Mary (Bennett) Bland (1624 - aft. 1701)

Born 3 Apr 1624 in London, England

Ancestors

Wife of Thomas Bland — married before 8 Apr 1663 in Isle of Wight, Virginia,

Wife of Luke Cropley — married 1668 in London, England

Descendants

Died after 1701 after age 76 in Rappahannock, Virginia

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Jack Day [send private message] and Jim Miller [send private message]

Biography of Mary, daughter of Edward Bennett

1624 Birth and Parents

Marshall reports that Mary Bennett was born about 1624 in London, Middlesex, England and was the daughter of Edward Bennett, born 2 Feb 1577, Wiveliscombe, Taunton Deane Borough, Somerset, England and his wife Mary Bourne, born before 1612 in England.^[1]

Find-a-Grave states that she was christened 3 April 1624 at St. Bartholomew Exchange, London, England, and that "all of Edward and Mary's children were born in London as thats where they resided.^[2]

Alternatively, Hoyt Day reports that Mary Bennett was born in Virginia in 1622, the daughter of Edward Bennett. ^[3]

Taylor estimates that she was age 36 in 1668 (born 1632) when as Mary Bland she married Luke Cropley ^[4] if this is true it would suggest a revision in the date of her marriage to John Day.

Siblings

Find-a-Grave states that she was a sister of Sylvestra Bennett Hill (1630–1706)^[2]

1650 Marriage to John Day

Find-a-Grave reports that Mary Bennett Day was born 3 April 1624 in London, England, that she was the daughter of Edward Bennett (1577-1651) and Mary Bourne (1605-1651), and wife of John Day, mother of James Day who married Mary Thompson.^[2]

About 1651 Elizabeth Day was born; when at the age of 19 she married Charles Molloy in 1670, her father being dead, consent to her marriage was given by her mother, now the wife of Luke Cropley. ^[5] This would indicate that Mary Bennett had become Mary Day by 1650.

1658 Marriage to Thomas Bland

Hoyt has found a marriage record of Mary Day to Thomas Bland in England about 1658, ^[3]

The "International Genealogical Index" reports a marriage between Thomas Bland and Mary Bennett before 8 April 1663 in Isle of Wight, Virginia ^[6]

Marshall reports that she married Thomas Bland, born about in London, Middlesex, England and died after 1663 in London, Middlesex, England (Age ~ 41 years)^[1]

1663 Deed of Partition between Mary Bland and Silvester Hill

1662-1666 Cavaliers and Pioneers, Patent Book No. 5; [Nell Marion Nugent]; Page 444^[1]

• MAJOR NICHOLAS HILL & SILVESTER, his wife, 750 acs. in the Up. Par. of Is. of Wight Co., 30 Sept. 1664, p. 153, (27).
• Being the moiety of 1500 acs. appertayning unto the sd. Silvester & her sister, who were daughters and Coheires to Mr. Edward Bennett, decd.
• Beg. upon the top of a bank of James Riv. &c. & running to place called the Rocks. Part of devdt. of 1500 acs. granted to Richard Bennett, Esqr., assigned to Major Nicholas Hill as property belonging to Mary Bland & sd. Silvester, as by deed of partition dated 8 Apr. 1663 between Tho. Bland, Esqr. Atty of Thomas Bland & Mary, his wife, & Major Nicholas Hill & Silvester, his wife.

1664 Land later owned by James Day family

Taylor reports that land patented by Thomas and Mary Bland in 1664 (but not recorded until 1668) was later owned by the James Day family. ^[7]

1668 Mary Bland, Widow, marries Luke Cropley in England

Taylor reports that in the marriage allegations in the Registry of the Archbishop of Cantebury (Harleian Society Publications, vol 232, p. 155) there is recorded under date of September 12, 1668, an allegation of Luke Cropley of the parish of St. Peter the Poor, London, Gent., about 35, and Mary Bland of the same, widow, about 36, at Deptford or Charlton co Kent or Newington, Surrey, or St. James Clerkenwell. ^[4]

On 14 September 1668 at St. Nicholas Church, Deptford, Greenwich, Kent, England, Mrs. Mary Bland married Luke Cropley.^[8]

Before 1675 in London, Middlesex, England, married Luke Cropley, b. Abt 1624 d. Aft 1675, London, Middlesex, England (Age ~ 52 years)^[1]

She was the widow of Luke Cropley at her death.

1670 Consents to Marriage of Daughter Elizabeth

On 13 December 1670, Elizabeth Day, age 19, "spinster" and Charles Molloy of Lincoln's Inn, Esq, "bachelor", sought a marriage license. Elizabeth's father was dead, and she had consent of her mother, who was now the wife of Luke Cropley, of St Peter le Poor, London, Gent; at Barnet of Hadley, Herts. ^[5]

Children

1. James

1. Elizabeth Day, born 1659 (age 19 in 1670. Married Charles Molloy of Lincoln's Inn, Esq. ^[5]

1. Ann

Research Notes

Was she the mother of James Day?

