THE ENGLISH ANCESTRY OF RICHARD' BELDEN OF WETHERSFIELD, CONNECTICUT
With an Account of the Death in England of Richard Baildon, Son of Sir Francis Baildon of Kippax, Yorkshire
By Paul C. Reed, FASG , and John C. B. Sharp
Donald Lines Jacobus long ago criticized the proposed origin of the immigrant Richard' Belden, who first appeared in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1641. Vari ous authors have concluded that he was eldest son of Sir Francis Baildon of Kip pax in the West Riding of Yorkshire,' but, as Jacobus noted, "Richard Belden's estate was small, and his social position not what we should expect if he were son of a knight."2 "Some of this evidence fits the theory, but in toto does not seem to the editor [Jacobus] to make out a very impressive case." But no definitive dis proof had been found. After voicing general objections, Jacobus concluded: However, it is never wise to assume that a theory is incorrect merely because it has romantic and somewhat improbable elements; and while the editor is not personally impressed favorably with the Kippax theory, he would not be understood as dogmatically expressing a negative verdict. The proper verdict is: ''unproved; somewhat improbable; just possibly true."3 . A more recent study by Donald E. Poste established that the immigrant Rich ard Belden had indeed come from Yorkshire, and had lived in the chapelry of Heptonstall in the parish of Halifax. At the conclusion of his summary, Poste stated, "I shall not be able to perform further research on this subject but present these clues in the hope that someone else may be able and willing to follow through."4 Identifying the two Richards as the same person-based on the circumstantial evidence then known-did not seem entirely implausible. Though Richard Bail don of Kippax was nearly ten years older than what might be expected of Richard
1 Including Jessie Perry Van Zile Belden, Ancestors and Descendants ofRoyal Denison Belden (Syracuse, N.Y., 1898), 28-76 (hereafter cited as Belden, Ancestors and Descendants); and Henry R. Stiles, The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut... , 2 vols. (New York, 1904), 2:75- 76 (hereafter cited as Stiles, Ancient Wethersfield). W[illiam] Paley Baildon, Bai/don and the Bai/dons, 3 vols. (Bradford and London, 1912-27), 3:43 (hereafter cited as Bai/don), concludes that Richard ·of Wethersfield was son of Sir Francis, though his assessment of the immigrant's position and estate, upon which basis he justified this conclusion, is inaccurate. 2 Donald Lines Jacobus, "Notes on Wethersfield Families," TAG 10(1933-34):51 - 52, at 52. 3 [Donald Lines Jacobus], "Notes: Belden," TAG 10(1933- 34): 191- 92. 4 Donald E. Poste, "English Origin of the Beldens of Wethersfield," TAG 45( 1969): 135- 38. Poste, as had Jacobus, warned, that "[u]nfortunately, no documentary evidence has been found to prove the identity of Richard, son of Sir Francis, with Richard Belden ... of Wethersfield." 20 2001] English Ancestry ofRi chard Belden of Wethersfield, Conn. 21
Belden of Heptonstall, men did marry later in life. The son of Sir Francis Baildon had been left in relative poverty, and all his surviving brothers also died in a hwn ble estate. It is also known that Cuthbert and Martin Baildon, younger sons of Sir Francis, held Puritan beliefs, one serving under Cromwell during the Civil War. Richard Belden of Wethersfield also had some military implements listed in his estate at his death, and the son of Sir Francis is known to have served in the military abroad. 5 Sir Francis Baildon held part of Arringdon [Erringden] Park in Heptonstall, at the time of his death. And Richard Baildon, son of Sir Francis, seemed to disappear from English records at about the time Richard Belden of Heptonstall immigrated to Wethersfield. The present authors independently conducted further research into this prob lem, and have arrived at identical conclusions about the correct English ancestry of the immigrant Richard Belden: Unfortunately, the Richard Belden of Hepton stall, Yorkshire, who immigrated to Wethersfield, Connecticut, cannot be identi cal with the eldest son of Sir Francis Baildon of Kippax. Sir Francis Baildon's son Richard died in England several years before the immigrant Richard left for the New World. This article is presented in two parts. The first part, in this issue, presents the evidence concerning the family of the immigrant Richard Belden of Heptonstall, and then contrasts this with what is known of Richard Baildon, who died in 1630, son of Sir Francis Baildon. The second part will discuss the corrected English an cestry of the immigrant Richard Belden.
FAMILY OF RICHARD BELDEN OF HEPTONST ALL, YORKSHIRE Heptonstall and neighboring Halifax were centers of Puritan belief,6 and it is not surprising that other families also left Heptonstall and Halifax for New Eng-
s Richard Beldin ofWethersfield's inventory, dated 22 Aug. 1655, is given in Bai/don, 3:44, and included one silver spoon, one musket, one "karbine," and one rapier. The items appraised were modest, and the total, £112 l 7s., was not remarkable. 6 The parish of Halifax, which included the chapelry of Heptonstall among its twenty-four townships, was a center of Puritanism in the north. The first Protestant vicar at Halifax was Chris topher Ashburn, instituted in 1559, and succeeded by his son Francis in 1573 (John Watson, The History and Antiquities of the Parish of Halifax, in Yorkshire [London, 1775], 366-70). A large number of Halifax clergy and preachers were brought to the exercises for non-conformity between 1604 and 1628. They included three men who had served as curates of Heptonstall. William Aigin, ordained deacon in 1622, and curate of Heptonstall, was presented in 1636 for preaching without a license. Leonard Burton, another curate at Heptonstall, was presented in 1632 for hav ing no surplice. John Sowerby, curate of Heptonstall in 1627, was a Presbyterian and presented in 1637 for not praying before sermons. Some of the ministers actually immigrated to New England. Richard Denton, who was the minister of Coley chapel near Halifax, later became minister in Wethersfield. Oliver Heywood, the most famous minister of Coley, left notes about his predeces sors and he says that Richard Denton was minister for "about seven years." As he is supposed to 22 The American Genealogist [January land.7 The key to the Yorkshire identification of Richard 1 Belden of Wethersfield is the chronology of his family. His son, "John Belding of Weth[ersfield]," testi fied on 16 February 1661 that he was then "abt. 27 yrs. old," which would imply that he was born in about 1634.8 Poste quotes from "Genealogical items from the Medical Journal of John Winthrop" that Richard's son, Samuel Belden of Weth ersfield, was aged 26 and married in 1658 and so should have been born in about 1632.9 This matches their baptismal dates in the register at Heptonstall. Richard 1 "Beldon" married Margaret Ackrenden at Heptonstall on 9 December 1622.10 The Heptonstall register records the baptisms of six children: Susan Bel don (bp. 16 November 1623), Mary Beldon (bp. 17 July 1625), Grace Beldon (bp. 30 December 1627), Sara Beldon (bp. 2 May 1630), Samuell Bayldon (bp. 16 September 1632), and John Baldon (bp. 8 February 1634/5). 11 The residence given at the first baptism was the township of Langfield; the residence at the bap tisms of the other five children was Wadsworth. 12 Richard 1 Belden first appears in records at Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1641 .13 It may be that he and his family immigrated with a group of Yorkshire men who came over on between eight and eleven ships in 1638. Ezekiel Rogers minister of Rowley near Beverley was one of the organizers of this voyage. The original of the 1641 /2 Protestation Returns for the whole Halifax area still sur-
