Richard immigrated to Virginia and served as Secretary of Virginia in 1634.[1][2] In August of that year, King Charles I had named Richard Kemp as the new secretary of the Virginia colony, replacing William Claiborne. Richard was responsible for overseeing correspondence with the king, issuing permits, granting passes to leave Virginia, etc. He received land and servants as compensation for his work, along with fees for his services.[3][6] Richard Kempe served as Secretary from 1634-1640 and from 1642-1649.[5]
When Richard arrived in Virginia, the colony had an unpopular governor in Sir John Harvey. Richard was a close ally to Harvey and was a member of the governor's Council.[3] Harvey was involved in several disputes with the Council and was impeached in 1635 and was briefly replaced as governor until the king reinstated his appointment in 1636.[3]
On 6 April 1638, Richard Kemp, as secretary of Virginia, wrote an important letter to Secretary of State Windebank, recounting the proceedings of the Assembly (reprinted in the Journals of the House of Burgesses ...).[7] This letter was written during the session which began in February 1637/38, a very tumultuous time in Virginia.
When Harvey was replaced as governor in 1639, Richard retained his place as secretary due to the influence of Lord Baltimore and Secretary of State Windebank. Rev. Anthony Panton, who had been mistreated by Harvey, returned to England and spoke against both Harvey and Richard. Richard returned to England in 1640 to defend his conduct, leaving his friend George Reade as deputy secretary.[5]
In 1642, Richard returned to Virginia with the colony's new governor, Sir William Berkeley[5] and became a senior member of the Council,[3][6] and also reclaimed his former post as Secretary.[5] He served as Acting Governor of Virginia while Berkeley was in England from about June 1644 to 1645/6.[1][2][3][5]
Richard left his position as Secretary and his seat on the Council in 1649 due to his declining health.[3]
Virginia - Property
Richard had gained thousands of acres of land through headright, as he had paid for the transport of almost one hundred people to Virginia,[3] thirty of which were Africans.[6] According to the Encyclopedia Virginia, Richard Kempe was one of the first plantation owners to use an enslaved workforce.[3]
He received patents for land as follows:
On 14 November 1637, he received 600 acres in James Cittie Co. to allow him to be near James City to execute his duties as Secretary.[8] It is thought that on this land, around 1638/39, Richard built a large house, "one of the finest" in Jamestown, made entirely of brick with a ceramic tile roof. It is thought to be the first brick home in Virginia.[3][6] In 1641, he sold the house to then-governor Francis Wyatt.[3] This sale may have occurred while Richard was in England.
On 3 January 1638, he received 1,200 acres called Rich Neck (see below) and 100 more acres between it and Middle Plantation. The 1,200 acres had been previously purchased from George Minifie on 23 February 1636, but not properly surveyed, and the 100 acres was for transporting two people.[8]
On 4 March 1638, he received 840 acres adjoining Rich Neck for the transportation of himself and sixteen others.[8]
On 1 August 1638, he received an interesting patent, issued by Act of the Assembly on 20 February 1636, in return for a yearly "rent" of one capon at the Feast of St. Thomas the Apostle.[8]
17 April 1643, he received 4,332 acres in James City County, including the 1,200 acres purchased from George Minifie and 940 acres from former patents (see 3 January and 4 March 1638 above) and also 2,192 acres for transporting 44 persons.[8][9]
29 May 1649, he received 3,500 acres on Mockjack Bay in Ware River for transporting 70 people.[8]
Rich Neck Plantation
On 23 February 1636, Richard purchased Rich Neck plantation from George Menefie,[8] who had been one of those opposing Governor John Harvey.[6] Menefie had patented the 1,200 acre property on 2 July 1635.[6]
Richard settled at Rich Neck[1] in 1642, on his return from England.[3] The brick house he built there is described as "surprisingly similar" to the one he had built in Jamestown in 1638/9. At Rich Neck, he also built another large outbuilding for the kitchen, storage and servants quarters.[3][6]
Rich Neck Plantation was located near the James River, and was accessible by College Creek during its years as a colonial plantation. This was in the historic Middle Plantation (now Williamsburg), Virginia, in James City Shire (later James City County).[6] The site was discovered in 1988, and has since been explored by archaeologists. The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has published an interesting description of the property here.
Marriage and Children
Richard married Elizabeth ______.[1][2][5] Several sources cite Richard's will as proof that his wife was Elizabeth Wormeley, possibly the daughter of Christopher Wormeley.[3][4][6][10] However no marriage record for Richard and Elizabeth is found, and no birth record for an Elizabeth, daughter of Christopher Wormeley has been located. See Elizabeth Wormeley's profile for a discussion of her possible origins.
