Henry Randolph (bef. 1623 - 1673)

Born before 27 Nov 1623 in Little Houghton, Northamptonshire, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth (Unknown) Randolph — married 12 Oct 1652 in Henrico County, Colony of Virginia

Husband of Judith (Soane) Field — married 12 Dec 1661 in Henrico County, Colony of Virginia

Descendants

Died 1673 after age 49 in Henrico County, Colony of Virginia [uncertain]

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Biography

Henry Randolph is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

Henry Randolph was a Virginia colonist.

Henry Randolph was descended from the Randolph family of Hamsey, near Lewes in East Sussex, England.^[1] He was the son of William Randolph by his (2nd) wife, Dorothy Lane.^[2] His father's position as a steward for Edward Lord Zouche took him to Little Houghton, Northamptonshire,^[1] where Henry was baptized 27 November 1623/4.^[3][2][1]

Henry Randolph^[4] was the first of the Randolphs to arrive in Virginia, emigrating in 1642/3 and settling in Henrico County when he was 19 years old.^[2] Henrico County was named after Prince Henry Frederick (1594-1612), eldest son of King James I of England. It is in the central portion of Virginia, bordering Richmond, the state capital.^[5] It was the second settlement in the county, established in 1634/5.^[6]

In 1655 Henry acquired a large tract of land in Bermuda Hundred, Virginia. Bermuda Hundred was a port town and the first administration district in the colony of Virginia. The town was founded in 1613/4 by Sir Thomas Dale. In colonial times "hundreds" were large tracts of land that would be able to hold 100 families. Henry set up a home on the north side of Swift Creek shortly after the land purchase and maintained it there until after his death. ^[7]

Where Henry lived in Virginia has been disputed in the past. His children were born in Appomattox or James Citty (later Jamestown), therefore he was thought to have lived there. This would mean that he didn't live in Henrico County even though he was the County Clerk. However, there are clues which show that he lived in Henrico County. On 1 June 1655, Henry witnessed an agreement made by his neighbor, Major General Abraham Wood, to pay 200 pounds of tobacco to Bristol Parish. Major General Wood lived in what now is Petersburg, close to where Henry owned land. General Wood also sent out explorers in 1671 and found Henry Randolph living on Swift Creek. The clues make it look like he did reside in Bermuda Hundreds.^[7]

Henry became the Clerk of Henrico County in about 1656/7. He held this office until 1669/70.^[8][9][10] Clerks in colonial times kept vital records, probate and will records, government appointments, land deeds and elections. ^[11]

Randolph and Francis Moryson prepared the first printed copy of the statutes, The Laws of Virginia Now Enforced, in 1662/3. ^[9] They were paid 15,000 pounds of tobacco each for their labors. They also had the exclusive rights to printing these new laws for 10 years and to bring these laws to Virginia. If anyone else had the laws printed and brought to Virginia, those papers would have been destroyed and the offender would have been fined 2000 pounds of tobacco for the benefit of the public.^[7]

Virginia didn't have a Notary Public before 1662/3. This made it difficult for foreign commerce. In order to correct this the Assembly of Virginia appointed Henry Randolph as Notary on 23 March 1662. Henry immediately started work and notarized a will on the same day that he was appointed. On 15 May 1661 he acted as the Deputy Escheator General.^[7] An Escheator transfers property of the estate of the recently deceased to the Crown when there are no heirs. It assures that the property is not left in limbo without recognized ownership.^[12] Randolph also collected quitrents.^[7] A quitrent is paid by a tenant in lieu of services due to the landowner.^[13]

In 1663/4, Henry built Swift Creek Mill in what is now South Chesterfield, Chesterfield County, Virginia. The grist mill was the first of its kind in Virginia.^[14]

Randolph became Clerk of the House of Burgesses in 1660/1 and served there until his death in 1673/4.^[8] The House of Burgesses was Virginia's principal political institution during the English Civil Wars (1642–1648). It was an assembly of elected officials from Virginia that met as the House of the General Assembly of Virginia. The Assembly was dissolved in 1776 because it supported resistance to the crown.^[15][10]

Henry returned to England in either 1666 or 1669. Some speculate that his nephew, William Randolph returned with him in 1669, but this is not known for sure. Henry had great influence on William because William went off to the colonies and did very well there, founding a dynasty in Virginia. Henry returned to Virginia by 31 March 1670, when he notarized a will. ^[16] Henry passed away in 1673.^{[14] [2]}

Vitals

Henry married (1st) Elizabeth (Unknown) on 12 October 1652.^[2]

Henry and Elizabeth had two sons:

1. Henry Randolph Born 8 September 1654 in Appomattox, Virginia. Died after 8 October 1654.^[17][2]
2. William Randolph born in James Citty, Virginia on 12 September 1658.^[2] He died after his mother and prior to 1672.^[17][7]

Henry married (2nd) Judith Soane, daughter of Henry Soane, Speaker of the House of Burgesses, by his wife Judith Fuller, on 12 December 1661.^[2][7]

Henry and Judith had one son and two daughters:

