Norman Warfield, a Significant Name As Shown By

THE WARFIELDS -OF- MARYLAND. BY- PROFESSOR JOSHUA DORSEY WARFIELD. MEI\IBER OF THE HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF 1\1ARYLAND. BALTIMORE: THE DAILY RECORD COJ\1PANY. 1898. PREFACE. This review is the result of a patient search of all available records in our Archives, Land Office, Register of Wills, Record of Deeds, Parish and State Reports, not only in Annapolis, but also in the Peabody Library and Historical Society of Baltimore. To keep it within reasonable scope, I shall chiefly record Richard Warfield's direct line. From it interested descendants may easily trace their records. I leave it as my legacy to the genealogists of the future. Genealogy imposes the most tremendous responsibility that can be put upon mankind. If your race is a good one, it says: "Never dare to tarnish this lustre." If a bad one, it says: "From this hour, nay:- this instant, begin a reform. Do not dare to perpetuate this dishonor." And the genealogist is both, the prophet and physician. " I feel I an1 being led ·by a courtly and gracious kinsman, hack to the homes of my forefath~s, introduced into the charmed circle that gatherro. around the hearths, and there identified as one of them." \Vith the above sentiment as my guide, and the encouraging words of the gifted daughter of an eminent authoress, who can1e down through kindred ancestors, added to the n1any requests for a permanent form of ancestral records, I have determined to issue, in book form, inf.ormation, I trust, of interest to many families who are proud of those pioneers who braved every difficnlty that we, their posterity, n1ight live under a flag which now floats unchal lenged ·through all lands and upon all seas. THE \NARFIELDS OF- MARYLAND. rrwo traditions, touching upon the original location of the vVarfields of ~Iaryland, have been handed down. One locates them in Wales; the other carries them clear through English history, asserting that they were Nor mans, one of whom, for conspicuous gallantry, won a '· Knight's Fee,'' of an English Manor. The truth of the latter tradition, in my judgment, has been fully verified, as the following historic quotations will show. "With an- army of sixty thousand barons, the flower of the Chivalry of Normandy, William conquered Eng land." '~ For the better organization of the Kingdom, William ordered a great survey, the results of which were embod ied in the '' Domesday Book," about 1080, showing the ownership, extent and productions of all estates in the Kingdom." I quote from the "Domesday Book" as fol lows: "Possession Genera, Wrfeld pbr, moi pifcar, prab, Comitatus, Statfordefe, Hundred of O:ffelau, Possession Noia, Hugo de Montgomeri, ~48 b." . .l\. century or more later, the following is found in "The Annals of Windsor." ''The ~Ianors of Datchet and Fulmer were held by Henry de Pynkeny, in desmesne of the King. Langley was held by Richard de Muntfichet; Stoke was in the keeping of Humbert de Pugeis, from whom it derives its name of Stoke Poges. The pr1.°or of Merton held Upton ·in free gift of tlte grant of Pagan de Warfield. 6 From the forests of Upton the prior of Merton furnished timbers for the erection of Eton College.'' Still later, from the same authority. "Norden made a map of 'Windsor Forest'.'' This report, in part, was as follows: "It was divided into sixteen walks." One of these was ''Warefielde," or "Warfelde Walke." These walks took their names from the walks of shep herds in pasturing sheep;-the chief agricultural interest of that da-y. As will be seen later, ''Warfield walk," upon the border of which ,vas Upton, granted by the foreigner~agan de VVarfield, tu the Prior of Merton for church purposes, was afterward designated as ~, Warfield Parish,'' within seven miles of Windsor Castle. My next quotation from '"The Annals of Windsor'' is as follows: ''King John returned to Windsor in the Spring of 1216. He was at Windsor when he heard that the Barons had procured aid from Philip of France. Afterward, all the Castles of England surrendered to Louis, son of Philip, except VVindsor and Dover. On the 25th of September, 1216, King John sent orders from Scotter, in Lincolnshire, to Engelard de Cygoney, who was in charge at Windsor, to deliver Hugh de Polsted, forth with, in prison at \Vindsor, to John de Warfield, brother of Elye de Warfield, unless he should be ransomed in the meantime. 'l,his is the last event relating to Wind sor in King John's reign.'' King John, held only two Castles, and John de Warfield lived near Windsor, in "Warfield House/' upon "Warfield Manor," in ''War field Walk." It is evident that King John, the descend ant of the Norman Conqueror, felt that he. could trust John d_e Warfield, a descendant of Pagan de "\Varfield, the Norman who had won his "Knight's Fee" of "War field Walk." A century and a half later, King Edward III. wa~ on the throne.