Rice Families of Devon

This is a project to explore the possibility that Massachusetts immigrant John Rice, of Dedham was a member of one of the Rice families of Devon.

Rice Families of Devon

This is a speculative reconstruction of various Rice families in and around Barnstaple.

Rice Family at Barnstaple

1. --- Rice
   1. William Rice b c1555 presumed brother of John, md 1580 Barnstaple Johane Heckett who d 1595 Barnstaple
      1. Grace Rice b 1590 Barnstaple
      2. Agnes Rice b 1591 Barnstaple, md 1613 Withycombe Raleigh Christopher Phillips
   2. John Rice b c1571 presumed brother of William, md 1595 Barnstaple Agnes Gille compare Joane Gyles, below

Rice Family at Bideford

TBA

Rice Family at Braunton

1. John Rice, md Joan
   1. Richard Rice, b1583 Braunton
   2. Elizabeth Rice, b 1584 Braunton
   3. Eme Rice, b 1588 Braunton
2. Jenkin Rice, md Susan
   1. James Rice, b 1597 Braunton
   2. Edward Rice, b 1598 Braunton
   3. William Rise, b 1599 Braunton
   4. Margaret Rice, b 1600 Braunton
   5. Jane Rice, b 1603 Braunton
   6. Christopher Rice, b 1606 Braunton
   7. William Rice, b 1611 Braunton
   8. John Rice, b 1614 Braunton
3. Joane Rise
   1. Thomasine Rise, born 1608 Braunton

Rice Family at Coldridge

1. John Rice
   1. Jane Rise, b 1606 Coldridge
   2. Thomas Rise, b 1609 Coldridge, d 1610 Coldridge
   3. Thomas Rise, b 1611 Coldridge

Rice Family at Cornwood

Cornwood is 36.9 miles southwest of Exeter.

1. Rev. John Rice, Vicar of Cornwood (Devon), d. 1623.
   1. Dorcas Rice, granted administration of her father's will.
   2. John Rice, lived at Plymouth (Devon), d. 1655.
   3. Rev. Edward Rice, b c1608.

Rice Family at Fremington

Fremington is 3.1 miles west of Barnstaple. Northam is 9.6 miles southwest of Barnstaple, 6.6 miles southwest of Fremington, and 2.3 miles north of Bideford.

1. --- Rice
   1. John Rice presumed brother of Richard, md 1622 Fremington Joan Saunders (perhaps daughter of Ambrose Saunders, of Exeter)
      1. Ambrose Rice b 1623 Fremington, md 1648 Fremington unknown wife
         1. Ambrose Rice b 1649 Fremington
         2. John Rice b 1656 Fremington
      2. John Rice b 1624 Northam (perhaps identical with John Rice, of Dedham)
   2. Richard Rice presumed brother of John, md 1630 Fremington Agnes Walter
      1. Richard Rice b 1631 Fremington
      2. Mary Rice b 1633 Fremington
      3. John Rice b 1636, d 1636 Fremington
      4. John Rice b 1642 Fremington (perhaps the John who md 1666 Fremington Joane Gyles) compare Agnes Gille, above
   3. ? Agnes Rice b 1591 Barnstaple, md 1613 Withycombe Raleigh Christopher Phillips
      1. Hannah Phillips 1616, md 1638 Dedham (Massachusetts) Joseph Morse

Rice Family of Honiton-on-Otter

1. John Rice
   1. James Rice, b 1621 Honiton-on-Otter, d 1621 Honiton-on-Otter
   2. John Rice, 1622 Honiton-on-Otter

Rice Family at Northam

1. --- Rice
   1. Margaret Rice, md 1645 Northam Anthony Rendle

Unplaced Rices

• John Rice, b c1470 son of Yan Ryse and Joan Milton; md Agnes Cracherode, who d 1554 at Bures St. Mary (Suffolk). The surname Cracherode is connected to the family of Rev. Edward Snap.
• John Rice, md Agnes (d 1610 Whiteparish, Wiltshire), widow of Richard Rolfe (will 1598).
• John Rise, md 1606 Coldridge (Devon), md Catherine (or Katherine) Berring, whose will was probated 1634.

Rice Wills

• John Rice, Exeter, administration 1616
• John Rice, vicar of Cornwood, administration 1623
• Agnes Rice, widow, Exeter, will and inventory, orphan's court 16 April 1624
• Katherine Rice, Colerudge, administration 1634
• Nicholas Rice, St. Mary Major Exeter, administration 1639

Morse Family at Dedham

The Morse family was from Essex & Suffolk, settled at Dedham, then connected with the Rice family by the 1638 marriage of Joseph Morse to Hannah Phillips, and the 1665 marriage of Bethiah Morse to John Perry.