1. (Capt.) Henry Randolph Born in Appomattox, Virginia on 16 January 1665 and passed away 26 February 1693. He was buried at Bristol Parish Church, Bristol, Virginia in 1694 by his father.^[17][2]
2. Judith Randolph Born 29 July 1671 in Appomattox, Virginia.^[17][2][10]
3. Martha Randolph Born after 1661.^[2][7]

Henry Randolph died in 1673.^[2]

Research Notes

Please see the article by Mary Cherry Allen: “1663-1964: Over Three Centuries of History Surrounds Old Grist Mill On Swift Creek.” Accessed February 21, 2020. View Free Clipping

Please see Wikipedia article about Bermuda Hundreds: “Bermuda Hundred, Virginia.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, February 26, 2020. Wikipedia

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} The Visitation of the County of Northampton in the Year 1681; edited and annotated by Rev. Henry Isham Longden. Harleian Society Publications, Vol. 87 (1935). Online at HathiTrust pages 173-177. (The last 2 daughters are added by the editor.) An extensive pedigree chart, mostly not from the Visitation, but compiled by the editor from wills and registers.
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} Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry, 2nd edition, 2011, Page 421 volume III, p 421.
3. ↑ Ancestry.com. Northamptonshire, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1532-1812 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014. Northamptonshire Record Office; Northampton, England; Register Type: Parish Registers; Reference Numbers: 176p/2. Accessed on ancestry.com, February 2020.View Ancestry Record 9198 #1617704 (requires subscription).View free Ancestry Sharing Image.
4. ↑ Randolph, Henry - A6511; born 1623, died 1673; Henrico Co.: (Clerk, House of Burgesses); Jamestowne: 1670 (Landowner). accessed 18 October 2021]]
5. ↑ “Henrico County, Virginia Genealogy.” FamilySearch Wiki. familysearch.org, February 27, 2020. Henrico (Please scroll down when you get to the page. It loads slowly.)
6. ↑ “History - Henrico County, Virginia.” Henrico County, Virginia. Accessed March 2, 2020. History.
7. ↑ ^{7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 7.7} Wassel Randolph. Henry Randolph I, 1623-1773 [Sic] of Henrico County, Virginia, and His Descendants. Preceded by Short Review of the Randolph Family in Early England and ... p 22-35, distributied by Cossitt Library, Memphis, Tennessee, 1952 Hathi Trust.
8. ↑ ^{8.0 8.1} McIlwaine, H. R. and J. P. Kennedy, Editors. Journals of the House of Burgesses of Virginia. 13 Volumes. Richmond, Virginia, 1905-1915. Editors: vols. 1-9, H. R. McIlwaine; v. 10-13, J. P. Kennedy. Vol. 2, Pages 11, 60
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1} "House History," Virginia General Assembly. Accessed February 22, 2020. House History
10. ↑ ^{10.0 10.1 10.2} W.G. Stanard. '"The Randolph Family," in William & Mary College Quarterly, Vol. 7 no. 2, pp. 122-124 (Oct 1898), JSTOR
11. ↑ Jacqueline J Byers. Role of the County Clerk, Research Brief, National Association of Counties, Washington, DC, 2008. ViewPDF
12. ↑ “Escheat.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, December 12, 2019. Wikipedia.
13. ↑ “Quitrent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, QuitrentDefinition. Accessed 8 Mar. 2020.
14. ↑ ^{14.0 14.1} Robert M. Randolph. Peyton Randolph and Revolutionary Virginia. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers, 2020: 185-186. Peyton Randolph Accessed 8 Mar 2020.
15. ↑ Matthew S. Gottlieb. “House of Burgesses.” Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, July 24, 2014. Burgesses
16. ↑ Roberta Lee Randolph. The First Randolphs of Virginia. Washington: Public Affairs Press, 1961. 20. Online at HathiTrust, Page 20.
17. ↑ ^{17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3} "Descendants of Henry Randolph. The William and Mary Quarterly 4, no. 2 (1895): 125-27. Accessed February 14, 2020 JSTOR

• Stanard, W.G. "The Randolph Family." William & Mary College Quarterly, Vol. 7 no. 2. 122-4. (Oct 1898), pp. 122-4.
• Richardson, Douglas. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author, 2013, volume IV, 457, RANDOLPH 22.ii. See also WikiTree's source page Royal Ancestry.
• Richardson, Douglas. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd edition, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author, 2011. See also WikiTree's source page Magna Carta Ancestry.
• Richardson, Douglas. Plantagenet Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 2nd edition, 3 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham. Salt Lake City: the author, 2011. 3:61, RANDOLPH 21.ii. See also WikiTree's source page Plantagenet Ancestry.

Acknowledgements

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Magna Carta Project

A re-review of this profile was completed by Terri Swift on 16 March 2020 and was approved by Michael Cayley.

Henry Randolph is listed in Magna Carta Ancestry as a Gateway Ancestor (vol. I, pages xxiii-xxix) and is in a trail to Magna Carta Surety Baron William Malet that was identified and badged by the Magna Carta Project in January 2015. This badged trail needs re-review by the project. Henry Randolph also appears as a Gateway in a Richardson-documented trail to surety baron Richard de Clare (MCA III:416-422 RANDOLPH) that has not yet been developed on WikiTree. Both trails are detailed in the Magna Carta Trails section of his nephew, William Randolph's profile.

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".