have been appointed in 1631 , this would imply that he emigrated in 1638. (The Rev. Oliver Hey wood, B.A .. 1630-1702; His Autobiography, Diaries. Anecdote and Event Books; Illustrating the General and Family History of Yorkshire and Lancashire, ed. J. Horsfall Turner, 4 vols. [Brig house, Eng., 1881- 85], 4:11.) 7 New England emigrants from Heptonstall include James Draper of Roxbury, John Farrer of Woburn, Jonas and Jonathan Fairbanks of Watertown, Lancaster and Dedham, Thomas Green wood, of Cambridge, Miriam Stansfield of Roxbury, Abraham Sutcliffe of Scituate, John Tillot son of Saybrook, and Christopher Wadsworth of Cambridge and Duxbury. 8 Charles J. Hoadly, ed., Records of the Colony or Jurisdiction of New Haven, from May, 1653, to the Union . .. (Hartford, 1858), 444. 9 Poste, "Belden Origin," TAG 45(1969):135, citing TAG 9(1932-33):56; the original, dated 3 Aug. 1658, reads: "Belden, Samuel, 26 y ... a married man" (Winthrop Medical Journal, MS, Massachusetts Historical Society, Boston, p. 332). 10 Heptonstall, Yorkshire, parish register [Family History Library (FHL) film #1 ,450,489]. The Bishops' Transcripts (FHL film #990,61 OJ do not survive for all years during this period. The surname was spelled Beldon in the baptismal entry in 1627, Bay/don in 1632, and Baldon in 1634/5. 11 The surname was spelled in many ways in both New England and records in England. Bay/don was not the usual spelling used in the New World (Belden or Belding occurred most fre quently). But Richard's name was spelled Bay/don at least once in the Wethersfield, Conn., Land Records ( 1:214, dated 7 2m [April] 1641 ). 12 Heptonstall was a large rural chapelry and included a number of townships. Poste mistak en ly states that the residence given at John's baptism was Ayringden. That township is given as the residence in the entry immediately following John's baptism. 13 Stiles, Ancient Wethersfield, 1:30, 93, 249. 2001) English Ancestry ofRichard Belden of Wethersfield, Conn. 23 vives. 14 This list of those who swore oaths of allegiance includes all males eigh teen years and over. No Richard Belden or members of his family were found anywhere in the region. This confirms that the family of Richard Belden had left Heptonstall by 1641 /2.
RICHARD BAILDON, SON OF SIR FRANCIS BAILDON OF KIPPAX, YORKSHIRE Richard Baildon, the eldest surviving child of Francis Baildon by his third wife, Margaret Goodrick, was baptized at Kippax on 26 May 1591. 15 He had one elder brother who survived childhood, Francis, his father's male heir. When he was just of majority, Richard entered military service, taking the oath of allegiance on 26 16 March 1613 ("Richard Bayldon, aged 19 [sic] yeres, borne at Kippax"). · "Richard Baildon of London, gentleman,'' was indicted for two highway rob beries on 31 May 1616.17 Richard is stated to have attacked John Brett at Wool wich, co. Kent, on 16 February 16[15/)16, taking 30s., and to have attacked Thomas Parker at Woldham, co. Kent, three days later, taking 49s. Richard re ceived a pardon after the intervention of the Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas and a knight on his behalf. The court found that Richard was a young man "and not known to have formerly offended the Lawe." Sir Francis Baildon made his will on 5 November 1615. 18 The will was long and detailed, describing many relatives and holdings of lands and property. The capftal messuage at Kippax was left to his grandson and heir Francis Baildon, son of his eldest deceased son Francis. 19 Richard was mentioned several times, but
14 House of Lords Record Office, London, House of Lords Papers, l 641-1642, Protesta tions, York (B); and originals on microfilm [FHL film #919,511 ]. 15 Of the other sons, the eldest, William, d. as a child, Cuthbert and Martin survived to adult hood and served on the Parliamentary side, Henry d. at London on 12 May 1618 (aged 23), and Thomas d. at London on 20 Nov. 1619 (aged 23). Their father, Francis, was knighted on 23 July 1603 (Bai/don, 3:25). 16 The record is shown as a plate in Bai/don, 3:39. He signed his name as Richard Bayldenn. 17 Bai/don, 3:39, citing "Controlment Roll Trin. 14 Jae. I." Richard's brothers Henry and Thomas d. in London in 1618 and 1619. 18 Prerogative Court of York (PCY], v. 37, f. 104 (dated 5 Nov. 1615, proved 13 Sept. 1622) [FHL film #99,506); Prerogative Court of Canterbury [PCC] 115 Savile (proved 23 Nov. 1622) [FHL film #92,090]. The will is abstracted in Bai/don, 3:29-30. A marginal note in the PCC ac count states that [after Anne's death in 1630), the administration of Sir Francis's estate was granted his son Cuthbert on 24 Feb. 1630/l, but this was vacated and administration granted to Martin Baildon on 25 Oct. 1631. It must be noted that had their elder brother Richard then been living at Heptonstall, the grants would have been invalid, and some explanation as to why Richard was not involved would have to have been made. Given their brother Richard's history, had he long survived his stepmother Anne's death, he certainly would have put in some type of claim on his father's estate. 19 This youngest Francis sold all his Kippax property to Sir William Slingsby on 6 Oct. 1629 (Bai/don, 3:63). Gilbert Baildon, who succeeded his brother Francis (who d. in Feb. 1629), sold his 24 The American Genealogist [January given no land. The testator did, however, give half the profits of the Kippax coal mines to his sons Richard, Cuthbert, Martin, Henry, and Thomas, for the remain der of a lease after 200 marks had been paid to his deceased son Francis's chil dren Gilbert and Margaret. Cuthbert and Martin were to have the profits of a number of copyhold lands, except the profits for the first five years, which were to go to Richard and Henry. Richard and Henry were also to have the tithes of corn, grain, wool and lambs in Kippax after the first five years. Richard was given nothing else. Sir Francis also stated that Sir Edward Tirwhitt owed him £1100, due Michaelmas 1617. If paid, £100 was to be divided among his sons Richard, Cuthbert, Martin, Henry and Thomas. (Henry and Thomas both prede ceased their father, dying in London in 1618 and 1619, respectively, so they would never receive their legacies.) Sir Francis Baildon made six prominent men-knights, esquires and gentlemen---0verseers and executors, but they chose not to prove his will. Sir Francis Baildon died at Monk Fryston on 24 June 1622 leaving a minor grandson as his male heir. Sir Edward Tirwhitt never paid the £ 1100, and the es tate of Sir Francis was encumbered with other heavy debts. 