David Wickliffe, of St. Mary's

David WICKLIFFE (Thomas WICKLIFFE3, Francis WICKLIFFE2, William WICKLIFFE1) was born 1614 in Yorkshire, England, and died between December 1642 and June 1643, of St. Mary's Colony, MD.

"In Maryland history books David Wycliffe is still remembered as the religious freedom fighter who led the Protestant delegation against Dr. Thomas Gerard 1642 who had taken the keys to the Protestant chapel in Catholic Maryland. David won the case and Dr. Gerard was fined so many pounds of tobacco for his actions. David called his land "Wycliffe Manor". You can find his ancestors in the history of the Royals of England, the Plantagenets."

family

His parents were Thomas (some have Anthony) Wicliffe and Mary Yonge.

He married Jane. His widow married Henry Brooke shipwright 2nd.

Was there 1 wife or 2?

"Very shortly after his arrival in Maryland, David married Jane Rokeby in St. Mary's City. They had two sons, David and Robert. David, ihe first son, probably born around 1637, was regarded as the first Protestant to be born in the State of Maryland. Some years later, this same lad became known as a "...noted Indian scout and interpreter."" [the Rokeby name may be a mixup with an ancestress]

Also seen

"David is the first of the American Line of the Wickliffe Branch. He married his spouse in England. David came to America in 1635 with the expedition of Robert Evelyn (who married David's aunt Susan Yonge) and settled on a grant of 50 acres of land (which he named "Wickliffe") on Prince George's Hundred, St. Marys County, Maryland. He served as a member of the Maryland Assemble during the period from 1636 to 1643. "

However

note: 1636 David WICKLIFFE'S 9 Oct 1640 demand for 50 acres of land stated he transported himself into the province in 1636 (see record below). There was no mention of a wife or children in this record.

Children of David WICKLIFFE are:

1. David WICKLIFFE was born 1636 in St. Georges Hundred, St. Mary's Colony, MD, and died BEF 30 NOV 1694 in Westmoreland Co., VA.
2. Robert WICKLIFFE was born 1638 in St. Mary's Co., MD.
3. Alice WICKLIFFE was born ABT 1640.

family notes

From https://www.ancestry.co.uk/boards/thread.aspx?m=1&p=surnames.wickli...

David's female British ancestors were descendents of 5 families of the Magna Charta 1215, royalty, or landed gentry (The 25 families of the Magna Charta Surety intermarried for 4 centuries). This is info I've gleaned from accounts of the baronetcies. Haven't seen the original records so it's not gospel. Anne Rokeby who married (son of Roger) John de Wycklif was daughter of Sir Thomas de Rokeby and Filia Constable. Filia's parents were Agnes Wentworth and Robert Constable. Agnes parents were Sir Robert Wenworth and Margery de Spencer. Margery's parents were Sir Philip de Spencer the Younger and Elizabeth de Tibetot. Elizabeth's parents were Robert de Tibetot and Maragret Deincourt. His parents were John de Tibetot and Margaret Badlesmere (Badlesmere were direct descendents of Charlemagne). John's parents were Agnes (Anne) de Ros and Payne de Tibetot. Agnes' parents were William de Ros (first Baron Ros of Helmsley) and Maud Vaux. William's parents were Sir Robert de Ros and Isabel d'Aubigny. Robert's parents were Sir William de Ros and Lucy Fitzpiers. William's parents were Robert de Ros and Isabel of Scotland. Isabel's parents were Scotland's King Willam and his mistress Sybil (daughter of Richard de Avenal).

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From http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bodine/n35487.html

The National Society of Magna Charter Dames are reported to have recorded and accepted the ancestry of David Wickliffe as in the foregoing list and to Robert Fitzwalter, a surety for Magna Charter, as follows: David Wyckliffe, son of Anthony, son of Francis, Esq., Lord of Wyckliffe and Ulvington, and wife, Jane Rokeby, dau. of Thomas of Mortham.

from M Hershberger at a database (sturmans) on WorldConnect at Rootsweb.com:

By one account there had been an association between the Wickliffe and Evelyn families for at least two generations. David's father, living in Yorkshire, England, married Mary Yonge, whose sister, Susannah, is said to have married Robert Evelyn, Sr., the latter being the father of Robert Evelyn, Jr. and George Evelyn.

