Richard More had one of the most bizarre and interesting lives of any of the Mayflower passengers.  He was baptized in 1614 in Shipton, Shropshire, England, to Katherine More.  Researchers have traced Katherine More's ancestry back to royalty, making Richard More and his siblings the only Mayflower passengers to have a documented royal ancestry.  His father was either Katherine's husband Samuel More, or it was Jacob Blakeway, with whom she was having an extramarital affair.  When the affair was discovered, Samuel questions whether the children were his (since they seemed to look more like Blakeway).  Divorce proceedings were begun, and Samuel More would eventually receive custody of the children.  He paid to have his children shipped off to America with some "honest and religious people", where they could avoid the "great blots and blemishes" that would fall on them if they remained in England.  Richard More and sister Mary ended up in the household of Elder William Brewster; older sister Ellen went to the Edward Winslow family, and older brother Jasper went to the John Carver family.  Richard's three siblings all died the first winter: Jasper died even before the Pilgrims were finished exploring Cape Cod.

Richard More was still living with the Brewsters in 1627, and married Christian Hunter in 1636 in Plymouth, and moved very shortly thereafter to Salem.  Richard More became a seaman and ship captain, and made trips to England, Nova Scotia, West Indies, Manhattan, and Virginia.  In February and March 1642/3, he joined the church at Salem and had two children baptized there; all the rest of his children would be baptized there as well, through his last child Christian, baptized in 1652.

His wife Christian died on 18 March 1676, at the age of 60.  Richard More then married to Mrs. Jane Crumpton; she died in October 1686 at Salem, aged 55.  In 1688, the Salem Church recorded: "Old Captain More having been for many years under suspicion and common fame of lasciviousness, and some degree at least of inconstancy ... but for want of proof we could go no further.  He was at last left to himself so far as that he was convicted before justices of peace by three witnesses of gross unchastity with another man's wife and was censured by them."

Links

• http://www.mayflowerhistory.com/Passengers/RichardMore.php
• http://www.gravematter.com/more.htm
• http://www.mayflowerfamilies.com/mayflower/richard_more_family.htm

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The More children were passengers on the historic voyage of the Mayflower in 1620. The four children were at the center of an incident in early 17th century England that caused later genealogists to ponder why their father would send his very young children away on an extremely dangerous voyage to the New World in the care of strangers.[1][2] The mystery was solved in 1959 with the discovery of a 1622 document which detailed the adultery of the children's mother, Katherine More. That admission of adultery led the father, Samuel More, to believe that the children were not his offspring.[3] To rid himself of these children, he arranged for them to be sent to the Colony of Virginia,[4] but due to winter weather they were forced to land far north at Cape Cod. During the first winter there, three of the children died and Richard More was the only survivor. Much of what is known about the More children's early childhood is through legal documents, more specifically a document written in 1622, in response to a petition of Katherine More to Lord Chief Justice Sir James Ley, at which time Katherine demands to know what has become of her children.[6][7] Richard More's mother was Katherine More, (sometimes spelled Katharine hereafter spelled Katherine). Katherine’s father, Jasper More, was master of Larden, a 1000-acre estate between Much Wenlock and Ludlow. Both estates are in Shropshire, England. Samuel’s father, Richard More, was master of Linley, an estate near Bishop’s Castle, close to the Welsh border.[8]

Jasper's sons died leaving no male heir.[9] The estates were held in an entail whereby inheritance was restricted to male heirs and Samuel's father, but Richard, in the marriage settlement paid 600 pounds to Jasper More, so there must have been clear title.[10] It was arranged that Katherine would marry her cousin and indeed, in February 4, 1610, (old date style) Katherine, 25, the last unmarried daughter of Jasper, married her cousin, seventeen year old Samuel More. The marriage papers contained the unusual mention of "without tabling" allowing Samuel to live at his own estate or elsewhere.[11][12]

At some point during this time, Samuel began working in London as secretary to Lord Edward Zouche, privy councilor, diplomat and courtier.[13]

Over the course of four years, Katherine had four children. There were all baptized at St. James Church, Shipton, Shropshire:

Elinor or Ellen, baptised on May 24, 1612;
Jasper baptised on August 8, 1613;
Richard baptised on November 13, 1614.
Mary. baptised on April 16, 1616.[14][15]