20 Dame Anne, his interests in certain lands to Sir William Slyngisbie on 14 April 1634. On 21 Oct. 1640, Gilbert swore he was not worth £5 after payment of his debts beyond "such estate as he hopes to recover." 20 In a Bill of Complaint filed in Chancery on I 0 June 1623, Richard and his siblings claimed that the estate of Sir Francis was worth £150 in lands, and a personal estate worth £3000 (Bai/don, 3:40). Richard and his siblings described themselves as "very meanely provided for out of their father's estate." Dame Anne, as administratrix, answered that the inventories of the goods and chattels of Sir Francis at Monkfryston, Kippax and Snaith did not total above £300. There was £23 or £24 in a bag "suddenly had and taken away" from her messenger at his own lodging by Richard Bai/don and was still detained by him. She stated that Cuthbert and Martin had already sold all the copyhold leases. She claimed his estate was indebted to Nicholas Hooker, of London, for £2000, aside from other debts totaling £2500. She also claimed that when she had married Sir Francis, she brought him a jointure of £450 a year and over £2000 in goods from her first hus band's estate (which jointure Sir Francis sold). Various other suits concerning the estates and fam ily were brought together and referred to Mr. Justice Sir Richard Hutton. His report, dated 28 Jan. 1625, was confirmed by the Lord Keeper on 5 Feb. 1625. For his share of it all, Richard Bai/don was to receive £30 (Bai/don, 3:40-44). That must have been an incredible disappointment. Depositions taken at Kippax 28 Aug. 1626 in a Chancery suit brought by Cuthbert Baildon against Sir Edward Tyrwhitt, Dame Anne Baildon, and Christopher Colby, proved highly reveal ing (Bai/don, 3 :46-47). Ralph Pratt, of Kippax, testified, "He hath often heard S[i]r Francis Bail don say with great greif [sic] that he had ruinated his estate by money disbursed and payed or oth erwise engaged himself for S(i]r Edward Tirwhitt, amounting to £2,400 . .. and further that he knoweth that S[i]r Francis was forced along time to keepe his house and live privatly for [fear of] being arrested and imprisoned for the debts of S[i]r Edward, and that he was arrested at Rippon for debt of S[i]r Edward." Sir William Slingsby testified that he had heard several creditors that complained they could not get their money out of his estate, Dame Anne "haveing wasted the per sonal! estate of the said S[i]r Francis." He also testified that a year before his death, Sir Francis had complained to him with much sorrow and grief that he had paid Sir Edward Tyrwhitt more than £ 1800 of which he had received nothing, which "had almost ruinated his estate and his repu tation." Cuthbert Bramham of Kippax testified he too had heard Sir Francis Baildon say "he was 2001] English Ancestry ofRichard Belden of Wethersfield, Conn. 25 widow, and his daughter Meriola [Muriel] entered caveats against the granting of the admin.istration of his estate on 20 July and 3 August 1622.21 The will was pre sented before the Exchequer Court of York on 23 October 1622 by Christopher Colby, Dame Anne's son, praying for her to administer the estate. She was granted administration by both the Exchequer or Prerogative Court at York and by the Peculiar Court of Snaith. She appeared before the Prerogative Court of Canterbury some two months later, where she was also granted administration.22 The death of Sir Francis Baildon brought on an immediate struggle for possession of various parts of his estate and payments of debts, which began years of reveal ing litigation among various parties. 23 The inquisition post mortem of Sir Francis Baildon, taken on 20 March 1624, states that his son Richard Baildon "is alive and living at Kippax," as were Dame Anne, his stepmother, and Elizabeth, the widow of his elder brother Francis. It also states that immediately after Sir Francis's death, Richard Bai/don took pos session ofth e tithes ofgrain at Kippax.24 Richard Baildon of Kippax was sued by Sir Henry Saville, Baronet, of Meth ley, in February 1627. Richard had asked for a loan of £200, putting up the tithes of com and grain at Ki ppax as security. By deed dated 8 September 1623, Saville entered into the agreement, which was to be paid off with interest at Kippax church on 9 May 1625. In default, the conveyance was to be absolute. Another deed was made between the two, dated 4 May 1625. Sir Henry advanced further mon~y. the sum of all of which was to be repaid at Methley church on 6 July 1626. In default, Sir Henry was to pay £72 and be absolute owner, unless Dame Anne should recover part, in which case of default Sir Henry was to owe nothing. Richard did default (and Dame Anne did put in a claim), but Richard refused to let Saville have possession, hence the suit in Chancery.2s In Richard's answer, sworn 6 April 1627, he admitted default, but claimed the tithes produced £100 yearly, and were worth £800. In his replication, Sir Henry Saville answered that the tithes did not bring in more than £40 per year, and were in decline. The tithes were also charged with a fee-farm rent of £8 to the Crown, which Richard had left £20 or £30 in arrears. On 23 June 1627, Richard was or- out of purse and engaged S[i]r Edward Tirwhitt £2, 700, and that . .. S[i]r Francis durst not walke abroade, but kept his house for feare to be arrested for the said engagements; and that S[i]r Fran cis was diverse times arrested for the detts ofS[i]r Edward." 21 PCY Act Book IB, 1608-27, Pontefract (20 July 1622) [FHL film #100, 101); Act Book 2B, 1627-40, Pontefract, f. 144 (18 April 1634, to son Martin) [FHL film #100,012]. 22 Bai/don, 3:32. 23 The details of these many suits, which shed much interesting color upon various members of this family and their careers, is beyond the scope of this article. They are abstracted by W. Paley Baildon. 24 Public Record Office [PRO], C 142/404, no. 121; WARD 7/68, no. 124. Bai/don, 3:32-33, and Belden, Ancestors and Descendants, 5 l ~2. also abstract it. zs PRO C 2/Chas I/S48/35 and S 108/41 ; also abstracted in Bai/don, 3 :42. 