In a codicil to his will, James Day made a bequest of £10 to his "honored Mother Mrs. Cropley." Since he also made bequests of £20 to a number of unrelated persons, this reference does not seem totally reliable. However, if Mary Cropley, nee Bennett was his mother, then she was likely married to a Day.

It would appear that this unknown Day then acquired the name John, and facts associated with other John Days living at the right time in England became attached to him.

1640 Marriage to John Day

About 1640 "Mary Bennett, married first ......Day, secondly, Thomas Bland, and on the 12th of September, 1668, "Mary Bland, widow, aged 36, married Luke Cropley, aged 35."

Boddy states that "Mary Bennett married first, ------Day," ^[9]

She is mentioned in Governor Richard Bennett's will, 12th April, 1675, as "My cousin Mary, wife of Mr. Luke Cropley of London."

Find-a-Grave states that she married John Day (1627–1657)^[2]

Named as mother of James Day

In James Day's will, dated August 10, 1700, a bequest of £10 is made to Mrs. Mary Cropley, his "most dear and ever honored mother" as a token of "natural affection as well as respect and duty." ^[10] If James Day used the word "mother" literally, then Mrs. Mary Cropley was married to James Day's father prior to her marriages to Bland and Cropley. If James Day used the word "mother" figuratively, then she could be some other honored woman.

Biography of Mary as wife of John Day of Middlesex, England

1657 Named as wife in Will of John Day of Middlesex, Englan

Boddy notes that "Dr. Rupert Taylor of Clemson College, S.C., a descendant of Mrs. Mary Bennett-Day, states that she may be the wife of John Day of Fulham, Co. Middlesex, gent, whose will is shown in the printed Calendar of the Court of Hustings, London, page 771, dated Sept. 15, 1657. John Day mentions wife, Mary, sons John and James, daughters, Ann and Elizabeth. (Tyler's Mag., Vol. 16, p. 241) ^[9]

John Day of Fulham, co. Middlesex, Gent., (Calendar of Wills, court of Hustings, London, p. 771) by will dated September 15,1657 and proved the following January, left pecuniary bequests to children, John, James, Elizabeth, Anne, and to his wife Mary all lands and tenements held of the lord of the manor of Stepney, Middlesex, and elsewhere, for her to sell and dispose of as she should please for the better maintenance of herself and her children. ^[4]

Named in Will of Cousin Richard Bennett

"Mary, the wife of Mr. Luke Cropley "received a bequest of twenty pounds sterling in the will of Richard Bennett. ^[11]

1701 Death

She was living in 1701, as she is mentioned in the will of Captain James Day of Isle of Wight, her son, as "my ever honored mother Mrs. Mary Cropley." ^[9]

Find-a-Grave states that Mary Day died 1701 (aged 76-77) in Rappahannock County, Virginia, but her burial details are unknown. ^[2]

She was the widow of Luke Cropley at her death and is so named in the will of her son James Day, 1700. ^[4]

She died about 1675 in London, Middlesex, England. ^[1]

Children

Hoyt states, "It is my belief that all her children were born in England and also believe James Day was the only one who went to America."

1. Elizabeth Day, daughter, married Charles Molloy 1670 in Hertford, England,
2. Ann Bennett Day, daughter, married Charles Chapman 1676 in London, England. I'm not sure that Charles Chapman and wife Ann Day came to America, I can't find their passage, nor can I find Charles Molloy and wife Elizabeth Day. ^[3] Anne Day is mentioned in the will of James Day as his sister, and as it appears she was not a sister of his wife she was probably his own sister. Anne married Charles Chapman, who was clerk of the County Court from 1696 to his death in 1710. He willed his son John his "Great Bible" which was still in existence in 1901, then being in possession of Mr. N. W. Norsworthy. John Chapman, son of Charles, made some of the entries in the bible which are shown below. The bible is the Geneva translation known as the "Old Breeches Bible."^[9]
3. John Day, son. I haven't found what happened to son John Day. ^[3]
4. James Day, son, came to America and married Mary Thompson and died there in 1700 leaving 3 sons and a daughter, his wife married John Johnson and then Rueben Gladhill. ^[3] James Day was a captain in the militia. He married Mary, daughter of William Thompson of Nansemond, and died in 1701. (see will). She married secondly John Johnson, and thirdly, Reuben Gladhill, and made her will as Mrs. Mary Gladhill in 1712. James Day left his Coat of Arms and rapier to his son James and gave his wife two tenements lying in Broadstreet near the Precinct and Circuit of the late dissolved priory of Augustine Friars in the Parish of St. Peters the Poor in London. Micajah Perry, Thomas Lane, and Richard Perry were to dispose of same. ^[9] Children of James Day:
   1. Thomas Day died in 1723 without issue.
   2. James Day, m. Juliana, daughter of Col. George Norsworthy, sheriff of Nansemond, and son of Tristram Norsworthy, Burgess for Nansemond in 1641. He married, secondly, Anne Allen, sister of Arthur Allen of Surry. He made his will in 1726. His children were his first wife’s children. Anne, his second wife died in 1727. ^[12] Children:
      1. James Day, m. Martha, dau of Col. Arthur Smith and had Mary and Martha who died sp.
      2. Thomas Day made his will in 1752 leaving wife Mary, son Thomas sho made his will in Isle of Wight in 1772, and son John who made his will in 1776. In Southampton are the wills of Thomas Day, 1771; Edmund Day, 1783, and inventory of Patty Day, 1784.
   3. William Day, probably dsp, as he is not mentioned in later wills of the family.
   4. Elizabeth Day, m. I, Capt Nathaniel Ridley; 2. Matthew Jones. Captain Ridley held 200 acres in Isle of Wight in 1704 and Patented 815 acres in 1714. He was sheriff of Isle of Wight in 1714 and a captain of militia. He made his will in 1719. ^[12]