In 1616, Samuel More accused his wife of adultery and, at the direction of his father, Richard, devised a plan to rid himself of Katherine and the children. The adultery was supposedly committed with Jacob Blakeway, a young man near in age to Katherine who lived close by and whose family had been More tenants for several generations. In 1608, Jacob Blakeway and his father Edward, a yeoman had renewed a lease on a parcel of land owned by Katherine More's father, Jasper More of Larden Hall. The manor of Larden Hall was about half a mile from Brockton where the Blakeway family lived.[16] By a deed dated 20 April 1616, Samuel cut the entail on the Larden estate to prevent any of the children from inheriting. During the long court battle, Samuel would deny that he was the father of the children borne by his wife, Katherine, and stated them to be children of the adulterous relationship.[17] Katherine did not deny her relationship with Jacob Blakeway, stating there was a former betrothal contract with him, and therefore he was her true husband. This would have made her marriage to Samuel invalid. Samuel quotes her words in his declaration, though she could not sufficiently prove by witnesses yet it was all one before god as she sayed. At that time any of the usual witnesses would have been dead.[18]

In that same year, by his own account, Samuel went to his employer and a More family friend, Lord Zouche, Lord President of the Council of Wales, Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports and Privy Counselor, to draw up a plan for the disposition of the children.[19] Zouche had been an active member of the Virginia Company and in 1617 he invested £100 in an expedition to the colony of Virginia, which is where the Mayflower was supposed to have landed. It was his actions that were instrumental in putting the More children on the Mayflower.[20][21][22] At that time, children were routinely rounded up from the streets of London or taken from poor families receiving church relief to be used as laborers in the colonies. Any legal objections to the involuntary transportation of the children were over-ridden by the Privy Council, namely, Lord Zouche. Most people thought it a death sentence and indeed, many did not survive either the voyage or the harsh climate, disease and scarcity of fresh food for which they were ill-prepared.[23][24]

Additionally, in 1616, Samuel More, under his father Richard's direction, removed all four children from Larden and placed them in the care of some of Richard More's tenants near Linley.[25][26] The removal was shortly after the youngest child had been baptized which was on April 16. According to Samuel's statement,[27] the reason he sent the children away was as the apparent likeness & resemblance … to Jacob Blakeway, quoting from: "A true declaracon of the disposing of the fower children of Katherine More sett downe by Samuell More her late husband together with the reasons movinge him thereunto accasioned by a peticon of hers to the Lord cheif Justice of England" and it is endorsed, Katherine Mores Petition to the Lord Chief Justice ...the disposing of her children to Virginia dated 1622".[28] Samuel goes on to state that, during the time the children were with the tenants, Katherine went there and engaged in a struggle to take her children back:[29] Katharine went to the tenants dwelling where her children had been sequestered, and in a hail of murderous oaths, did teare the cloathes from their backes. There were at least twelve actions recorded between December 1619 and July 8, 1620 when it was finally dismissed.[30][31]

The statement details that soon after the denial of the appeal on July 8, 1620, the children were transported from Shipton to London by a cousin of Samuel More and given into the care of Thomas Weston,“…and delivered to Philemon Powell who was intreated to deliver them to John Carver and Robert Cushman undertakers for the associats (sic) of John Peers (Pierce).[32] for the plantacon (sic) of Virginia…” [33] in whose home they would be staying while awaiting ship boarding.[34][35] Thomas Weston and Philemon Powell were both poor choices, and Thomas Weston especially was quite disreputable. In later years Weston would become an enemy of the Crown.[36] As the agent of the Merchant Adventurer investment group that was funding the Puritan voyage, Bradford states that Weston caused them many financial and agreement contract problems, both before and after the Mayflower sailed. Weston’s Puritan contacts for the voyage were John Carver and Robert Cushman who jointly agreed to find the children guardians among the Mayflower passengers. Carver and Cushman were agents from the Puritans to oversee preparations for the voyage [37] with Robert Cushman’s title being Chief Agent, from 1617 until his death in 1625.[38] Within several weeks of the More children’s arrival in London, and without their mother Katherine More’s knowledge or approval, they were in the care of others on the Mayflower, bound for New England.[28]

After the Mayflower sailed, Katherine made another attempt to challenge the decision through the courts. It was this legal action in early 1622 before Chief Justice James Ley which led to the statement from Samuel explaining where he sent the children and why, the historical evidence for his parent's history.[39] By a deed dated 20 April 1616, Samuel cut the entail on the Larden estate to prevent any of the compromised children from inheriting. During the long court battle, Samuel would deny that he was the father of the children borne by his wife, Katherine, and stated them to be children of the adulterous relationship.[17] Katherine never denied that she had been intimate with Jacob Blakeway, stating there was a former betrothal contract with him, and therefore he was her true husband. This would have made her marriage to Samuel invalid. Samuel quotes her words in his declaration, though she could not sufficiently prove by witnesses yet it was all one before god as she sayed. At that time any of the usual witnesses would have been dead.[18]