26 The American Genealogist [January dered to pay £328, but this was not done. An injunction was granted on 10 No vember 1627 to settle the tithes on the plaintiff, Sir Henry Saville.16 By Trinjty term 1627, it was Richard Baildon, gentleman, who brought suit against Thomas Taylor for a debt of 40s. Richard claimed that on 5 September 1626, he, at Kippax, had demised all tithes of peas growing on seven acres of land fanned by Thomas Taylor for that year, Taylor to pay Richard 16s. 8d. with in eight days. This was not done, and Thomas Taylor borrowed an additional 23s. Sd. from Richard at Kippax on 1 October 1626. Richard was suing Thomas for the total of 40s.27 Though most of Sir Francis Baildon's children were baptized in the parish church of Kippax (some seven miles east of Leeds), later in life Sir Francis moved his residence to the town of South Milford, in the parish of Sherburn (about five miles east of Kippax).28 This area was very rural, and South Milford was the next neighboring town east of Kippax (save Ledsham, which was a bit to the south). Some time after 1611 , William Vavasour, of Hazelwood, made a list of "dwellings" within eight or ten miles of his home. "Sir Fran. Bailden" was dwelling at South Milford.29 The last document he is known to have signed, dated 27 July 1621, calls him "Sir Francis Baildon of Milford, Knight," and a reference in 1624, after his death, refers to him as "Sir Francis Baildon late of South Mil ford ."30 John Rippon and others of South Milford filed a Bill of Complaint in Chancery against Martin Baildon in February 1624 (after his father Francis's death), relating to property in Sherburn which had been mortgaged to "Sir Francis
26 Bai/don, 3:42-43. 27 Bai/don, 3:43. 28 W. Paley Baildon's forte was the medieval period. His collection of parish register ex tracts is now available at the FHL, and mainly concerns parishes then in print [FHL film #I,702 , I 61]. Sherburn is not among the parishes he included in his search. Sir Francis had mar ried Anne Jennings, widow and administratrix of Francis Colbie, of Layston, co. Suffolk. His resi dence was stated to be at Blithborough, co. Suffolk, in 1607; he was a Justice of the Peace for Suf folk in 1608, served as a Member of Parliament representing Orford, co. Suffolk, in 1614, and was of Huntingfield, co. Suffolk, in l 617 (Bai/don, 3 :26, 27, 28, 3 l ), but was described as of Kip pax in 1612 and 161 5, and of Milford [in Sherburn], Yorkshire in 1621 (Bai/don,3:28, 30-32). 29 James J. Cartwright, Chapters in Yorkshire History (Wakefield, Eng., 1872), 368. The document is undated but must be after 1611 , when Sir William Ingleby bought the manor of North Deighton (Cliffe). Soi/don, 3:25, also refers to this list, citing "Lansdowne MS. 900." ''The manor of South Milford. near Pontefract, in the parish of Sherburn in Elmete, is put down M belon_g,lng to Sir Francis Baildon." No lands in Sherburn were mentioned in his will or inquisition post mwtem. so Sir Francis apparently disposed of them before his death. It should also be noted that when "Meriall" [Muriel Baildon], wife of Edmund {sic: Edward) Chatterton. g.entleman, swore a deposition at Kippax, 28 Aug. 1626, in the suit or her brother Cuthbert Baildon, her residence was given as "Milford" (Bai/don, 3:47). 3 ~ PRO C 2/Chas l/R59/ l IO. Bai/don, 3:3 1- 32, gives the 1621 document. ci1ing "Fawkes MSS .• Famley .... 2001) English Ancestry ofRichard Belden of Wethersfield. Conn. 27
Baildon~ late of South Milford," about 1619 for £ 120.31 The copyhold property had been surrendered to Sir Francis and his son Martin. They then discovered that the property had been entailed, so Sir Francis took out a lease for further security. This, however, was against the custom of the manor, whose lord seized the lands as forfeited. The plaintiffs sought an injunction against Martin, who was threaten ing to commence proceedings to recover the premises. The autograph signature of "Richard Bayldon" appears on both the writ of commission and the answer for Martin Baildon against Robert Marshall of Selby in a dispute about property in the town and manor of Sherburn dated 1626/7. 32 As Francis Baildon willed no land to his eldest surviving son Richard, it may be that he had settled property in South Milford on him before his death. It is clear that Richard Baildon, eldest surviving son of Sir Francis, also re sided in the parish of Sherburn. The baptisms of three of his children (the last posthumous) are recorded in the surviving Bishops' Transcripts of the parish of Sherburn:33
1 [June 1626] Tho. Bayldon the son of Rich gent!. baptisd the 14 h [May 1628] Margret Bayldon daughtr of Rich gent. bapt. the 20th [Sept. 1630] Rich. Bayldon son of Rich Esqr. baptz. The 16th Richard Bayldon died at Sherburn in May 1630, leaving a pregnant wife and at least two small children: [May 1630] Rich. Bayldon esqr. buried the 14111 day . On 26 November 1630, the administration of the goods of Richard Bailden late of Sherburn was granted to his widow Elizabeth.34 His inventory was below £40 (note that despite the size of his estate, he was still called "esqr." in his burial record). It would seem likely that had she lived, with three young children, Eliza beth would marry again. Unfortunately no marriage, burial entry or probate rec ord for Elizabeth has been found.35 That this Richard Baildon, Esquire, was the eldest surviving son of Sir Francis Baildon is certain. Aside from the close proximity to the parish of Kippax, and
31 Bai/don, 3:53. 32 PRO C 2/Chas 1/8124/38, also abstracted in Bai/don, 3:42 33 Sherburn, Yorkshire, Bishops' Transcripts [FHL film #990,930]. These were also checked at the Bonh"•ick Institute, York. Though the parish register ha.~ some enlries dared 1644)..43 , it does no• then commence again until 1653 [FHL film #l,068,403). l • Prerog_ati't'e Court of York, Act Book, Ajnsty, f. 151 (FH.L film #100,003]. Bai/don, 3: I 57. misfiled this act under Sherburn, in the county of Durltam (the third volume was published after W. Paley Baildoo's death). JJ Sherburn fell within the jurisdiction of the Prcbendal Court of Church Fenton, but no Baj1don probate record was found. Prior to 1664, Bishops' Transcripts for Sherbwn only survive for 1603, 1604, 1622, 1626, 1628, 1630, 1632- 3S, 1637 1. It is easily possible that she or her children died during the Civil War or Commonwealll\ period. 28 The American Genealogist [January the knowledge that Sir Francis Baildon had lived at South Milford in the parish of Sherburn, and had interests there, the use of the title of "Esquire" in this period was distinctive. The son of Sir Francis was also styled "Esquire" on another oc casion. On 22 December 1626, Richard Baildon "Esq[uire ]" was given commis sion with three others to take oath of a man in a Bill of Complaint in Chancery brought by his brother Martin Baildon. 