William Batte Esq (bef. 1632 - bef. 1673)

Born before 15 Jul 1632 in Birstall, Yorkshire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Horton) Batte — married 1658 in Yorkshire, England

Descendants

Died before 7 Sep 1673 at about age 41 in Birstall, Yorkshire, England [uncertain]

Problems/Questions Profile manager: A. Batts [send private message]

Biography

William was the son of John Batte and Martha Mallory.^[1][2] He was baptised at St Peter's, Birstall, Yorkshire on 15 July 1632.^[3][4] (Douglas Richardson mistakenly states that he was baptised at Newton Tony, Wiltshire.^[1][2])

William became a Justice of the Peace in the West Riding of Yorkshire.^[4] The Diaries of Oliver Heywood refer to him ("Mr Bat") being associated with another JP, Mr Copley, in persecuting those involved in meetings of non-conformists and collecting hearth tax.^[5]

According to Douglas Richardson, William married twice, his first wife, whom he married in Virginia before 5 September 1655, being Susan/Susannah Aston, daughter of Walter Aston who had emigrated to Virginia and widow of Edward Major, and that no children of this marriage are known.^[1][2] See Research Notes (below): there is considerable doubt about whether this William was Susannah's husband.

William did marry Elizabeth Horton, daughter of William Horton^[4] and Elizabeth Gledhill,^[1][2] They had at least seven children:

• William,^[1][2] baptised at Birstall, Yorkshire on 11 January 1658/9^[6]
• Elizabeth,^[1][2] who married someone with the last name Beevor or Bevers^[4] and who was baptised at Birstall on 8 March 1659/60^[7]
• Martha, who married John Murgatroyd^[1][2][4] and who was baptised at Birstall on 8 November 1662^[8]
• Mary (not listed by Douglas Richardson or Dugdale) who was baptised with her sister Martha at Birstall on 8 November 1662^[9]
• John,^[1][2][4] baptised at Birstall on 26 April 1665^[10]
• Judith,^[1][2][11] baptised at Birstall on 7 August 1672^[12]
• Gledhill (a son)^[1][2][4]

William was buried at St Peter's, Birstall, Yorkshire on 7 September 1673.^{[1][2][4][13]} His second wife survived him and was buried at Birstall on 10 August 1685.^[1][2][4]

Timeline in Virginia

John Batte (Sr.) sailed to Virginia with his eldest sons John Batte Jr. and William Batte in 1650 after he and Thomas Danby entered into a “joynt adventure”. With them, Christopher and John Danby came to Virginia under the “conduct” of John Batte (Sr.), them being second and third children of his business partner Thomas Danby. John Batte Sr. and Jr. later made a return voyage to England, leaving William Batte in Virginia. These details are gleaned from the Papers 1654-1706 of Sir Abstrupus Danby.^[14] From other records it is known John Sr. and Jr. were both deceased around this same time period, circa 1652/3. Within the papers, it is stated that they “were both cast away in returning for England.” This suggests some troubles occurred on the return voyage but precisely what is not known.

William Batte, still in Virginia in 1654, entered into an agreement dated May 3, 1654 making arrangements for his younger brothers Henry and Thomas Batte.^[15] Approximately a week before this agreement is a letter from William Batte dated April 25, 1654 addressed to Sir Thomas Danby Knight, which mentions Batte’s planned return to England.^[16] The letter was therefore written from Virginia and William Batte soon after returned to England. The letter had additions dating from 1656 referring to William Batte as a “bankrupt”. The agreement entered into in Virginia in 1654 appears intended to have protected the Batte’s from the Danby’s efforts to recover holdings in Virginia.

William Batte was certainly back in England by 1656. In that year, a money matters case identifies William Batte of Okewell in the County of York (Orator) with father John Batte who “in his life had several dealings with one Robert Batte his brother”. There is reference within to “…A plantation your Orators father left? him in Virginia…”.^[17]

John Batte and Thomas Danby were both involved with attempted settlement of New Albion in America. Refer to his father’s profile.

While in Virginia, John Batte (Sr.) had bought “Buckrow” in Elizabeth City County in September 1650 on behalf of the two Danby children that had set sail with him.^[18] The Buckrow parcel and the Batt’s are mentioned in two letters dated in 1694 and 1695 sent from Frances (Culpepper) Stephens Berkeley to Sir Abstrupus Danby in England. ^[19] Frances’ sister Anne Culpepper married Christopher Danby who had come to Virginia with John Batte. William Batte is mentioned in surviving 1700’s era records concerning land disputes that recite back to now lost records dating in the 1600’s. An undated record reference states as follows below.

"…Defendant moved that a copy of a Deed produced by the Plt. made in behalf of Willm Batt of Barlsand in the County of York, Esq. &c., Martha Batt of Barkwell in the said County, Spinster, Sister of the said William Batt to Collo Chas. Moryson [Charles Morrison] might be read…"^[20]

This deed was for Buckrow. One of the letters of Frances (Culpepper) Stephens Berkeley stated that Thomas Danby had empowered William Batt [to sell land]. William Batt of “Barlsand” is perhaps Barkisland, where Batte’s Horton in-laws were seated. Sister Martha Batt of Barkwell is perhaps Oakwell. The Visitation of the County of Yorke: Begun in 1665 and Finished in 1666 (1859) written by William Dugdale records William Batte and sister Martha, unmarried, in England.