Soon after the denial of the appeal on July 8, 1620, the children were transported from Shipton to London by one of Samuel's cousins and given into the care of Thomas Weston, organizer of the Mayflower voyage.[40] As stated several years later in a document from Samuel More telling Katherine More what had happened to her children "…and delivered to Philemon Powell who was intreated to deliver them to John Carver and Robert Cushman undertakers for the associats [sic] of John Peers for the plantacon [sic] of Virginia…” Thomas Weston and Philemon Powell were both choices that would not speak well of the Puritans judgement of people. Powell became a convicted smuggler.[41] Weston was especially disreputable. As the agent of the Merchant Adventurer investment group that was funding the Puritan voyage, he would cause them numerous financial and agreement contract problems, both before and after the Mayflower sailed.[36]

Weston’s Puritan contacts for the voyage were agents John Carver and Robert Cushman, who oversaw voyage preparations and who jointly agreed to find guardians for the children amongst the Mayflower passengers. Exactly what explanation was given for the More children's presence is not known as many homeless waifs from the streets of London were sent to the New World as laborers.[24][42][43]

Three of the senior Mayflower Pilgrims took responsibility for the four More children as indentured servants:

Elinor More, Ellen More, age 8, assigned as a servant of Edward Winslow. She died in November 1620 soon after the arrival of the Mayflower at Cape Cod Harbor. Her burial place is unknown and may have been ashore on Cape Cod similarly to her brother Jasper several weeks later. With many others who died that winter, her name appears on the Pilgrim Memorial Tomb, Coles Hill, Plymouth, Massachusetts.[44]
Jasper More, age 7, servant of John Carver. He died of a ‘common infection’ in Dec. 1620 while the Mayflower was in Cape Cod Harbor. He was buried ashore in what is now the Provincetown area. Provincetown has a memorial plaque with his name and that of four others ‘who died at sea while the ship lay at Cape Cod Harbor’ in Nov./Dec. 1620.[44]
Mary More, age 4, assigned as a servant of William Brewster. She died sometime in the winter of 1620/1621. Her burial place is unknown, but may been on Cole's Hill in Plymouth in an unmarked grave as with so many others buried there that winter. As with her sister Ellen, she is recognized on the Pilgrim Memorial Tomb in Plymouth, misidentified after her sister's name as "and a brother (children)" - the statement of calling her "a brother" mistakenly coming from William Bradford's failing memory years after the event of her death.
Richard More, age 6, servant of William Brewster. He resided with the Brewster family until about mid-1627 when his term of indentureship expired. This is about the time that his name appears, at age 14, in a census as a member of the Brewster family, in what was called then 'New Plimouth'. By 1628, Richard was in the employ of Pilgrim Isaac Allerton, who was engaged in trans-Atlantic trading. He went on to a career as an Atlantic ship-captain and lived a long life, dying in the mid 1690s.[45]

Within several months of the arrival of the More children in London, and without their mother Katherine More's knowledge, they were in the care of others on the Mayflower, bound for the New World. This would be a fateful journey, leading to the sad demise of three of the children.

The Mayflower set sail on September 6, 1620 from Plymouth, England and arrived at Cape Cod Harbor on November 21. At the time of the Mayflower sailing, the More children were aged between four and eight and were classed as indentured servants that were to be labor in the (northern) Virginia. Although Virginia was their destination, winter weather and seas forced the Mayflower to finally anchor safely inside the hook tip of Cape Cod Harbor. This was after a grueling 66-day journey, marked by disease, which claimed two lives.[46]

References

1.^ Anthony R. Wagner. The Children in the Mayflower (The London Times) June 30, 1959 pp. 11-