36 The historian William Camden, who wrote at that time, presents the strict definition of esquires: (1) the eldest sons of knights and their eldest sons in perpetual succession; (2) the eldest sons of the younger sons of peers and their eldest sons in perpetual succession; (3) Esquires created by royal letters patent or other investiture and their eldest sons; ( 4) Es quires by office, for example justices of the peace and others who bear any office of trust under the crown.37 Richard Baildon was the eldest surviving son of Sir Francis Baildon. There is no other candidate who could be this Richard Baildon "Esquire" other than the son of Sir Francis Baildon. One must also take notice of the evidence presented in the text above which shows that the son of Sir Francis Baildon was stated to be residing at Kippax at the same time that the immigrant Richard Belden was residing with his family at Heptonstall, some thirty miles west of Kippax in a very rural region. Finally, Martin Baildon swore oath that he was the only surviving son of Sir Francis Baildon in 1654, but Richard Belden of New England did not die until 1655. Martin was then "a prisoner in the Fleete" in London, and was claiming to be "administrator of all the goods, chatells and creditts of Sir Francis Baildon, late of Kippax."38 (to be continued) Paul C. Reed (8 E. Hillside #JOI, Salt Lake City UT 84103) is a professional genealogist specializing in English origins ofAmerican families and in medieval research. John C. B. Sharp (31 Egerton Gardens, London SW3 2DE, UK) is a former di rector ofa London bank responsible for Information Technology strategy.
36 Bai/don, 3:42. 37 "Gvilielmo Camdeno" [i.e., William Camden], Britannia (London, 1600), 140. 38 Bai/don, 3:60, citing a Chancery suit against Percival Stanny and Thomas Darcy. The defen dant against Martin answered that Martin and Cuthbert had for some time gotten livelihood in and about London "upon their pretended right of and unto the said Mannors, one of them pretending one while to be Administrator to their said father, and the other another while, and soe brought some credulous people upon hopes of a great profit by the recovery of them, yet they or either of them had no pretence of right thereto ...." THE ENGLISH ANCESTRY OF RICHARD 1 BELDEN OF WETHERSFIELD, CONNECTICUT
\Vith the Probable Ancestry ofWilliain1 Belden of Wethersfield
By Paul C. Reed. FASG, and Joh11C . B. Sharp
(concluded from p. 28)
Richard' Belden/Beldon, the New England immigrant who settled at Wethers field, Connecticut, by 1641, came from the chapelry of Heptonstall, in the parish of Halifax, Yorkshire, England. He presumably emigrated about 1638 with a group of Yorkshire Puritans led by Ezekiel Rogers, minister of Rowley, York shire, and others. There is no absolute proof of Richard 1 Belden' s parentage. He married Marga ret Ackrenden at Heptonstall on 9 December 1622. 39 They had six children bap tized there between 1623 and 163 5. This would indicate that Richard Belden was likely born shortly before the commencement of the baptismal register at Hep tonstall on 8 July 1599. The only other Beldens residing at Heptonstall at the time Richard was probably born were members of the family of Lawrence BeldQn of the township of Ayringden [Erringden].40 The baptism of Lawrence Beldon's daughter Mary was recorded on 22 November 1601. Four more children were baptized at Heptonstall in 1604, 1606, 1609 and 1611. Though the register of baptisms at Heptonstall does not survive before 1599, the register of both marriages and burials survive from 1593. There was no Belden marriage or burial before 1619, when a Richard Beal den of Langfield was buried at Heptonstall on 7 May 1619. This seems to indicate that Lawrence and Richard were the only families residing at Heptonstall during that period. The parish register of Heptonstall indicates that Lawrence Beldon resided in the township of Ayringden from at least 160 I through the baptism of his last child in 1611, but at the burial of his wife [ Uxor Lawrence Beldon) on 2 November 1622, he resided in the township of Langfield. Richard Belden and his family were also of Langfield when his first daughter Susan was baptized in 1623. Langfield was the township immediately southwest of Ayringden in the very rural Yorkshire moors.
39 The only other Ackeringden entry in the Heptonstall register was for "lnfans Henry Ack rington of Wad[sworth}" who was buried 3 Feb. 1633/4 (Parish registers, chapelry ofHe.ptonstall, Yortshirc [FHL film #s 1,450,489 and 262,539]; the register i$ also in prin.t: Edith Horsfall. ed .• The Parish Registers ofH ep1011s10JJ. . • , Yortshirc Parish Register Soclery, 78 [ 1925 J). '°The chapelry of Heptons.tall included five to~11sh i ps : Wads\\•orth, Hcptormall, Stansfield, b"ringdcn and Langfield. 122 2001 J Ancestry ofRichard and William Belden of Wethersfield, Conn. 123
As La\,Tenoe Beldon was not married at Heptonstall, and baptisms of his chil dren. are recorded shortly after the register begins, it is likely that he also had chil dren. bom in or before 1599. Lawrence Beldon lived in Langfield at the same time as Richard (before he moved his family several miles north in 1624-25 to the to\Yn ship of Wadsworth), and three of his five children bear the same names as three of Richard Belden's six children (Susan, John and Mary). The best deduction that can be made is that Richard 1 Belden, born about 1598-99, was the eldest son of Law renctf' Beldon, baptized shortly before the commencement of the Heptonstall regis ter. Further, William1 Belden, who also settled at Wethersfield, would seem to be the William, son of Lawrence, baptized at Heptonstall on 23 April 1609, and thus a younger brother of Richard. The eldest child of William "Belding" of Wethersfield, who died on 27 March 1655, was born in 1647. From this, it had been guessed that William may have married about 1645, and was born about 1622. It has been theo rized that he was a son of Richard, born before his marriage to Margaret Ackrenden in 1622, but there is no evidence of that. As there is no burial for William Beldon at Heptonstall, and as he was not found in the 1642 Protestation Returns of that area, it is more likely that William of Wethersfield was a bit older when he married, and thus the son of Lawrence baptized in 1609.41 If we accept the premise that Richard1 and William1 Belden of Wethersfield were sons of LawrenceA Beldon, we are then faced with the problem of Law rence's parentage. It is clear that Lawrence was not from Heptonstall. As noted above, there were no Belden marriages or burials at Heptonstall between 1593 and 1619, and the only entries among the baptisms belonged to their family. The 1588 Lay Subsidy rolls for the area list no Baildon or Belding in the area who could be his father. 42 Nor was any Belden family living in the large parish of Halifax to the east, where registers survive from 1538.
