Antigua and the Antiguans Volume II Part 27

Sir Christopher-Bethel, of Dodington Park, aforesaid, m. 15 Aug.

1796, the Hon. Carolina-Georgiana-Harriott Foley, dau. of Thomas, second Lord Foley, (by Harriott, dau. of William, second Earl of Harrington, by Caroline Fitzroy, dau. of Charles, second Duke of Grafton, K.G.,) and by her had, (among other children,)

Sir William-Christopher, the present Bart., born 12 March, 1805, and m. Lady Georgiana Somerset, dau. of his Grace the present Duke of Beaufort.

It may be right to observe, that the t.i.tle is disputed by his cousin, William-Raimond Codrington, who alleges himself to be the legitimate son of William, the third Bart., but this is a litigation into which we shall not enter.

No. 10.

GENEALOGY OF THE MATHEW FAMILY.

The family of the Mathews originally came from Glamorganshire, (where they were one with the Mathews, Earls of Llandaff,) emigrated to the West Indies, from Cornwall, in the Heraldic Visitation for which county, in 1622, they are mentioned. The lineal descent of the present branch of the family, from the first settler of the name, may be traced in the following manner- viz.,

Abednego Mathew, of Pennetenny and St. Kew, co. Cornwall, born in 1629, was a colonel in the army, and emigrating to the West Indies, obtained grants of land, first in Antigua, and afterwards in St Christopher's, of which island he became governor, through the interest (it is supposed) of his second cousin, George, Duke of Albemarle, and Sir Richard Grenville, and which situation he honourably filled until his death, 18 April, 1681. He m. a Miss Sparrow, a West Indian heiress, by whom he left issue two sons, i. Charles, colonel in the army, m. Miss Dashwood. His arms, impaled with those of Dashwood, are given in a General Atlas, published in 1721, to which work he was a subscriber.

ii. William, Knt.

Sir William Mathew was one of the brightest luminaries the West Indies produced: a brave soldier-an accomplished gentleman-a true friend-and a good governor. He was colonel of Monk's own regiment, the Coldstream-guards, and highly distinguished himself by his gallant bearing and true martial glory, at the siege of Namur, Neerwinden, &c., under William III. In 1702, he was nominated brigadier-general of her Majesty's Guards; and in 1704, appointed captain-general and governor-in-chief of the Leeward Caribbee Islands, and sailing from England at the beginning of June, in a squadron consisting of five men-of-war, and six transports, arrived at Antigua, the seat of his government, 14 July, 1704, where he died 4th Dec following. Sir William Mathew m. Katharine, Baroness Van Leempat, an heiress of the celebrated family of that name in Holland, and who accompanied Mary, Queen of William III., to England as one of the maids of honour. The nuptials were celebrated at Kingston, co. Surrey. The Baroness accompanied her husband to the West Indies, where she surviving him nineteen years, died at St Christopher's, 26 March, 1723. Sir William left issue by his lady,

i. Abednego. ii. Edward. iii. William, of whom hereafter. i.

Susan. ii. Louisa.

William (third son of Sir William Mathew) was another distinguished officer in her Majesty's service, brigadier-general, and colonel in the Coldstream-guards, and served as second in command under Lord Peterborough, in the Peninsular wars. General Mathew acted as lieut.-governor of the Leeward Islands in 1730; and 13 Sept. 1752, was appointed captain-general, and commander-in-chief. He m. 1st, Anne, dau. of General Thomas Hill, Governor of Nevis, who died s. p.; and 2ndly, --, dau. of the Hon. Daniel Smith, President, and sometime governor of Nevis, a great heiress, possessing estates in St.

Kitts, Nevis, and Antigua, by whom he had issue four sons, i. William, died young.

ii. Daniel, of Antigua, and Felix Hall, co. Ess.e.x, Esq., sometime high-sheriff for that co. He m. at Antigua, 10 May, 1750, Mary, dau. of George Byam, and grandson of Governor Edward Byam, by whom he had issue, 1. Daniel-Byam, of Felix Hall, and Antigua, m. Elizabeth, dau. of Sir Edward Deering, Bart., (by whom issue.) 2. George, m. Euphemia, dau. of John Hamilton, Esq., by whom he had issue a son, George, captain in the Coldstream-guards, and late M.P. for Shaftesbury, m. in 1835, the dau. and heir of the celebrated antiquary, Sir Richard-Colt h.o.a.re, Bart., and has issue a son, born 5 March, 1839.

