William Batte (1611 - aft. 1659)

Born 21 Apr 1611 in Newton Tony, Wiltshire, England

Ancestors

Died after 1659 after age 47 in Elizabeth City County, Colony of Virginia

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Biography

William Batte was born in Yorkshire, England.

William Batte was a Virginia colonist.

William Batte is a Qualifying Ancestor of the Jamestowne Society

Birth

William Batte, son of Robert Batte, of Oakwell in Birstall, County York and Elizabeth Parry, of Golden Valley, County Hereford^[1] He was christened 21 Apr 1611 in Newton Tony, Wiltshire, England^[2] The christening record is for Guilielmus, the Latin spelling for William.

Arrival in Virginia

According to Dugdale (1899), William Batte and his brother Henry, settled in Virginia. Both of them were named in the will of their uncle Richard, along with their brothers John of Okewell (d. 1652), and Robert of Middleham, co. York.^[1]

Brothers Henry Batt and William Batt were likely in Virginia as early as 24 Aug 1636 when they both witnessed the will of William Abbes which was probated in London on 23 May 1637 (testator is noted to have died in Virginia). Nicholas Browne and Robert Todd were overseers of the will.^[3]

Two land grants in Elizabeth City County, Virginia dated 27 Sept 1638 reference “land in the possession of Henry Batt”. A land grant to Thomas Symons for 800 acres in James City County, Virginia dated June 8, 1639, included 300 acres due “…by Assignment from William Batt and due to him for the Adventure of himself his brother Henry…and four persons…”. The surname is Batt within the body of the land grant and the headrights listed are William Batts and Henry Batts.^[4][5]

Marriage in 1655-1656

Susannah (Aston) Major Batt was wife of William Batt b. 1611, brother of John Batte b. 1606. Susannah has been incorrectly attributed by some as a first wife of his nephew of the same name, who was in Virginia in the early 1650’s but returned to England sometime after 3 May 1654, and was certainly there by 1656 as evidenced by records in England, and where he married Elizabeth Horton, with marriage often said to have occurred in 1658. As detailed below, Susannah was still living until circa 1662-1663 and the elder William Batt, still in Virginia after his nephew returned to England, appears in records with his brother-in-law Thomas Binns in 1659/1660 in Surry County, Virginia. The younger William Batte was already back in England in 1656 while the William Batt with wife Susannah Aston is documented in Charles City County records in September 1656 and December 1656.

Susannah Aston married first Edward Major before 23 Apr 1655, when she was referred to as Lt. Coll. Edward Major’s relict. Edward Major’s Nansemond County will is said to have been recorded in February 1654-1655. “Susannah died eight years after him, and her will names her nephews John Cox and Thomas Binns, and her niece Susan Binns, and her son in law William Major”. Susannah (Aston) Major Batt therefore died circa 1662-1663. These details are gleaned from notes made by an Edward Major descendant sometime in or after 1841 and prior to the complete destruction of Nansemond County records.^[6]. Susannah married second William Batt sometime between 23 April 1655 and 24 Sept. 1656, when Charles City County records record that William Batt sold to “mother” [mother-in-law] Mrs. Hannah Aston, 1 brown steer. Within this same series of records, William Batt, gent., refers to his “now wife Susan Batt” on 4 Dec. 1656. A following record refers “to the bill of Mrs. Susanna Major, or produce the person of Capt. Batt who md. said Mrs. Major”. The younger William Batte was certainly back in England by 1656 and could not have been the one that married Susannah.

Susannah’s sister, Elizabeth (Aston) Binns Mason had married Thomas Binns of Surry County, Virginia, father of the “nephew Thomas Binns” named in Susannah’s now lost will. William Batt and the elder Thomas Binns appear together in the following two Surry County, Virginia records:

Jan. 1659/60. Deposition that John Cooper said that Mr. Richard Hopkins attorney of Mr. Francis Newton, dec’d upon his death bed desired that William Batt and Thomas Binns should have care of his estate until further order out of England from his friend Capt. Highenford.

Jan. 1659/60. Henry Lea, aged 15, heard his master Richard Hopkins say before his death bed that Mr. Batt and Mr. Binns should have the ordering of his estate and this dept. could live with either of them.

