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John West (1590 - 1659)

Col John West
Born in Testwood, in Eling, Hampshire, Englandmap
Ancestors ancestors
Son of and
Brother of , , , , , , , , , , and
Husband of — married about 1630 in Colony of Virginiamap [uncertain]
Descendants descendants
Father of
Died at about age 68 in West Point Plantation, New Kent County, Colony of Virginiamap
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Profile last modified | Created 2 Jan 2011
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Descendant of Magna Carta Surety Baron William de Mowbray (see text).
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Preceded by
Sir John Harvey[1]		 Colonial Governor of Virginia
1635–1637		 Succeeded by
Sir John Harvey[2]

Contents

Biography

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John West is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society
U.S. Southern Colonies Project logo
John West was a Virginia colonist.

John West[3][4][5]

John West, son of Thomas West, Knt., 2nd Lord La Warr (or De La Warr) and Anne Knolles (or Knollys, Knowles), was born 14 December 1590 and baptized at Testwood (in Eling), Hampshire, England.[3][4]
He married Ann ______.[3][4] The date and place of their marriage are unknown and are estimated. They had one son:
  • John,[3][4] Colonel, born c. 1632, "the first child born of English parents on York River", died before 1691, married Unity Croshaw and had issue[6]
John West died in Virginia "at his West Point plantation in 1659."[3][4][5]

Timeline

  • 1613: Received B.A. from Magdalen College, Oxford, 1 December 1613,[3] having matriculated 17 February 1608/9, aged 18.[7]
  • 1618: Immigrated to Virginia aboard the Bonny Bess[3] or possibly arrived on 12 September 1623 and took the oath of allegiance.[8]
  • 1624: He resided on Jamestowne Island[9] in the household of John Grevett with Thomas West (perhaps his kinsman) who had also arrived in 1623 aboard the Bonny Bess.[8]
  • 1625: John West and Thomas Crompe headed a household together on Jamestowne Island[8]
  • 1628-1630: Member, Virginia House of Burgesses[3][5]
  • 1630-1659: Member of the Council[3][5]
  • 1633: Legatee in the will of his mother Anne West, Lady la Warr[3]
  • 1634: Justice of York County[3]
  • 1635-1637: Governor of Virginia,[3] after the "thrusting out" of Governor Sir John Harvey, John West was chosen as temporary replacement,[10][11] and served until 1637, when Harvey was restored to his position.[12] He was elected by the Council, 7 May 1635, serving until 18 January 1637.[2]
  • 1640: He was ordered to England to answer the King's suit in the Star Chamber[13] and was later cleared.[3]
  • 1641: The Governor had instructions to appoint John muster-master of the Colony.[3][13]
  • 1650: Sold to Edward Digges the "600 acres of land on York River" that West had patented in 1630.[3] 'West sold the 600 acres, along with adjoining land, to Edward Digges in 1650..... It became known as the "E.D." plantation, renamed by later owners as "Belfield".'[12] John subsequently moved to his 3,000 acre plantation in the area that is now known as West Point, Virginia.[3] (see Research Note, below.)
  • March 1659/60, the Virginia Assembly passed the following act in recognition of his family's services to the colonial enterprise:
"WHEREAS the many important favours and services rendered to the countrey of Virginia by the noble family of the West, predecessors to Mr. John West, their now only survivor, claim at least that a grateful remembrance of their former merrits be still continued to their survivor, It is ordered, That the levies of the said master West and his family be remitted, and that he be exempted from payment thereof during life."[13][14]

Research Notes

Colonel/Captain

John is referred to by Richardson as "Col.", others call him Captain. No primary source is found for either title.

Wife Anne

Richardson does not give a maiden name for Anne in either his 2011 Magna Carta Ancestry or his 2013 Royal Ancestry.[3][4] Though commonly found online from older sources, there is absolutely no evidence that Anne West's LNAB is Percy. In fact there is no contemporary evidence that her supposed father George Percy ever married or had any children at all. Nor is Anne's LNAB Claiborne (see Research Notes on his wife's profile).

Location Notes

In 1650, John West sold his 600-acre York River plantation to Edward Digges and "subsequently moved to his 3,000 acre plantation at the fork of York River on the site of the present town of West Point, Virginia."[4] At the time of his death (1659/60), this plantation would have been in New Kent County. Today, West Point is "an incorporated town in King William County" (Wikipedia), but King William County was not formed until 1702 (see Category:King William County, Virginia). It was formed from New Kent County, which had been formed in 1654 from York County (see Virginia Formation Maps).