-From the expense account of ''The Great Wardrobe," upon the institution of "The Order of the Knights of the Garter," .about 1:-345, a complete history of that magnifi:cent pageant may be seen. The dressing of the king, bis knights, ladies and officers, as recorded in the '' Arch a elogia,'' excelled any previous display. The following extract is from page 88. 7 ''1VARFI:ELD ROBERTUS.'' ''Rad'o Warfeld Nicho de Wycombe et Ed.mo de Elham vigilator Ris p cot yemaf ind fact fururand de dono Ris. p radiat fur agn alb." From the above, Robert de Warfield, of "vVarfield House," "arrayed in white lamb's·wool," the character istic dress of knights and officers of Edward's Court, was officially a part of the organization of the most cele brated order of English nobility. From a study of the history of Heraldry, which took its origin during Edward's long and prosperoµs reign of half a century, the following facts are deduced. ''Wool was the most important article of commerce, and in this traffic the King did not disdain to take part. On this account Edward III_ was called by. his French rival, the Royal wool-meLc]!_ant.'' To encourage agriculrure and commerce, King Edward brought his producers together into representative orders; To win military renown, he encouraged his Barons and newly organ!_zed Knights, in wearing distinctive emblems of their position and calling. His nobles, following his example, and encouraged by his military success, bore distinguishing arms and crests, characteristic of their country life. The ·sportsman bore his stag and field of birds. The tiller of the soil stamped his implements upon his shield. The pastoral arms and crest of ''Warfield House,'' was Argent-a tent between two mantles, gules, lined ermine: On a chief azure, a lion passant quadrant, or- CREST.- .A Paschal Lamb radiated, proper. Supporters.-Two Camels, or MOTTO. "Concordia parvae res crescunt." The tent was the syip.bol of the shepherd; the lamb and camels represented both the product and its deliv ery; the mantles indicated knighthood,-more than that - "The Paschal Lamb" was the symbol ·that its bearer 8 believed in the meek and typical emblem of the Christ- 1an. passover. To the above historic facts, add another, just as true viz.-that the orthography and form of the name indi cate Norman origin.-"Pagan de Warfield," "John de Warfield," '~Elye de vVar:field," "Robert de War field,'' all show titled mem hers of the House of vVarfield, a form of address giv-en only to N orrnans of high degree. From the living pages, then, of history, reviving a right that is only dormant because not claimed, :r:6s""titWe ffiat--our .American descendants can go back and claim, through an unbroken line, the titles of that Norman foreigner who helped to make England "the mistress of· l)}e world.'l As Americans, proud of our Mother's claim, let us polish up our projenitors' arms and bear them, or their emblems, as did our worthy sires, through darkness into light. About the beginning of the sixteenth century, through the resistless changes of those transient eras, other names became associated with this Norman Manor. Without Parish records to guide, I am, as yet, unable to state whether they came by marriage rights, or by purchase. In 1510, "Thomas Brotherton," alias Thomas Hunt, by a deed dated Aug. 25th, gave for the support of four Alms Houses., 14 acres of pasture and woodland; 3½ acres in church. field--(showing that "War.field Church" then existed, )2 acres of wood; 1 acre of arable and 1 acre of meadow,-all in the "Parish of Warfield," Berkshire, England. (''Warfield Walk had now become W ar:field Parish.) (A coincidence, worthy of note, is found in later years, in the name of ' 4 Brotherton,'' the postoflice upon the land of John "\Varfield, of Richard, near Waterbury, ....i\.. A. Co., ~Id.) In 1547, the following note occurs in the reign of Henry VIII.:-'' Pay to John by kford for costes of the brethern Rydyng, (riding) to Warfelde to se the lond there." . :From ''The Annals of. ,vindsor," Norden's map of '•\Vindsor Forest," made at the beginning of the 17th century, states:-" Warfelde Walke,., ,vas reputed to 9 be the private property of Sir Henry Neville by inheri tance." It will be seen later, that the last owner of "Warfield ~Ianor" was Lord Braybrooke. Burke's Peerage records him as a ·descendant of Sir Henry Neville, bearing the arms of that ancient house. "Warfield Parish" is located in East Hampstead dis trict 2½ miles N. N. E. of Bracknell, a railroad station.

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