2.^ Anthony R. Wagner. The Origin of the Mayflower Children: Jasper, Richard and Ellen More, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (July 1960) vol. 114 p. 163-168
3.^ Donald F. Harris, PhD. Mayflower Descendant (July 1993) vol. 43 no. 2 pp. 124-127
4.^ Harris 1994, pp. 124-126.
5.^ David Lindsay, PhD., Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) pp. 43, 44, 45.
6.^ David Lindsay, PhD. Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) p 8.
7.^ Anthony R. Wagner. The Origin of the Mayflower Children: Jasper, Richard and Ellen More, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (July 1960) vol. 114 p. 163-168
8.^ Donald Harris PhD. The Mayflower Descendant, (Jan. 1994) no. 1 p. 12
9.^ David Lindsay, PhD., Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) p. 2
10.^ Donald F. Harris, The Mayflower Descendant (July 1993) vol. 43 no. 2 p. 130
11.^ Edwin A. Hill, PhD. The English Ancestry of Richard More of the Mayflower, The New York genealogical and biographical record, (July 1905) vol 36, p. 214
12.^ Shipton Parish Register Shropshire archive.
13.^ Acts of the Privy Council of England, APC Col. p. 38 show Samuel More in Zouche's service as a private secretary as noted in David Lindsay, PhD., Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) p.221.
14.^ Anthony R. Wagner. ‘The Origin of the Mayflower Children: Jasper, Richard and Ellen More, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (July 1960) vol. 114 p. 164 Parish Record of the Shipton Shropshire Register Society. Ellinora Moore filia Samuelis Moore de Larden on 24 May 1612; of Josperus Moore, filius Samuelis Moore de Larden Generosi on 8 Aug. 1613 and of Ricardus Moore filius Samuel Moore de Larden on et uxoris on I3, Nov. 1614; Maria Moore, filia Samuelis More et Caterine uxoris ejus de on 16 April 1616.
15.^ Robert Charles Anderson. ‘’The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England 1620–1633’’ (New England Historical Genealogical Society Boston 1995) vol. 2 G-O p. 1282
16.^ Donald Harris PhD. The Mayflower Descendant. (Jan. 1994) vol. 44 no. 1 p. 12
17.^ a b Donald F. Harris, PhD. The Mayflower Descendant (Jan. 1994) vol. 44 no. 1 p. 14, 18
18.^ a b Anthony R. Wagner. The Origin of the Mayflower Children: Jasper, Richard and Ellen More, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (July 1960) vol. 114 p. 165
19.^ Donald F. Harris, PhD. The Mayflower Descendant (July 1994) vol. 44 no. 2 p. 109
20.^ Liza Picard. Elizabeth's London (Weidenfield & Nicolson 2003). p. 196
21.^ Morison & Commager. The Growth of the American Republic (4th Ed., New York, 1950), vol. 1, p. 40
22.^ Donald F. Harris, PhD. The Mayflower Descendant (published Jan. 1994) vol. 44 no. 1, p. 14. and (July 2, 1994) vol. 44 no. 2 pp. 108-110
23.^ The Mayflower Descendant (July 2, 1994) vol. 44 no. 2 pp. 110, 111
24.^ a b R.C. Johnson. The Transportation of Vagrant Children from London to Virginia, 1618-1622, in H.S. Reinmuth (Ed.), Early Stuart Studies: Essays in Honor of David Harris Willson, Minneapolis, 1970.
25.^ Anthony R. Wagner. The Children in the Mayflower (The London Times) June 30, 1959 pp. 11-
26.^ Anthony R. Wagner. The Origin of the Mayflower Children: Jasper, Richard and Ellen More, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (July 1960) vol. 114 p. 163-168
27.^ The More Archive - Shropshire Council
28.^ a b Anthony R. Wagner. The Origin of the Mayflower Children: Jasper, Richard and Ellen More, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (July 1960) vol. 114 pp. 165-167
29.^ David Lindsay, PhD. Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) p. 13
30.^ The Shropshire Records and Research Center 1037/10/8 and 9
31.^ Anthony R. Wagner The Origin of the Mayflower Children: Jasper, Richard and Ellen More, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (July 1960) vol. 114 p. 166
32.^ William Bradford. History of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford, the second Governor of Plymouth (Boston. 1856 Not in copyright) p. 123
33.^ Nathaniel Philbrick Mayflower: A story of Courage, Community and War (Viking 2006) p. 20
34.^ Charles Edward Banks. ‘’The English Ancestry and Homes of the Pilgrim Fathers’’ (Grafton Press N.Y. 1929) p. 72
35.^ David Lindsay, PhD., Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) p. 53
36.^ a b David Lindsay, PhD., Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) pp.27,28,54,55
37.^ Nathaniel Philbrick Mayflower: A story of Courage, Community and War (Viking 2006) pp. 21. 26, 42, 135
38.^ Robert E. Cushman and Franklin P. Cole. Robert Cushman of Kent (1577-1625): Chief Agent of the Plymouth Pilgrims (1617-1625) (2nd Ed. Edited by Judith Swan Pub by General Society of Mayflower Descendants 2005) p. 87
39.^ Anthony R. Wagner. The Origin of the Mayflower Children: Jasper, Richard and Ellen More, The New England Historical and Genealogical Register (July 1960) vol. 114 p. 164-167
40.^ Lindsay 2002, p. 28.
41.^ Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York, 2002) p 53
42.^ Donald F. Harris, PhD. The Mayflower Descendant (July 1993) vol. 43 no. 2 p.124
43.^ Morison & Commager, The Growth of the American Republic ( 4th Ed., New York, 1950), vol. 1, p.40
44.^ a b William Bradford. History of Plymouth Plantation by William Bradford, the second Governor of Plymouth (Boston. 1856) Not in copyright pp. 447, 451
45.^ David Lindsay, PhD., Mayflower Bastard: A Stranger amongst the Pilgrims (St. Martins Press, New York,2002) pp 102-104 and pp. 25-27,102-104,150-152
46.^ Eugene Aubrey Stratton. Plymouth Colony: Its History and People, 1620-1691, (Ancestry Publishing, Salt Lake City, UT, 1986) p. 413