Governor

Richardson identifies this John West as Colonel and Governor of Virginia (1635–1637).[4] Wikipedia, which does not give him a rank (as of 10 Jun 2020), notes that he was "Acting Governor" from 1635 to 1637, "the third West brother to serve as governor."[12] Tyler's Encyclopedia of Virginia, calls him Captain and his son, John, Colonel (in his son's entry):
  • "West, Colonel John, son of Captain John West, governor, etc., was born at "Bellfield," York river, in 1632, being the first child of English parents born on York river...."[15]
In the Chapter on Governors, in Thomas West's entry, Tyler says
  • Governor Thomas West, Lord Delaware "had three brothers — Francis West, John West and Nathaniel West, who all lived in Virginia, and the first two of whom were deputy governors at different times.... Through Captain John West, the noble family of the Delawares is widely represented in Virginia and the south and west".[16]
The following is from Tyler's entry for John:
  • "West, Captain John, deputy governor from April 28, 1635, to January 18, 1637, was the brother of Lord Delaware, and was born December 14, 1590. He came to Virginia about 1620,.... When Sir John Harvey was deposed April 28, 1635, Captain West was prevailed upon by the council to accept the office of governor, which he held for eighteen months.... Captain West left an only son Lieutenant Col. John West, who resided at West Point and took an important part in the affairs of the colony during his lifetime.[17]

Sources

  1. ↑ See "Governor" under Research Notes above
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Governors of Virginia, Encyclopedia of Virginia (accessed 10 Jun 2020)
  3. ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), volume V, pages 353-357 WEST 15, Thomas West, Knt., 15.vii. [Col.] John West.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 4.7 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), volume IV, pages 325-329 WEST 15. Thomas West, Knt., 15.vii. [Col.] John West.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Jamestowne Society: West, John I - A8604; born 14 December 1590, died by 1659/60, West Point; Plantations over the water: 1628-30 (Burgess); 1631-59 (Councillor). accessed 10 Jun 2020
  6. ↑ John Bennett Boddie. Southside Virginia Families. (Redwood City, CA: Pacific Coast Publishers, 1955). Online at HathiTrust, page 391.
  7. ↑ Joseph Foster, ed. Alumni Oxonienses. (Oxford and London: Parker and Co., 1891). Online at Archive.org, page 1600.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Martha W. McCartney. Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, 1607-1635: A Biographical Dictionary. (Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2007). Online at Google Books (snippet view only), page 735.
  9. ↑ West search results (1624/25 Jamestown Muster)
  10. ↑ J. Mills Thornton, "The Thrusting out of Governor Harvey: A Seventeenth-Century Rebellion" in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 76, No. 1 (Jan., 1968), pp. 11-26. Online at JSTOR
  11. ↑ Brent Tarter. “Sir John Harvey: Royal Governor of Virginia, 1628–1639.” in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 125, no. 1, 2017, pp. 2–37. Online at JSTOR, at page 21.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Wikipedia: John West (governor)
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 "The Mutiny in Virginia" in The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography. Vol. I, online at Google Books, page 423.
  14. ↑ Hening, Statutes at Large, vol. 1, page 547, online at VAGenWeb
  15. ↑ Lyon Gardiner Tyler. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Vol. 1, (1915). Online at VAGenWeb, West, Colonel John (his son).
  16. ↑ Tyler, Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Colonial Presidents and Governors
  17. ↑ Tyler, Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Captain John West.
  • 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:
  • Tyler, Lyon Gardiner Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, (1915). Online at VAGenWeb, Volume 1.
  • Cokayne, George Edward and Vicary Gibbs ed. Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Vol. IV: Dacre - Dysart, 2nd edition. (London, 1916). Online at Archive.org, pages 160-161: de la Warr (brother Thomas).
  • Simpson, William C. Jr. The Huguenot Trail The Life and Descendants of Reverend Claude Philippe de Richebourg and His Wife Anne Chastain. (North Carolina: Southern Heritage Press, 2008). not available online.
  • The Wests of Wilkes 2011 blog.

Acknowledgements

Click the Changes tab to see edits to this profile. Thank you to everyone who contributed to this profile.

Magna Carta Project

This profile was re-reviewed and approved for the Magna Carta Project 10 June 2020 by Traci.
John West, along with his siblings Francis West, Nathaniel West, Thomas West, and Elizabeth (West) Saltonstall, are listed in Richardson's Magna Carta Ancestry as Gateway Ancestors (I:xxiii-xxix "List of Colonial Immigrants") and are in trails badged by the Magna Carta Project in May 2015 (and re-reviewed in June 2020) to surety barons William de Mowbray, Gilbert de Clare, Richard de Clare, John de Lacy, Saher de Quincy, Hugh le Bigod and Roger Bigod.
John and his siblings are also in a Richardson-documented trail to Magna Carta Surety Baron William Malet (IV:314-330 WEST) that needs further development by the Project. All the trails are outlined in the Magna Carta Trails section, below.
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".
See also related trails Humphrey and Pelham.