Research Notes

Marriage(s) and Likely Conflation of two Williams

See William Batte (1611-aft.1659) for details concerning his marriage with Susannah (Aston) Major Batte. For a variety of reasons therein, it is not possible it was his nephew of the same name that had married Susannah. Among those reasons, the younger William Batte was already back in England in 1656 (as noted in the bio above) while the William Batt with wife Susannah Aston is documented in Charles City County records in September 1656 and December 1656. Susannah was also still living circa 1662-1663 while the William Batte of this profile had married Elizabeth Horton, reportedly in 1658.

According to Douglas Richardson,^[1][2]

• William emigrated to Charles City County, Virginia with his father and siblings in 1649;
• before 5 September 1655 he married, as his first wife, Susan/Susannah Aston, daughter of Walter Aston who had emigrated to Virginia and widow of Edward Major, and that no children of this marriage are known.
• before 28 February 1657 he moved to Isle of Wight County, Virginia
• soon after that he returned to England, where he married Elizabeth Horton of Yorkshire

This may well represent a conflation of two different Williams. Dugdale's Visitation of Yorkshire gives only one wife to the William of this profile, Elizabeth Horton. It does state that another William Batte, Batte-37, uncle of the William of this profile, went to Virginia,^[4] and Richardson may have conflated the two Williams.

A Batts has helpfully drawn attention to a webpage (accessed 5 January 2024) he has written about the William Batte who went to Virginia.

Gateway Ancestor?

The William of this profile has previously been shown on WikiTree as a Gateway Ancestor for the purposes of the Magna Carta Project. As he died and was buried in Yorkshire, he does not qualify as a Gateway for Project purposes.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12} Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), Vol. III, p. 123, MALLORY 14.iii.a, Google Books
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} Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), Vol. II, p. 314, CORNWALL 19.i
3. ↑ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Ancestry.co.uk and linked parish register image: the transcript mistakenly lists the last name as Boswell; the image is clear that his father was John "Bat of Okewell"
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 4.8 4.9} J W Clay. Dugdale's Visitation of Yorkshire, with additions, Vol. I, William Pollard, 1899, pp. 353-354, Internet Archive
5. ↑ J Horsfall Turner (ed.). The Rev. Oliver Heywood, B.A., 1630-1702; his Autobiography, Diaries, Anecdots and Event Books, Vol. I, privately printed, 1882, p. 362, Internet Archive
6. ↑ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Ancestry.co.uk and linked parish register image
7. ↑ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Ancestry.co.uk and linked parish register image
8. ↑ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Ancestry.co.uk and linked parish register image
9. ↑ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Ancestry.co.uk and linked parish register image
10. ↑ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Ancestry.co.uk and linked parish register image
11. ↑ Genealogical Gleanings in England, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, 1885, p. 164, Google Books
12. ↑ West Yorkshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1512-1812, Ancestry.co.uk and linked parish register image: her first name is mis-transcribed as Edith in the transcript on Ancestry
13. ↑ National Burial Index For England & Wales, FindMyPast
14. ↑ The Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia. Mss10: no. 6, Papers 1654-1706 [Microform], author: Sir Abstrupus Danby. Source documents transcribed by A. Batts, here: https://battsgenealogy.wordpress.com/abstracted-source-document-danby-papers/
15. ↑ Southside Virginia Families, Vol. 1, pg. 25. John Bennett Boddie. 1966. Accessible via Google Books, here: https://books.google.com/books?id=yruvKfanqvAC&pg=PA25&dq=william+batte+%22spring+garden%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjk2vqKn9aDAxUmk4kEHdi_CPUQ6AF6BAgKEAM#v=onepage&q=william%20batte%20%22spring%20garden%22&f=false
16. ↑ The Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia. Mss10: no. 6, Papers 1654-1706 [Microform], author: Sir Abstrupus Danby. Source documents transcribed by A. Batts, here: https://battsgenealogy.wordpress.com/abstracted-source-document-danby-papers/
17. ↑ British Archives. Reference: C 5/29/2. Description: “Short title: Batt v Batt. Plaintiffs: William Batt. Defendants: Robert Batt. Subject: money matters, Yorkshire. Document type: bill, answer.” 1656.
18. ↑ The Virginia Historical Society in Richmond, Virginia. Mss10: no. 6, Papers 1654-1706 [Microform], author: Sir Abstrupus Danby. Source documents transcribed by A. Batts, here: https://battsgenealogy.wordpress.com/abstracted-source-document-danby-papers/
19. ↑ The Papers of Sir William Berkeley, 1605-1677. Pg. 642. Library of Virginia, 2007.
20. ↑ William and Mary College quarterly historical magazine. Vol. IX. Accessible here: https://archive.org/stream/williammarycolle09tyle/williammarycolle09tyle_djvu.txt