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biography

From http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.com/~bodine/n35487.html

BIRTH: Kincheloe, McPherson & Related Families, by L. McPherson: 1650-1950; p 54; San Jose Fam Hist Center, San Jose, CA; NOTE: National Society of Magna Charter Dames have accepted Thomas as the father of David based on the fact that Robert Evelyn married into the Young family and the association of David Wickliffe with the Evelyns indicated relationship; other students have placed him as son of Anthony.

CONFLICT: Could be son of Thomas or Anthony; neither name continues in the family.

EMIGRATION: to Maryland in Evelyn Expedition, 1635 (Some Internet sites list the ship as the Plain Joane, but the passenger list of that voyage doesn't list him.)

http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/c/a/b/Kathern-C-Cabbage/... says his wife was Jane Rokeby. Lesly Klippel think this is an error as that is the name of his grandmother.

OCCUPATION: Indian trader; Representative of St. Geroges Hundred in Maryland Assembly 1637-1642.

DEATH: Last mentioned in Maryland records as a member of a jury, 1 Dec 1642 and Jane is recorded as his widow 2 Jun 1643.

BIOGRAPHY: David Wickliffe was probably born in Yorkshire, probably the son of Thomas Wycliff and Mary Yonge. He first appears in the records of the Colonies in a warrant for his arrest issued by the Governor of Virginia on May 11, 1636, apparently for engaging in commerce with the Indians without a commission from the Governor of Virginia. David was mentioned as having gone out in a boat, apparently as its skipper, having others with him. The warrant also names Captain Henry Fleet and it appears that Captain Fleet and David Wickliffe were agents for Cloberly and Company using the Isle of Kent as a trading post. The Governor of Virginia tried to monopolize the Indian trade and thus it was a crime to trade or barter without a commission. This authority was frequently challenged and there was constant conflict with ship owners and traders engaging in commerce on the Chesapeake Bay.

The warrant for his arrest was probably the reason David Wickliffe settled down in St. Georges Hundred, Maryland on a plantation. He was a member of the first Maryland Assembly which met at St. Marys in June 1636. He was a member of most of the Assemblies up till the year of his death, and in 1642, he was summoned to be a member of the Governor's council. He was an active and influential member, introducing a bill in Feb. 1642 which restored the church property to the Prostestant Catholics and punished those who had closed the church and carried away the books and records.

In October 1640, David Wickliffe petitioned the Governor of Maryland for 50 acres of land for having transported himself into the colony in 1636. The petition was granted and he received 50 acres on the west side of Wickliffe Creek. In 1638, George Evelyn had received land for bringing David to Maryland.

David Wickliffe died between December 1642 and June 1643 and his widow, Jane, married Henry Brooks before 1650 when as Jane Brooks, she petitioned the Governor for 200 acres which she claimed Captain Cornwallis promised her former husband, David Wickliffe. The records are silent on the result of that petition. Lands in St. Marys may have been sold when the family moved to Virginia in 1650. The land records of that county need to be searched.

notes

Sep 1642 1642. David WHITCLIFF last appearance in the Proceedings of the General Proceedings(MD SA) or court records. He appears to have deceased by June 1643 (see following)
Jun 1643 Then the complaint of widdow Whitcliff agst mr Secret. Thomas hebden for killing of swine vnlawfully, the said Tho. hebden was charged wth killing 2. swine anon after Easter last wch he sold to mr Weston who said that he did kill 2. such hoggs a month agoe, & produced Robt Kedger who testified that it was above a month agoe, & the said Tho hebden being demanded the eares, said they were at home: whervpon the Judge found that the said tho. hebden had forfeited his recognisance for not bringing their eares to the Govr or Secretary within a month after the killing; & adiudged him to pay to the Lord Propr 1000 l tob. Thomas hebden acknowledgeth himselfe to owe to the Lord Proprietarie 1000 l tob in case he shall kill any swine other then marked swine of his owne or of the owners licence in any his Lops forrests, and shall not shew both the eares together wth the skin betwixt of all swine killed by him by vertue of his license, within 1. month after the killing, vnto some one of his neighbours having swine on that side, viz either mr weston, or widd. whitcliff, or nicolas Cossin. Tho: hebden.
(MD SA, CTB, v4:207)