Magna Carta Trails

Badged trails to Mowbray, the Clares, Lacy, Quincy and the Bigods (2015/2020):
Gateway Ancestors
John West (badged/100% 5-star)
Francis West (badged/100% 5-star)
Nathaniel West (badged/100% 5-star)
Thomas West (badged/100% 5-star)
Elizabeth West (badged/100% 5-star)
1. The West siblings are the children of Thomas West (badged/100% 5-star)
2. Thomas is the son of William West (badged/100% 5-star)
3. William is the son of George West (badged/100% 5-star)
4. George is ths son of Thomas West (badged/100% 5-star)
5. Thomas is the son of Richard West (badged/100% 5-star)
6. Richard is the son of Reynold West (badged/100% 5-star)
7. Reynold West is the son of Joan de la Warre (badged/100% 5-star)
8. Joan is the daughter of Eleanor de Mowbray (badged/100% 5-star)
9. Eleanor is the daughter of John de Mowbray (badged/100% 5-star)
10. John is the son of John de Mowbray (badged/100% 5-star)
11. John is the son of Roger de Mowbray (badged/100% 5-star)
12. Roger is the son of Roger de Mowbray (badged/100% 5-star)
13. Roger is the son of Magna Carta Surety William de Mowbray
11. John de Mowbray is the son of Rose de Clare (badged/100% 5-star)
12. Rose is the daughter of Richard de Clare (badged/100% 5-star)
13. Richard is the son of Magna Carta Surety Gilbert de Clare
14. Gilbert is the son of Magna Carta Surety Richard de Clare
12. Rose de Clare is the daughter of Maud de Lacy (badged/100% 5-star)
13. Maud is the daughter of Magna Carta Surety John de Lacy
13. Maud de Lacy is the daughter of Margaret de Quincy (badged/100% 5-star)
14. Margaret is the daughter of Robert de Quincy (badged/100% 5-star)
15. Robert is the son of Magna Carta Surety Saher de Quincy
9. Eleanor de Mowbray is the daughter of Joan of Lancaster (badged/100% 5-star)
10. Joan is the daughter of Maud Chaworth (badged/100% 5-star)
11. Maud is the daughter of Isabel de Beauchamp (badged/100% 5-star)
12. Isabel is the daughter of Maud FitzJohn (badged/100% 5-star)
13. Maud is the daughter of Isabel Bigod (badged/100% 5-star)
14. Isabel is the daughter of Magna Carta Surety Hugh le Bigod
15. Hugh is the son of Magna Carta Surety Roger Bigod




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The West Family Register
The West Family Register


Comments: 21

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Stewart-16676 Dennis Stewart
I got access today to Mr. Dormans 3 volume masterpiece, 'Adventurers of Purse and Person Virginia 1607-1625'. I consider these books the 'bibles' of early Virginia English history. In vol. 3, p. 488, says John West came to Va. in 1618 on the ship Bony (Bonnie) Bess. It seems Ms. McCartey's, 'Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers 1607-1635 A Biographical Dictionary' is to some extent based on Dorman. What connects John West to Westover is the 1622 Indian attacks. John West afterward led a reprisal raid against the Powhatans over the murders at Westover (McCartney, p. 732).
posted by Dennis Stewart
Stewart-16676 Dennis Stewart
Lady Cecily beginning in the 1620's began gradually disposing of her late husbands land shares in West and Shirley Hundred. Though she never lived at Shirley the present gift shop there is named after her.
posted by Dennis Stewart
Stewart-16676 Dennis Stewart
It does make sense to me that the West brothers would collectively have the plantations from Westover to Shirley. So whoever dies there is still a brother there to protect the estates.
posted by Dennis Stewart
Thiessen-117 Traci Thiessen
From Dennis Stuart: page 732 of Virginia Immigrants and Adventurers, (cited above): "He was an investor in the Virginia Company and in 1618 went to Virginia, where he established the plantation known as Westover." Regarding the date, it might be found in the book. "Adventurers of Purse and Person".
posted by Traci Thiessen
edited by Traci Thiessen
Noland-165 Liz (Noland) Shifflett
That particular passage isn't coming up in the Google Book snippit view, but what does come up is that Francis West "laid out a plantation he called Westover" - see https://books.google.com/books?id=orDbMGpInaQC&q=pawlett#v=snippet&q=westover&f=false (the closest I found was that the plantations of the brothers of Lord de la Warre "were collectively known as Westover", in the "Westover (54)" section, which begins by saying "Around 1619 Captain Francis West appears to have laid out a plantation he called Westover.")