41 For William' Belden of Wethersfield, see Henry R. Stiles, The History ofAncient Weth ersfield, Connecticut, 2 vols. (New York, 1904), 2:76-77, which, as with all of Stiles's genealo gies in his histories of Wethersfield and Windsor, should be used with caution. Stiles places Wil liam as a son ofRichard1 but adds that "[h]e has been supp(osed] to have been a brother of Rich ard the settler." Stiles gives the estimated 1622 birth date for William. The birth dates of Wil liam's children are also given by R. R. Hinman, "Records of Wethersfield, Connecticut," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register 15(1861 ):241-46, at 246. 1 2 William Belden had children Samue/ , b. 20 July 1647; Daniel, b. 20 Nov. 1648; John, b. 9 Jan. 1649/50; Susannah, b. 5 Nov. 1651; Mary, b. 2 Feb. 1652/3; and Nathanie{, b. 13 Nov. 1654. The names John, Samuel, Susan and Mary also occurred in Richard 1's family. 42 W. Brigg, ed., "Lay Subsidy, Wapentake of Agbrigg and Morley, Anno 15~ ... Miscel lanea [VJ, Thoresby Soc. Pubs., 15(1909):132- 51. The wapentake of Agbri,gg and Morley ex tended some thirty miles east and twenty miles south of Heptonstall. Detailed abstracts of the court rolls of the Rectorial Manor of Halifax and Heptonstall from 1570 through I 577 were pub lished in Transactions of the Halifax Antiquarian Society ( 1937), but though numerous local leases, holdings, tenants and families are listed, no Beldon (et var.) entry was found. 124 The American Genealogist (April
Lawrence, son of Richard Baldon of the hamlet of Howgill in the tO\vnship of Rimington in Gisbum, was baptized at Gisburn on 20 May 157 1.43 He was a younger son, and only given some goods in the will of his father. \Yho died in 1577 when Lawrence was still a boy. Lawrence disappears from the parish and is of the right age to have been the Lawrence who settled at Heptonstall, some fif teen miles to the southeast, in a sparsely populated region.44 The parish of Gisbum is in the wapentake of Staincliffe, which includes the entire region in Yorkshire north and west of Heptonstall for about thirty miles the region called Craven. Lay subsidies for the wapentake in 1524, 1525, 1543, 1545 and 1547 have been published.45 W. Paley Baildon also searched the 1539 muster, which includes all able males aged sixteen through sixty. These subsidies and muster should be a comprehensive representation of all adult males in the region. Only three branches of the Baildon (and variants) family are recorded in that region, all possibly of the same stock.46 There were branches in the parish of Gisbum (Rimington, Middop, Newby),47 at Carleton in Craven (about eight miles east of Gisbum),48 and at Thornton in Craven (four to five miles east of Gisburn, bordering Carleton on the west).49
43 Gisbum, Yorkshire. parish register [FHL film #1,657,526). 44 The name Lawrence was very uncommon among the Baildons. The only other Yorkshire Baildons bearing this given name found by W. Paley Baildon were: (l) Lawrence Baildon, labor er, of Dewsbury, Kirkburton and Earlsheaton [near Wakefield], living 15 10, bur. Dewsbury, 3 June 1540, presumably son of John Baildon of Earlheaton by his wife Jane, daughter of Lawrence Beaumont (Baildon, 2:359-60, 365-66, 376, 452); (2) Lawrence Baildon who founded the branch at Emley, presumably son of the previous (Baildon, 2:366, 376, 452, 458); (3) Lawrence Baildon, chaplain, of York and Newhall ( d. 1521 ), presumably son of John Baildon of Newhall and Otley, whose wife was sister of Lawrence Keighley (Baildon, 2:509-11, 525, 3:89). 4~ R. W. Hoyle, ed., Early Tudor Craven: Subsidies and Assessments, 1510-1547, Yorkshire Archaeological Soc., Record Series, 145( 1987) (hereafter cited as Early Tudor Craven Subsidies). 46 They all lie within an area of about ten miles in a sparsely populated region. 47 The township of Rimington included the hamlets of Howgill. Martin Top, Middop and Newby. 48 John Baildon paid 30s. (no lands) in the 1523 subsidy of Carleton (Baildon, 2:532; Early Tu dor Craven Subsidies, Yorkshire Arch. Soc., Record Ser., 145:40). He was also listed in the 1524 and 1525 subsidy lists. John was either dead or very aged in 1539, as he is not found in that muster. By 1543 , Robert Baildon was the only person of that surname at Carleton. In 1545 Robert Baildon (taxed at £4) and a less prominent Richard Baildon (taxed for 20s.) were at Carleton. (Early Tudor Craven Subsidies, Yorkshire Arch. Soc., Record Ser., 145(1987):55, 62, 74, 92.) Robert Baildon was a billman in the 1539 muster, and had children baptized at Carleton beginning with his daughter Elizabeth (bp. 18 Sept. 1540) and son Richard (bp. 19 April 1543) (Baildon, 2:532-33). The Richard Baildon at Carleton in 1545 must have been born about 1524; he and Robert were likely sons of John. Robert Baildon of Carleton, husbandman, was charged (but he and others denied it) with breaking into a house at Carleton on 28 Oct. 1542 and beating and wounding Anthony Dale's wife Christiana (Baildon, 2:532). Baildon (2:554) theorizes that the Richard bp. in 1543 founded the branch at Rillston, a chapelry in Bumsall, about seven miles north of Carleton. 49 A Thomas Bail don was listed as an archer in the 1539 muster of Thon1ton in Craven (Bail don, 2:551). But no Baildon was listed at Thornton in the 1524, 1525, 1543 or 1547 subsidies of 2001 ) Ancestry ofR ichard and JJ'illiam Belden ofW ethersfield, Conn. 125
No Baildon was li ~'ted in the region when the comprehensive p0ll tax of l 3 79 was dra\vn up.so Prior to 1522t only t\'l'O documents record any Baildon in the re gion:s•
1414, Michaelmas Tcnn.-William Gibson, chapman, sued Thomas de 8aildon or Ba)•llon <>f Thornton in Craven, forester, for a debt of£ I 0. 1416, Michaelmas Term.- London. Robert Pudsey, esq., sued William Baildon of Thornton, co. York, to give up a horse, value£ I 0, which he unjustly detained. William Baildon, a tenant of William Lyster,52 was assessed at 20s. in goods at Medhope [Middop] in the Loan Book of 1522. He was assessed for 40s. at Me dope in the 1524 subsidy, and £3 in goods at Medhope in 1543.53 Middop was about one mile southeast of Rimington. In the 1539 muster, "William Baildon of Midhope is entered as hillman, having a horse and harness, that is, body armour of some sort."54 William Baildon left no probate record, and apparently died be fore the register of Gisbum begins in 1558. He may have been father of Christo pher Baildon, listed at Middop as a hillman in 1539, but not in the fairly compre hensive subsidy of 1543. A Roger and Christopher Baildon were listed in the 1539 muster at Rimington, "Roger Baildon of Rimington, hillman, having a jack and a bill."55 Christopher was also a billman. Roger Bayldon was the only Baildon listed in the 1543 sub sidy of Rimington (William was at Middop). He was assessed on £3, paying 6d. 56 It is possible that Roger was son of William Baildon of Middop.