1. Samuel Morse b 1576 Boxted (Essex). Samuel Morse (50), wife Elizabeth (48), son Joseph (20), and granddaughter Elizabeth Daniel (2) came on the Increase in 1635. 3rd signer of the Dedham Covenant (1636).
   1. John Morse b c1608. 34th signer of the Dedham Covenant (1637).
   2. Joseph Morse, of Dedham, b 1613 Redgrave (Suffolk), md 1638 Watertown Hannah Phillips. 28th signer of the Dedham Covenant.
   3. Daniel Morse b 1616 Redgrave (Suffolk), md c1642 Dedham (Massachusetts) Lydia Fisher. 28th signer of the Dedham Covenant.
      1. Joseph Morse.
      2. Bethiah Morse b 1648 Dedham (Massachusetts), md 1665 Dedham John Perry.

Phillips Family in Devon

1. Rev. John Phillips b 1549 Northam
   1. Christopher Phillips, md (1) Agnes Abrams, md (2) 1613 Withycombe Raleigh Agnes Rice
      1. Thomas Philllips, b 1587. Was scheduled to travel on the Mayflower but remained in England the rest of his life.
      2. William Phillips, b 1588, immigrant to Taunton.
         1. James Phillips , b 1621 Taunton (Somerset), md 1650 Crediton (Devon) Alice Hawkins.
      3. probably not Rev. George Phillips, first minister Watertown.
      4. John Phillips, b 1602, d 1682. Came with the Winthrop Fleet 1630. Settled at Plymouth.
         1. Henry Phillip,s b 1630, d 1701. Settled at Dedham.
      5. Hannah Phillips, b 1616, md 1638 Dedham (Massachusetts) Joseph Morse

Perry Family at Fremington

The Perry family was from Fremington, but the the earliest known connection to the Rice family is 1665 marriage of John Perry to Bethiah Morse, who was a niece by marriage to Hannah Phillips..

1. John Perry, perhaps the John Perry, of Fremington, whose will was administered 1634
   1. Edmund Perry b 1587 Bideford, d 1659 Sandwich (Massachusetts), md 1614 Bridford Sarah Crowell, b c1592 Bridford. Edmund Perry and wife Sarah probably came on the Lion in 1632. He settled at Sandwich.
      1. ? Isaac Perry, b c1610 perhaps Sawbridgeworth (Herts). Came with the Winthrop Fleet 1630. Settled at Boston.
      2. John Perry b 1614 Fremington, d 1642. John probably came on the Lion"" in 1632. Settled at Roxbury (Massachusetts). Freeman 1633.
         1. John Perry b 1639 Roxbury, md 1665 Dedham (Massachusetts) Bethiah Morse.

Other Devonshire Families in Colonial Massachusetts

• Richard Allen, father of Connecticut immigrant Mathew Allyn, left 20s. to John Rice of Barnstaple in his 1649 will (proved 1652).
• Eglin Hanford (46), of Fremington, came on the Planter in 1635 with daughters Margaret Hanford (16) and Elizabeth Hanford (14). She settled at Scituate. She was born Eglin Hatherly 1585 Winkleigh, and married 1611 Fremington Jeffrey Hanford. He was buried 1626 Alverdiscott.
• Nicholas Lobdell b c1605, of Northam, d 1690, He came on the Mary & Jane 1635. Settled in Hingham (Massachusetts).

Signers of the Dedham Covenant

Dedham was settled in the summer of 1636 by families traveling up the Charles River from Roxbury and Watertown.

• Sameul Morse #3
• Henry Phillips #12
• Nicholas Phillips #16
• Daniell Morse #28
• Joseph Morse #29
• John Morse #34
• Martin Phillips #47
• Joh: Rice #107

Background

"It is estimated that, between the years 1629 and 1640, about 80,000 Puritans fled from England because of religious persecution. About 21,000 of them came to Massachusetts Bay Colony (the others went to Ireland, the Netherlands and the West Indies). They came from all over England, but most heavily from the East England counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Huntingdonshire, Lincolnshire, and Kent. Of the total, about 60 percent were from these counties. The next largest number came from the southern counties of Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire, Devonshire, and Hampshire. Less than 10 percent came from the City of London. . . . Very few were elderly and very few were servants. Those servants who did come were usually already part of the family before leaving England--not part of a labor draft. With the Puritans, the nuclear family was very important and the extended family not as important as in other groups. . . . The average age for marriage was higher than in any other group of immigrants. For men it was age 26 and for women age 23. (This is something to consider when trying to estimate a possible birth date from age at marriage.) There was a strong imperative to marry--those who did not were ostracized. Therefore, 98 percent of men and 94 percent of women did get married." (Sue Roe, The Puritans)

Passenger lists show even young children recorded as "servants". For example, Martin Saunders (4), servant in the household of Martin Saunders (40), currier (Passengers of the 'Planter', Voyage of 1635)

Resources

• Barnstaple Parish Register of Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538 A.D. to 1812 A.D.
• Calendars of Wills and Administrations Relating to the Counties of Devon and Cornwall