Research Notes

Testimony of Nephew Richard Bennett

Governor Richard Bennett, as shown before, stated on February 12, 1657, that he was born in the Parish of Wiveliscombe, Somerset, and was then aged forty-nine or thereabouts. He was proven to be a nephew of Edward Bennett by Virginia records, and therefore was a son of one of Edward’s five brothers. According to the parish records previously shown, he could not have been a son of William or Richard, and Christopher is not shown to have had any children. Robert’s children are not shown in the Wiveliscombe registers, so were probably born in London. Thomas had a son Richard who was christened in Wiveliscombe August 6, 1609. Christenings often took place long after births. Phillip, a young brother of this Richard appears later in Virginia in connection with Governor Richard. However there is another theory that Governor Richard Bennett was the son of Robert Bennett who died in Virginia in 16223 inasmuch as Robert Bennett had children whose names are unknown. They may have been the Elizabeth, Jean, and Richard Bennett mentioned in Edward Brent’s will. ^[13]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4} Mike Marshall. Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties. Profile for Mary Bennett Accessed 16 February 2024 jhd
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Find A Grave: Memorial #91135216 Memorial for Mary Day. Note that Find-a-Grave does not require sources and is not considered a reliable source when there is no grave marker. Accessed 16 February 2024 jhd
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4} Hoyt Day Family Tree, Ancestry.com http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/9571933/person/-725814671 Accessed December 7, 2014.
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3} Rupert Taylor, Clemson, S. C. "The Parentage of James Day (Died 1700) and wife Mary of Isle of Wight county, Virginia." Genealogies of Virginia Families from Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1981; pp 542-545. Reprinted by Clearfield, Baltimore, 2007. Introduction by John Frederick Dorman. Accessed June 20, 2017. jhd
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1 5.2} Allegations for Marriage Licenses Issued From the Faculty Office of the Archbishop of Canterbury at London 1542 to 1869" Page 116 London: The Harleian Society, 1886. Accessed 30 March 2024 jhd
6. ↑ The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "International Genealogical Index (IGI)," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/2:1:MCBM-C8X : accessed 2017-06-19), entry for Thomas Bland.
7. ↑ Taylor, 1935, 542
8. ↑ Ancestry.com. Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812 Accessed 16 February 2024 jhd
9. ↑ ^{9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4} Boddie, 279
10. ↑ Taylor, 1935, 542
11. ↑ Will of Richard Bennett, Governor of Virginia Colony Prerogative Court of Canterbury. Posted on the BENNETT-L Archives at Rootweb. Cited by Mike Marshall. Early Colonial Settlers of Southern Maryland and Virginia's Northern Neck Counties. Profile for Governor Richard Bennett Accessed 16 February 2024 jhd
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Boddie, p. 282
13. ↑ Boddie, p. 285

Bibliography of Frequently Cited Works

• Boddie, John Bennett Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight County Virginia (Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co, 1973)
• Taylor, Rupert (1935). The Parentage of James Day (Died 1700) and Wife Mary of Isle of Wight County, Virginia. Genealogies of Virginia Families, pages 542-545, reprinted from Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, Vol XVI (1935), 239-242. Alternately, from The Parentage of James Day (died 1700) and wife Mary of isle of wight County, Virginia Baltimore: Clearfield Publishing Company, 2007, from Genealogical Publishing Company, 1981. Pages 542-545. Accessed February 16, 2023 jhd.
• Taylor, Rupert (1937). “The Parentage of the First James Day of Isle of Wight County, His Wife, Mary, and the First Wife of their Son James.” Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 45, No. 2 (1937).