Thornton. The will of a John Balden of Kilbroke [in the parish of Thornton), the younger, hus bandman, was dated 15 March 1586/7 (Baildon, 2:551). Baildon guesses that he might have been born about 1540. The five children mentioned in his will, however, were not baptized at Thornton, according to Baildon (registers begin in 1566). . so J. H. Greenstreet, transcr., "The Returns for the West Riding of the County of York of the Poll Tax, 1379," Yorkshire Archaeological Society (London, 1882), repr. from Yorkshire Archaeo logical Journal, vols. 5-7. si Baildon, 2:531 , citing "De Banco, Mich. 2 Hen. V, m. 508d.; Mich. 3 Hen. V (1415) m. 583" and "De Banco, Mich. 4 hen. V, m. 415." There are at least six Thomtons in Yorkshire, however, and Baildon gives no explanation as to why he has concluded the second entry pertains to Thornton in Craven. s2 It may be worthy to note that William Lyster, Esquire, lord of Midhope [Middop] in 1522, had sons named Christopher, Lawrence and John-names borne by their Belden tenants. Thomas Lyster (bur. Gisbum, 1573), a great nephew of William, married Anne daughter and coheir of Rich ard King of King Cross in the parish of Halifax. She was buried at Gisbum, 6 Oct. 1571 (J. W. Clay, ed., Ougdale's Visitation of Yorkshire, with Additions, 3 vols. [Exeter 1899-191 7], 2: 134, 137}. Thls shOYl"S one possible link in interests between Gisburn and the area of HeptonstaU, v.·hich might ex plajn \\•IIy Lawrence Beldon relocated there. 13 Early TudQI' Craven Subsidies, Yorkshire Arch. Soc., Record Ser., 145:20, 49, 69. 54 Baildon, 2:538; PRO E 36/34. ! I Baildon, 2:538; PRO E 36/34. 1 William Baildon was apparently the oldest and most prominent of these four men, based on the completeness of the records. One of these men was father of Richard Baildon of Howgill in Rimington (father of Lawrence, hp. 1571 ), as Richard must have been born before 1539. No probate records survive for any of these men, and it is impossible to be any more certain which of them might be Richard Baildon's father (or grandfather).57 The firmest start we can make in the likely ancestry of Richard Belden of Heptonstall is with Richard Baildon, hus bandman, of Howgill in Rimington, in the parish of Gisbum. 1 RICHARD8 BAJLDON of Howgill in Rimington, Gisburn, co. York, husband man, was born say 1532 and was buried at Gisburn on 7 January 1576/7.58 The name of his first wife is not known. She was buried at Gisburn [Vxor Richi Bal don] on 11 February 1558/9. He married, secondly, about 1 56~ 1 , MARGARET -. She survived her husband, and was probably the Margaret Baldon buried at Gisburn on 23 May 1604. Lawrence Baildon's will was dated 3 January 1576/7 and proved by both executors at York on 24 April 1577. In the name of God Amen. The Thirde day of Januarie in the xix yeare of the Reigne of o' Sov'eigne lady quene Eliz- And in the yeare of o' Lord god 1576 I Richard Baildon of Hougill in the county of yorke, husbandman, sicke in bodye and holle in mynd and of good and p[er]fyte rememberaunce. prased be god do make my last will and Testament in maner and forme follow- 1nge. Fyrst I bequithe my sou II to almyghtie god and my bodye to be buried in the churche yeard of my p[ar]ishe churche ofGysbume. It[e)m I gyve and bequithe unto Margaret my wyf thone [i.e., the one] halfe of my ferrnhold for the Space of Twelve yeares next after my decease withe the license of the lorde so that she keipe her solle and unmaryed Towards the bringinge uppe of my poore children unto suche tyme as my said Children shall come unto the Jawfull yeares of aige But yf my wyf marrye that Then I will that The said half of my said Tenament shall whollie Re mayne unto Will'm, my sonne lt[e)m I will that my debtts be paide of the wholle [g]oods lt(e]m I gyve the half of my third p[ar]te of goods unto Katherine, my doughter and the other half unto thre of my youngest children It[e]m I will that the Rest of my goods be devided as fo llowithe That is to saye, To Margaret my said wyf one third p[ar]te my debtts beinge paid of the wholle, and the other Third p[ar]te to be devided equallie amongst all my children accordinge to the lawdable custome and use of holie churche. It[e]m I ordayne, Constitute and make Margaret my said wyfh [sic: wife] and Will'm my said sonne my True and lawfull Executors to this my p[rese]nte will executed p(er]formed and ac complisshed in ev'ye Respecte accordinge to the True meaninge therof 57 Anthony Baildon, of the hamlet of Newby, in Rimington, may have been born about 1548. He had two sons, Christopher and William, and four daughters baptized at Gisburn between 1572 and 1587. 58 The parish register records the burial as 7 Dec. 1576, but the will was not dated until 3 Jan. of the following year. The early part of the Gisburn register is a transcript made in 1597. 2001] Ancestry ofRichard and William Belden of Wethersfield, Conn. 127 Thes beinge wittnesses John Robinson, clerke, vicar of gysbume, James Fox, p[ar]ishe clerk there and others Lawraunce Tumer,59 Will'm Tattersall.60 Children of Richard8 Baildon with his first wife:6 1 62 WILLIAM BAILDON, b. by 1556, bur. Gisbum, 4 May 1589 [sic: 1590], of Howgill 63 in Rimington, will dated I March 1589/90, proved 4 Feb. 1590/1; m. (I) -- , (2) Gisbum, 24 Oct. 1581 , ALICE FORTE, bur. Gisbum, 13 Dec. 1607. Ch ild with 1st wife, bp. at Gisbum: I . Alice Baldon, bp. 28 Oct. 1576. Children with 2nd wife, Alice (Forte), bp. at Gisbum: 2. Ann Baldon, bp. 16 Jan. 1582/3. 