Birth: 1652 Lenham Kent, England Death: Nov. 9, 1699 Westover (Charles City County) Charles City County Virginia, USA

Maria Horsmanden, daughter of Warren S. Hormsanden and Susanna Beeching;Her father was a Cavalier who fled to Virginia with his wife and children when CROMWELL was in power. MARIA HORSMANDEN married firstly SAMUEL FILMER of East Sutton, Kent, England, third son of SIR ROBERT FILMER, who made his will on July 17th, 1667 and died in 1670 leaving MARIA as a young widow in Virginia where they had lived for a time. Samuel bequeathed mourning rings to his "friends and cousins" to include Mrs. Frances Stephens, the wife of Samuel Stephens in Virginia (afterwards Lady Berkeley); to Warham Horsmanden and Susan his wife, etc; and he gave to "my friend and cousin Mrs. Mary Horsmanden, eldest daughter of the aforesaid Warham and Susan Horsmanden of Ham, in the parish of Lenham, County Kent (between whom and myself is an agreement of marriage", the whole of his real and personal estate, provided they had no children, who otherwise were to share in the estate. Samuel Filmer and Maria Horsmanden had no children. In 1670 when the will was proved, his eighteen-year old widow, Maria, was living in Virginia though her parents were in England. It is possible that they came to Virginia after their marriage. Maria remarried when she was about nineteen or twenty years old to William Byrd, I of Henrico, Virginia and later "Westover" in Charles City County. It is not known if she brought property into the marriage. Willilam Byrd refers to property which should have come to her under the will of Sir Edward Filmer, bachelor uncle of Samuel Filmer, and mentions a suit. His will (P.C.C.) was dated 17 July 1670. MARIA HORSMANDEN FILMER married secondly WILLIAM BYRD, I, who lived at the Falls in Charles City County, Virginia, and was later of Westover, Virginia, born in London, 1652. Together they had five children, the most famous being their son, WILLIAM BYRD, II, the Black Swan of Virginia. MARIA died 9 November 1699 and was buried at Westover, Charles City County, Virginia. The epitaph of Maria Horsmanden Byrd at "Westover" reads as follows: "Here Lyeth the Body of Mary Byrd Late wife of William Byrd Esq. and Daughter of Warham Horsmanden Esq Who Dyed the 9th Day of November 1699 in the 47th Year of Her age" Mary is in the "old" Westover Parish Cemetery on the grounds of Westover Plantation 1/4 mile from the mansion. About 1730 the construction of the present Westover Church was completed at its present site on Herring Creek about 1 1/2 mile north of Westover mansion.

Family links:

Spouse:
 William Evelyn Byrd (1652 - 1704)*

Children:
 William Byrd (1674 - 1744)*
 Susan Byrd Brayne (1676 - 1710)*
 Ursula Byrd (1681 - 1698)*
 Mary Molly Byrd Duke (1682 - 1725)*
 Maurice Warham Byrd (1685 - 1689)*

• Calculated relationship

Inscription: Here Lyeth the Body of Mary Byrd Late wife of William Byrd Esq. and Daughter of Warham Horsmanden Esq Who Dyed the 9th Day of November 1699 in the 47th Year of Her age

Burial: Westover Plantation Charles City Charles City County Virginia, USA

Created by: J Tompkins Record added: Aug 30, 2009 Find A Grave Memorial# 41325903 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=41325903