1. Mary, m. to James, Lord Gambier, K.C.B., admiral.

2. Jane, m. to Samuel Gambier, commissioner in the navy.

3. Elizabeth, m. in 1779, to Robert-Monckton Arundel, Viscount Galway, by whom, among other issue, she had William-George, the present viscount, born in 1782.

iii. Edward, major-general in the army, and governor of Grenada, and sometime equerry to the Queen's household, m. 31 March, 1743; Lady Jane Bertie, dau. of the third Duke of Ancaster,[84] and by her (who died 21 July, 1793) had issue, 1. Mathew, born 11 Sept. 1762, 2. Jane, m. 30 Aug. 1776, Thomas Maitland, of Herts, Esq.

iv. Abednego, m. --, and had issue two daus., the second of which, Mary-Buckly, m. Hugh, Viscount Carlton.

[84] The three only daus. of this third Duke of Ancaster m. West Indians: Lady Mary-Bertie, the eldest, was united to Samuel Greathead, Esq. of Guy's Cliff, and M.P. for Coventry, and died 13 May, 1774; Albemia, the second dau. of his Grace, m. Frances Beckford, Esq., and died 12 Feb. 1754; and Jane, (as already seen,) m. Major-Gen. Edward Mathew, and had issue a son, Brownlow-Bertie Mathew, who a.s.sumed the name and arms of Bertie, in accordance with the will of his maternal uncle, Brownlow, last Duke of Ancaster, and Marquess of Lindsey.

No. 11.

_List of the Members of the House of a.s.sembly at the time of the death of Governor Parke, copied from the Original Returns._

Dr. Daniel Mackinnon.

Mr. Edward Chester.

Returns made by John Col. John Gamble.

Gamble, Esq. Mr. William Granodle. St. John's Town.

By Richard Oliver, Col. Thomas Williams.

Esq. Major John Tomlinson. St. John's Division.

Captain John Pigott. New North Sound By Edward Byam, Esq. Captain John Painter. Division.

Mr. Jacob Morgan d.i.c.kenson Bay By S. Watkins, Esq. Samuel Watkins, Esq. Division.

Richard c.o.c.kran, Esq.

By Charles Lloyd, Esq. Charles Lloyd. Nonsuch Division.

By Thomas Osterman, Col. John Ffrye. Old Road and Bermudian Esq. Captain John Roe. Valley Div.

By John Haddon, Esq. Mr. Andrew Murry. Five Islands.

Mr. John Elliot.

By John Kerr, Esq. John Kerr, jun. Belfast.

Edward Warner, Esq. Falmouth and By John Horsford, Esq. Isaac Horsford, Esq. Rendezvous Bay.

By Nathaniel Crump, Mr. Samuel Phillips. Old North Sound Esq. Nathaniel Crump. Division.

Mr. Baptist Looby. Willoughby Bay By G. Lucas, Esq. G. Lucas. Division.

By Francis Rogers, Mr. Francis Carlisle.

Esq. Mr. William Hamilton. Popeshead Division.

No. 12.

LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF GOVERNOR PARKE.

It may not be uninteresting to some of my readers to peruse a copy of the will of that unhappy man, Governor Parke: it is here inserted. It is worthy of notice, that anxious as Col. Parke was to perpetuate his name, it has become utterly extinct. The latter sentence of his will was written upon the morning of the very day in which he met his fate:-

"In the name of G.o.d, Amen. I, Daniel Parke, Capt.-Gen. and Chief Governor, &c., of all the Leeward Islands, make this, my last Will and Testament, in manner following: (Imprimis, I bequeath my soul to Almighty G.o.d.) I give all my estate in these islands, both land and houses, negroes, debts, and so forth, to Thos.