Nothing in Jester's APP that connects John West & Westover - https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Space:Adventures_of_Purse_and_Person%2C_Virginia%2C_1607-1625

posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Thiessen-117 Traci Thiessen
Thanks for looking into this and checking AP&P Liz! I had no idea it was available online from LDS.

Dennis has the VI&A book, pages 732-734 aren't available in snippets view. Because there were no specifics (dates) in that quote, I added it to comments rather than in the bio.

posted by Traci Thiessen
Noland-165 Liz (Noland) Shifflett
The version of AP&P available at FamilySearch is the 1956 one. Dorman's version is 200x - Volume Two, G-P (2004), is available in Google Books:

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Adventurers_of_Purse_and_Person_Virginia/tcM40zgdAZgC?hl=en&gbpv=0

(Amazon showed a 1987 copy too, by Virginia M. Meyer; John Frederick Dorman (eds.), calling it the 3rd edition.)

posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Cayley-55 Michael Cayley
posted by Michael Cayley
Noland-165 Liz (Noland) Shifflett
search of freereg.org for baptism came up empty.
posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Noland-165 Liz (Noland) Shifflett
I'm not seeing sources on the image to support other than a wife named Anne ("Percy" appears to not be originally on the document).

Any sources for the additional two marriages and the dates/places now showing in the datafields?

posted by Liz (Noland) Shifflett
Anonymous (Carter) Anonymous
West-11464 and West-424 appear to represent the same person because: Clear duplicates
posted by Anonymous (Carter) Anonymous
John Richburg Jr.
Simpson (see note below) shows Anne Claiborne as his wife, Wikipedia and Genni show his wife as Anne Percy. The Jamestown Society which is a very large and very prestigious Society says his wife is unknown. They all seem to agree that he was the father of Col John West .
posted by John Richburg Jr.
Cochoit-2 Joe Cochoit
Someone will need to really investigate this one. Apparently his wife is Anne Unknown. Richardson says his wife wife is Anne Unknown. However, the names Anne Percy and Anne Clairborne are extremely widespread. Apparently in error but this would need an explanation as to why people thought these names and why they are wrong.
posted by Joe Cochoit
John Richburg Jr.
My records. Simpson, William C. Jr. (1998) “The Huguenot Trail The Life and Descendants of Reverend Claude de Richebourg and His Wife Anne Chastain

show John West as marrying Anne Clairborne and her as the mother of Col John West

posted by John Richburg Jr.
Cochoit-2 Joe Cochoit
West-2096 and West-424 appear to represent the same person because: Duplicate profile
posted by Joe Cochoit
[Living Schmeeckle]
I have detached John West of Massachusetts as the son of Governor Thomas West of Virginia. There is no evidence to support this; Governor West's family tree is well-researched. I hope that John's origin can be found!
posted by [Living Schmeeckle]
Eyestone-2 PM Eyestone
Douglas Richardson, in Royal Ancestry, Vol 5, page 357, shows Col. John West marrying once to Ann (Unknown).

The profile currently has three different Anns as his wives. Does anyone have sources supporting these connections?

posted by PM Eyestone

Rejected matches › John Francis West (1865-1880) › John Alexander West (1928-1979) › John West (abt.1657-aft.1687) › John West (abt.1842-) › John Francis West (1869-1954) › John West (abt.1589-aft.1663)

Featured National Park champion connections: John is 13 degrees from Theodore Roosevelt, 18 degrees from Stephanus Johannes Paulus Kruger, 13 degrees from George Catlin, 15 degrees from Marjory Douglas, 21 degrees from Sueko Embrey, 14 degrees from George Grinnell, 21 degrees from Anton Kröller, 13 degrees from Stephen Mather, 20 degrees from Kara McKean, 16 degrees from John Muir, 12 degrees from Victoria Hanover and 23 degrees from Charles Young on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.

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Categories: Governor's Council, Virginia Colony | York County, Virginia Colony | House of Burgesses, Virginia Colony | Colonial Governors of Virginia | New Kent County, Virginia Colony | Mowbray-151 Descendants | Lacy-284 Descendants | Quincy-226 Descendants | Clare-651 Descendants | Clare-673 Descendants | Bigod-1 Descendants | Bigod-2 Descendants | Magna Carta | Gateway Ancestors | Jamestowne Society Qualifying Ancestors | Virginia Colonists