Richard's will dated 4 January 1649/50 is the only source of information currently found on his wife and child. Accordingly, his marriage is estimated as before 1649, as is the birth of his daughter.
On 4 January 1649/50, Richard wrote his will.[1][3] A transcription of his will can be found here. His exact date of death is not known, but he likely died soon after making his will, as several land patents issued in 1650 and 1651 referred to him as deceased,[6] the first of which is dated 23 March 1650.[8] His will was proved on 6 December 1656[1] in London, England.[11] In it, he named, among others, the following people: his wife, Elizabeth; his daughter, Elizabeth; his uncle, Ralph Wormley; his brother, Edward Kempe and his nephew, Edmund Kempe.[1][2]
His will instructed that his body be buried in the orchard at Rich Neck.[4][6] He also directed that his "deare and carefull wife Elizabeth Kempe" and his daughter, "my poore child Elizabeth Kempe", serve as the executors of his estate, and that "my unckle, Ralph Wormeley" serve on his daughter's behalf during her minority.[4]
Richard's will instructed his wife to sell Rich Neck and return to England,[3][6] but she did not carry out her husband's wishes. She married, as her second husband Thomas Lunsford[1][2][4] on 24 October 1650. Thomas also became Secretary for Virginia Colony. Lunsford's tombstone contains an inscription which affirms that the orchard was the burial site for both men:
... and near this place lye the Bodies of RICHARD KEMP, esqr, his Predecessor in ye Secretarys Office and Sr THOMAS LUNSFORD KT ...[6]
Elizabeth married third [Major-Gen.] Robert Smith of Middlesex County, Virginia.[1][2][4] in 1659.[6] They removed to a Lancaster County property near Elizabeth's family and, in the spring of 1665, Elizabeth and her husband repaid a £1,000 debt to Thomas Ludwell by signing over Rich Neck to him.[6]
↑ 2.02.12.22.32.42.52.62.72.8 Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols., ed. Kimball G. Everingham. (Salt Lake City, UT: the author, 2013), vol. III, page 414.
↑ 4.04.14.24.34.44.54.6 “Two Wills of the Seventeenth Century” in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 2, no. 2, 1894, pages 174–177. Online at JSTOR: copy of Richard Kempe's will
↑ 5.05.15.25.35.45.55.6 “List of the Colonial Secretaries” in The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 10, no. 3, 1902, page 171. Online at JSTOR.
↑ McIlwaine, H. R., ed. Journals of the House of Burgesses of VA, 1619-1658/9. (Richmond, VA: Library Board, Virginia State Library, 1915), online at Archive.org, Vol. 1, pages xxxvl, xl, 126-127..
↑ “Patents Issued during the Regal Government” in The William and Mary Quarterly, vol. 9, no. 3, 1901, page 143 #877. Online at JSTOR.
↑ “The Wormeley Family (Continued)” in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 36, no. 1, 1928, page 98. Online at JSTOR.
↑ Withington, Lothrop. Virginia Gleanings in England. (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1980), online at GoogleBooks, pages 323-324.
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:
Faris, David. Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth-Century Colonists. (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co.), online at Ancestry.com, page 152.
Acknowledgements
Magna Carta Project
This profile was re-reviewed and approved by Thiessen-117 in January 2020.
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 trail to the Clares, Lacy, Quincy, Ros and Albini (2015):
I recommend that the images remain attached. An image must remain attached to at least one profile or space page, otherwise it will be automatically deleted after a space of time (might be 1 week... maybe 1 month - I just know I found out the hard way when an image I'd embedded in the profile disappeared, since I'd removed it from the profile).
Also, if there is no profile or page attached, the image becomes private.
FYI - the will in the attached 3 images is sourced and linked in the bio, so a PM might consider removing the images. They were published in 1894 so there are no copyright issues.
Kemp-1457 and Kempe-66 are not ready to be merged because: I would like to see more information about the parents before I agree to merge them. I think they may be two different people, perhaps cousins. Would someone who is working on the Kemp family please work on this merge?
These two profiles certainly represent the same person, the Secretary for Virginia in 1634/5.
The birth date for Richard Kemp/Kempe is well documented and correct on Kempe-66, his death date is unknown, only before Oct 24, 1650, according to the Encyclopedia Virginia - again correct in Kempe-66.
Will leave it to the managers to decide which spelling to go with Kemp or Kempe. Thanks!
Also, if there is no profile or page attached, the image becomes private.
These two profiles certainly represent the same person, the Secretary for Virginia in 1634/5.
The birth date for Richard Kemp/Kempe is well documented and correct on Kempe-66, his death date is unknown, only before Oct 24, 1650, according to the Encyclopedia Virginia - again correct in Kempe-66.
Will leave it to the managers to decide which spelling to go with Kemp or Kempe. Thanks!