: Shirley Hundred: 1632-33 (Burgess). accessed 5 September 2021
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17} Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd ed., 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham, Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2011, vol. I, pages 62-63, ASTON 16.
3. ↑ Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. (Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013), vol. I, page 181, ASTON 19.
4. ↑ ^{4.00 4.01 4.02 4.03 4.04 4.05 4.06 4.07 4.08 4.09 4.10 4.11 4.12 4.13 4.14} L.G. Tyler, "Old Tombstones in Charles City County", in The William and Mary Quarterly, Vol. 4 #3 (Jan 1896). Online at Archive.org, page 144 (inscription) and Note #5, pages 148-149 (Walter Aston bio).
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 5.9} John Bennett Boddie. Virginia Historical Genealogies. (Redwood City, CA: Pacific Coast Publishers, 1954). Online at HathiTrust, page 274. Chart page 278. (A descent from Charlemagne, avoiding Anglo-Norman royalty by going through Agatha)
6. ↑ Nell Marion Nugent. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Vol. I, (Richmond, VA: Press of the Dietz Print Co., 1934). Online at Archive.org, page 93. (date in this book incorrect, should be 1628, not 1638)
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1} Lyon G. Tyler, “Title of Westover.” in The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 3, 1896, pages 151–155. Online at JSTOR. Accessed 25 Feb 2020.
8. ↑ The will also mentions Mr. Walter Aston (overseer) and Mrs. Aston. Although Capt. Thomas Pawlett was correctly identified by Tyler, Boddie confuses him with Lord Thomas, a brother of Sir John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester. But Lord Thomas was dead before 1621, and there were no aristocrats of that rank in the colonies.

• Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. 2nd edition. (Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2011). See also WikiTree's source page for Magna Carta Ancestry.
• Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. (Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013). See also WikiTree's source page for Royal Ancestry.

See also:

• Visitation of London 1633-35, pt. 1, ed. J. Jackson Howard and J.L Chester, Harleian Soc. 15 (1880). Online at Archive.org. page 29, Aston. (Parentage of Leonard is wrong - see Boddie, p. 274)
• Cabell, James Branch. The Majors and Their Marriages. (Richmond, VA: W. C. Hill Printing Co., 1915). Online at Archive.org, page 27.
• See photos of the memorial laid by the Maryland Society of the Daughters of Colonial Wars and the original headstone at Find A Grave: Memorial #7656547.
• Foley, Louise: Early Virginia Families Along the James River, Vol. 1 (Genealogical Publishing Com, 2009), preview online at Google Books, page 12, citing Patent Book #2, page 78.
• Flank, J.W. January 2017 post on soc.gen.medieval.
• Wikipedia: Walter_Aston_(Burgess).
• Jamestowne Society qualifying ancestor #A213: born 1607, died 6 April 1656, Charles City Co.: Shirley Hundred: 1632-33 (Burgess).
• Tyler, Lyon Gardiner. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography.

Acknowledgements

See the Changes tab for details of edits to this profile. Thanks to everyone who contributed.

Magna Carta Project

This profile was reviewed and approved by Thiessen-117 01:28, 26 February 2020 (UTC).

Lieut. Col. Walter Aston is listed in Magna Carta Ancestry as a Gateway Ancestor (vol I, pp xxiii-xxix) and is a Richardson-documented descendant of Magna Carta Surety Baron Robert FitzWalter (vol. I, pages 57-64 ASTON). This trail was badged for the Magna Carta Project on 5 June 2021. See the Magna Carta Trails below for the profiles in that trail.

See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".

Magna Carta Trails

Badged Richardson-documented trail to Robert Fitz Walter (MCA I:57-64 ASTON):

Gateway Ancestor Walter Aston (badged/100% 5-star)

1. Walter is the son of Walter Aston (badged/R&A 22 May 2021)

2. Walter is the son of Leonard Aston (badged/R&A 22 May 2021)

3. Leonard is the son of Edward Aston (badged/R&A 24 May 2021')

4. Edward is the son of John Aston (badged/R&A 26 May 2021)

5. John is the son of John Aston (badged/R&A 27 May 2021)

6. John is the son of Robert Aston (badged/100% 5-star)

7. Robert is the son of Joyce Freville (badged/R&A 29 May 2021)

8. Joyce is the daughter of Baldwin de Freville (badged/R&A 3 June 2021)

9. Baldwin is the son of Baldwin de Freville (badged/100% 5-star)

10. Baldwin is the son of Ida de Clinton (badged/R&A 4 June 2021)

11. Ida is the daughter of John de Clinton (badged/100% 5-star)

12. John is the son of Ida de Oddingseles (badged/100% 5-star)

13. Ida is the daughter of Ela Fitz Walter (badged/100% 5-star)

14. Ela is the daughter of Walter Fitz Robert (badged/100% 5-star)

15. Walter is the son of Magna Carta Surety Baron Robert Fitz Walter