Long, Esq. and Mister Ceasar Rodney, for the use of Mistress Lucy Chester, being the daughter of Mistress Katharine Chester,[85]

though she is not yet christened, and if her mother thinks fit to call her after any other name, I still doe bequeath all my estate in the four islands of my government to her; but in case she dies before she attains the age of twenty-one years, then I bequeath the same to her mother, Mistress Katharine Chester, that it shall be and remain in the hands of my loving friends, Collonel Thos.

Long and Mister Ceasar Rodney, the produce of the same to be paid into her own hands, but to no other person whatsoever, and after the decease of the said Mistress Katharine Chester, then I bequeath the same to my G.o.dson, Julius Ceasar Parke, and his heirs for ever, but in case the said youngest daughter of the said Mistress Katharine Chester lives to marry and have children, I give the whole to her eldest son, and the heirs male of his body, and for the want of such heirs, to her second son's son, and the heirs of his body, and for want of such, to her next, and so on to her heir, provided still, he that heirs itt, calls himself by the name of Parke; and my will is, that the said youngest daughter of Mistress Katharine Chester alter her name, and that she calls herself by the name of Parke, and that whosoever shall marry her, calls himself by the name of Parke, and that she and the heirs of her body, themselves by the name of Parke, and use my coat of arms which is yet of my family of the county of Ess.e.x, but in case she refuses, or her heirs, to call themselves by the name of Parke, then my will is, that all my estate, both real and personal, go to my G.o.dson, Julius Ceasar Parke, to him and the heirs of his body for ever, and for want of such heirs, to the heirs of my daughter Francis Curtis, and for want of such heirs, to the heirs of the body of my daughter Lucy Bird, always provided whoever shall enjoy this my estate, shall call themselves by the names of Parke.

"Item, I give to my daughter Francis Curtis, all my estate, both real and personal, either in Virginia or England, and the heirs of her body, provided they shall call themselves by the name of Parke, and for want of such heirs, to the heirs of the body of my daughter Lucy Bird, and for want of such heirs, to the heirs of the body of the youngest daughter, now living, of Mistress Katharine Chester, and for want of such heirs, to the heirs of the body of Julius Ceasar Parke, provided still, that whoever has this my estate shall call themselves by the name of Parke, and in case of failure of heirs, or that they refuse to call themselves by the name of Parke, then my Will is, that my estate go to the poor of the parish of White Church, in Hampshire, but my Will is, that my daughter Francis Curtis pay out of my estate in Hampshire and Virginia, the following legacies and all my debts, that is, to my daughter Lucy Bird, one thousand pounds sterling; to my G.o.dson Julius Ceasar Parke, fifty pounds sterling each year during his life; to my three sisters and their children, fifty pounds to buy them rings; and to my Executors, hereafter named in England, each twenty pounds, and my Will is, that Thos. Long, Esq. of this island, and Mister Ceasar Rodney, and Major Saml.

Byam, be my Executors in trust for the performance of what is to be done with my estate in the Leeward Islands; and that Micajah Perry, Esq., Mister Thomas Laws, and Mr. Richard Perry, of London, merchant, be Executors in trust for the performance of what is to be done in England and Virginia, and I doe hereby Revoke all former Wills, Declaring this to be my last Will and Testament, being writ with all my owne hand, signed and sealed in St John's, in Antigua, the Twenty-ninth day of January, in the year of our Lord, One thousand seven hundred nine and ten.

"Sealed, published, and Declared to be his Will and Testament,

Daniel Parke.

"In the presence of us, "Herbert Pember, "John Birmingham, "William Martin.

"December the seventh. One thousand seven hundred and ten, I doe appoint in the room of Collonel Thos. Long, deceased, Mister Abraham Redwood to be one of my Executors in trust, to see this my Will performed.

"Daniel Parke.

"By the Honourable Walter Hamilton, Esq., Lieut-Gen. and Commander-in-Chief in and over all her Majesty's Leeward Charibbe Islands in America, and ordering of the same for the time being, December twentieth, One thousand seven hundred and ten.