1659/1660. On December 6th last past Mr. William Batt came into the plantation of Mrs. Ewens in Virginia and did there deliver unto Mr. Richard Hopkins attorney of Mr. Francis Newton the plantation with 7 negros and one English servant.

Francis Newton, in the preceding 3 records, appears to have been of some relation to Mary Ewen, wife of William Ewen. Mary Ewen refers to her brother Nicholas Newton in one Surry County record. William Batt and William Ewen appear in a couple of records together in 1647/48 and 1648.

Other Records

1643. William Batte patented 250 acres on the West Side of the North River of Mockjack Bay on 1 September 1643. This land grant did not state the county but based on the description it was in York County and fell into Gloucester County in 1651.

1647/48. (Recorded Surry, VA in 1652 which is the year the county was formed from James City Co.) William Batt sold to John Bishop one cow (which cow did formally belong to William Ewen). Signed: Willam Batts.

1648. A 1643 grant for 1,100 in James City Co. was made to William Ewen in 1643, but a relinquishment in 1648 was made by William Ewen and William Batt (Batt’s involvement here not understood). William Batt signed 8 July 1648 that “surrender upp and relinquish the same to make good the right of another patent to bee renewed of fowerteene hundred acres.” Land was on Upper Chippokes Creek. On the same date, 8 July 1648 a grant of 1,400 acres was made to William Ewen but there is no mention of Batt. This land was across the James River from Jamestown and fell into Surry County, VA when it was formed from James City County in 1652.

On 11 April 1649 he patented 128 acres in James City County.^[4]

In 1652 Surry County was formed from James City and in 1654 William represented Surry County in the House of Burgesses.

In 1658-59 a William Batt represented Elizabeth City County as Burgess.^[7]

External media links: (These may require a subscription to view)

• Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography, Volume I (htm file): http://trees.ancestry.com/rd?f=document&guid=4f856c94-9217-4c9f-b8a7-111ac300d38f&tid=62488236&pid=1093

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Dugdale, W. (1899). "Batte of Okewell: III Robert, Batte," in Vis. York. with Additions, Vol. I, p. 353-354. J.W. Clay, Ed. (William Pollard, 1899)Archive.org. eBook.
2. ↑ "England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:JW9K-NF9 : 24 February 2022), Guilielmus Batte, 1611.
3. ↑ Will of Edward Abbes, 1637. Library of Virginia. Local Call Number: SR 03978. Link: https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990007035830205756
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1} Nugent, Nell Marion, Abstracted and Indexed by. Cavaliers and Pioneers: Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants, 1623-1800. In Five Volumes. Richmond, VA.: Press of the Dietz Printing Co., 1935. [https://archive.org/details/cavalierspioneer00nuge/page/114/mode/2up Pages 115, 146, 179
5. ↑ Symons, Thomas. Land Grant 8 June 1639. 1639. Library of Virginia. Link: https://lva.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/permalink/01LVA_INST/altrmk/alma990008294220205756
6. ↑ The Majors and Their Marriages by James Branch Cabell. Pgs 24-25. Available on Google Books, here: https://books.google.com/books?id=puQ1AAAAMAAJ&pg=PA24&dq=major+family+binns+nansemond+1655&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&source=gb_mobile_search&ovdme=1&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjjw-aytPeDAxVxSTABHfMaB40Q6AF6BAgGEAM#v=onepage&q=major%20family%20binns%20nansemond%201655&f=false
7. ↑ Stanard, William G. and Mary Newton Stanard. The Colonial Virginia Register. Albany, N. Y.: Joel Munsell's Sons, Publishers. 1902. Pages 71, 74

• Tyler, Lyon Gardiner. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Volume I. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company 1915. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008. [Tyler, Lyon Gardiner. Encyclopedia of Virginia Biography. Volume I. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company 1915. Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2008.

Page 182

• Title: Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Page: Ancestry Family Tree Data: Text: Ancestry Profile

Acknowledgments

• Profile Batte-125 was created through the import of Foster - Hall - May 2014.ged on May 26, 2014 by Mary Helen Dunnam.