3. Richard Baldon, bp. 13 March 1583/4, bur. Gisbum 14 Sept. 1631 ["de 64 Howgill"]. 4. Hugh Baldon, bp. 6 Nov. 1586. 5. William Bai/don, b. say 1587 (living 1590 when mentioned in father's will), bur. ["de Howgill"] Gisbum, 4 July 1640. ii KATHERINE BAI LDON, b. before 1558 when the registers start, bur. Gisbum, 24 Aug. 1582. Children of Richard Baildon with his second wife, Margaret(-), bp. at Gisbum, co. York: 111 RICHARD BALDON, bp. 29 Aug. 1562, perhaps Richard Bealdon of Langfield bur. Heptonstall, 7 May 1619, though W. Paley Baildon identifies him as the Richard Baldon of Parkhouse, in the township of Paynthome, Gisbum, bur. Gisbum, 20 May 1633. iv daughter [name blank], bp. [blank} Jan. 1564/5, probably the ALICE, daughter of Richard Baldon, bur. Gisbum, 10 Sept. 1567. v ALICE BALDON (again), bp. 12 Sept. 1568; possibly the Alice Baldon whom. Gis bum, 3 Feb. 1596/7' HENRY CRAVEN. 2 vi LAWRENCEA BALDON, bp. 20 May 157 1, apparently moved to Heptonstall. vii JENET BALDON, bp. 12 Sept. 1573, bur. Gisbum, 6 March 1576/7. 2 LA WRENCEA BELDON of Aryingden [Errington] and later of Langfield in Hep tonstall was probably the Lawrence who was baptized at Gisburn on 20 May 1571 , son of Richard8 Baildon of Gisbum. The residence of the family was stated to be in the township of Ayrenden at the recorded baptisms of his children. The family then moved to the township of Langfield, which was given as their place of residence when the burial of the unnamed wife of Lawrence Beldon was re corded on 2 November 1622. No burial or probate record for Lawrence has been found. He was not listed in the 1641-42 Protestation Return of the area, and must have died before that. 59 One wonders if he might have been godfather of Lawrence Baildon. 60 Prerogative Court of York [PCY], registered wills, v. 21 , 4v [FHL film #99,478). 61 W. Paley Baildon (2:539, 559) theorizes that there may be another son by the first mar- riage: Hugh, ancestor of the Baildons of Ripon and Bishopside. 62 He proved his father's will with his stepmother. 63 PCY v. 24, f. 537 [FHL film #99,483} . 64 The administration of Richard Bailden of Howgill was granted to his relict Grace [Wed dell} on 27 April 163 1 [Craven Act Book, 162~ I, f. 374 (FHL film # l 00,003)] . He left issue. 128 The American Genealogist [April Children of LawrenceA Baildon, bp. at Heptonstall, co. York, residence Ayringden:65 i (prob.) RICHARD 1 BELDENIBELOON, b. before start of the baptism register in 1599, say 1598; immigrated to Wethersfield, Conn.; m. MARGARET ACKRENDEN. ii MARY BELOON, bp. 22 Nov. 1601. 111 SUSAN BELDON, bp. 17 June 1604, d. of the plague, bur. at her home in Errington, 16 July 1631. iv JOHN BELOON of Errington, bp. 25 Oct. 1606, perhaps went to Sowerby before 1641 /2.66 Child: Sara(h) Baldon (of Ayr[ingden]), bp. Heptonstall, 4 May 1634. v WILLIAM 1 BELDEN/BELOON, bp. 23 April 1609, left the Halifax area before 164 1/2, probably immigrated to Wethersfield, Conn.; m. THOMASINE-, named in his will, dated 27 March 1655.67 vi LUKE BELDON, bp. 6 Dec. 161 1, left the Halifax area before 1641 /2. (concluded) Paul C. Reed (8 E. Hillside #101, Salt Lake City UT 84103) is a professional genealogist specializing in English origins ofAmerican families and in medieval research. John C. B. Sharp (31 Egerton Gardens, London SW3 2DE, UK) is aformer di rector ofa London bank responsible for Information Technology strategy. 65 There are four persons of the surname Bai/don who appear in the register of Heptonstall but are not properly accounted for yet: "Alice Balden de Hep[tonstall)," bur. 3 April 1638; "Sara Balden de Hep[tonstall]," bur. 11 July 1639; "James Balden and Ann Varley," m. 23 April 1640. The latter couple had a child buried there the next year: "Infans [de] James Baldon de Ayr," bur. 4 March 1640/ 1. "Thomas Rigg [and] Martha Balden" m. 1 Feb. 1641/2. 66 Thomas Balden, John Balden and Jonas Balden, all from Sowerby, signed the 1641 -42 Protestation Returns (House of Lords Record Office, London, House of Lords Papers, 1641-42, Protestations, York [BJ; and originals on microfilm [FHL film #919,5 I 1]) . The township of Sow erby was immediately east of Errington, another of the Halifax townships. 67 Charles William Manwaring, comp., A Digest ofthe Early Connecticut Probate Records: Hartford District, 3 vols. (Hartford, 1904-6), 1:97 (the misreading Commison for Tommison is corrected in 2 :errata). GENEALOGY AND IL DUCE Sometimes people find it difficult to decide what aspects of their close relatives' lives merit recognition in their family genealogies. The following description seems to have been supplied by Helen Rhodes's mother, who was genealogically inclined (we hesitate to speculate about her po litical leanings): i HELEN- HARVEY RHODES, b. 6 Sept. 1908, a graduate of the University of Washing ton, where she specialized in Philosophy; is at present [ 193 1] studying her subject in Italy under the Eleanora Duse Scholarship and was recently granted an audience with Premier Mussolini. ... 1 1 Winifred Lovering Holman, Briggs Family Records Compiled for the Briggs Family As sociation (n.p., 1931 [sic: 1935]), 83.