NOTES: The above June 1643 and March 1643[4]records suggests that David WHITCLIFF aka WICKLIFFE had deceased. The last reference to him in the Court records was Sep 1642.

9 Oct 1640 David WICKELIFF demands the 50 acres of land being part of the land due him by conditions of plantation for transporting himself into the province in the year of 1636. 13 Nov 1640…laid out for David WICKLIFF a parcel of land bounding on the North with the land of George PYE on the south with land of Hutton CORBOTT …patent granted 14 Nov 1640. MD and states land in manor of St. George's. (MDPC&W HoR, v1:103, FHC Film #0013063)

NOTES: This record might suggest that David immigrated by himself since he is only demanding 50 acres. For some reason he was entitled to a total of 200 acres (or an additional 200 acres) that he assigned to one William LEWIS (see July 1650 record)

Was a noted interpreter and Indian Scout who came to Maryland on the ship "Plain Joan", part of the Evelyn expedition. His wife made a bargain with Capt. Cornwallis to acquire 200 acres of land. The 1st record found of David was an arrest warrant from the governor of Va. for trading with the indians without a commission.He settled in St. George, Md. and became an assembyman from 1637-1642. In 1640 he received a grant of 50 acres for transporting himself. He married Jane Evers about 1635 in England. David's genealogy traces back to John of Gaunt.

From "Sutherland, Lee, Poteet, Curtis, Dunlap" by Laura Audrey...."David Wicliffe and wife came to America on the Evelin Expedition, with Robert Evelin, in 1635, on board the "Plain Joan"...(they) lived in St Georges Hundred, MD."

Member of the Maryland General Assembly, 1636-1643

The incident occurred on March 23, 1641 as recorded in texts of Maryland history. The court record you can find in Archive of Maryland XLV page 295. Incident has also been reported in Maryland Historical Magazine. I also found the court record copied in the biography of Dr. Thomas Gerard(my mistake called him Gil in original message) in the quaint medieval English. Dr. Thomas Gerard was a burgess of the assembly from St. Clement Hundred appointed by Cecilius, second Lord Baltimore. The biographer goes on and on about how Dr. Gerard's accomplishments were ignored by this one incident where he had to turn over the keys and books of the Protestant chapel to the Protestant delegation led by David Wickliffe of St. George's Hundred. And the chapel was not even in St. George's Hundred, ha! Dr. Gerard also had to pay a fine of 500 pounds of tobacco, biographer decried it as severe penalty. It wasn't until the Protestant Rebellion of 1699 that Maryland became "free".

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He is the first of the American Line of the Wickliffe Branch. He married his spouse in England. After David died she remarried to Henry Brooks, who moved he and children(including David II) to Westmoreland Country Virginia in 1650 to escape religious persecution. David I came to American in 1635 with the expedition of Robert Evelyn (who married to David's aunt, Susan Yonge) and settled on a grant of 50 acres of land (which he named "Wickliffe") on Prince George's Hundred, St. Mary's County, Maryland. He served as a member of the Maryland Assemble during the period from 1636 to 1643. David changed the spelling of the surname. (information provided by Butch...it ties Sarah Kincheloe to Charlemagne, Henry I, Magna Carta Sureties and Various, assorted and sundry other characters of the middle ages)

• http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=thamm&id=...
• https://www.ancestry.co.uk/boards/thread.aspx?m=1&p=surnames.wickli...
• http://www.combs-families.org/combs/records/md/stmarys/1633.htm