Ralph Wormeley, Esq.

He was known as Capt. Ralph Wormelely of Rosegill, Middlesex and was born about 1620 in Yorkshire, England and died 16 SEP 1651 in York Co., VA. He was probably the son of Christopher Wormeley and Mary Adams.

Burgess and Councillor in the colony of Virginia.

Married

1. a first wife?
2. Agatha ELTONHEAD was born bef 10 Feb 1622/23 in Prescot, Lancashire, England, was christened 10 FEB 1623 in St. Mary's, Prescot, Lancashire, England. She was the daughter of Richard II ELTONHEAD and Anne SUTTON.

Notes or Agatha:

• Northampton co. va; marriage contract of "Ralph Wormeley of the Parish and County of York in Virginia, gentleman and Mrs. Agatha Stubbins, the widow of Luke Stubbins of the County of Northampton, gentleman, dec'd." Dated 2d July 1645, Pr. 13 July 1645.
• Survived Ralph and married Henry Chichley as 3rd husband

From http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=thamm&id=...

Children of Agatha ELTONHEAD and Ralph WORMELEY are:

1. Ralph WORMELEY was born 1650 in York Co., VA, and died bef 7 Apr 1701/02 in Rosegill, MIddlesex Co., VA. He married Catherine LUNSFORD 4 Mar 1678/79 in Christ Church, MIddlesex Co., VA, daughter of Thomas LUNSFORD and Elizabeth WORMELEY. She was born ABT 1650 in Richneck, James City Co., VA, and died 17 MAY 1685 in Middlesex Co., VA. He married Elizabeth ARMISTEAD 16 Feb 1686/87 in Gloucester Co., VA, daughter of John ARMISTEAD and Judith. She was born 16 Feb 1666/67 in Gloucester Co., VA, and died 16 NOV 1716 in Rosegill, MIddlesex Co., VA.
2. Christopher WORMELEY was born ABT 1655, and died 1701 in Middlesex Co., VA. He married Frances ARMISTEAD BEF NOV 1666, daughter of William ARMISTEAD and Anne ELLIS. She was born ABT 1642, and died 25 MAY 1685. He married Elizabeth TRAVERS AFT 1690, daughter of Rawleigh TRAVERS and Elizabeth. She was born ABT 1655 in Lancaster Co., VA, and died bef 5 Mar 1693/94 in Middlesex Co., VA. He married Margaret AFT 1693. She was born ABT 1655.
3. Aylmer WORMELEY was born ABT 1657.

From http://www.wormleyfamilyhistory.com

It is unclear who Ralph Wormeley was. Several old sources said he was Christopher and Henrys brother, but this looks unlikely. Much more probably he was Christophers son (perhaps by an earlier marriage in York?). It is also possible, however, that just maybe he was their cousin from Hurworth-Upon-Tees.
Dugdale did show him in his Eltonhead of Lancashire family tree, as the son of an earlier Ralph Wormeley of Yorkshire, but this could well have been a mistake by the head of the Eltonhead household who supplied the information. There is no other known evidence for any Ralph Wormeleys living in Britain in that time.
The main case for Ralph being Christophers brother is a reference to him as Uncle Ralph Wormeley in Richard Kemp will. We dont see any way that it would be possible for Ralph to have been Kemps uncle, but he could have been an uncle of Kemps wife, Elizabeth Wormeley. More probably, however, this may have been a misunderstanding, and Ralph was Kemps daughters uncle rather than wife's uncle also named Elizabeth. In that case, Ralph would be Captain Christophers son.
This seems the most likely answer.

• http://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I02476...

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Lived Dedham Co., Essex?

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Founder of "Rosegill" Middlesex Co., Virginia

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(Research): One source lists the children of Capt Ralph and Agatha as: Ralph and William (who died young)

«i»Virginia Genealogies by Hayden«/i» Pg 230: Gives Capt Ralph's dates as: born c1620; d. c1665. (Do not know the source for this.)

ARMS Gules, on a chief indented argent, three lions rampant sable. Book Wormeley-Ex Libris Ex Libris Vol I July 1896 to April 1897 Washington Ex Libris Society American Bookplate Society 1897 Wash. D C (books. google.com) Y Y Pg 86 3

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Wormeley Family-Va. Historical Magazine Virginia Historical Magazine Vol. 35 Pg 456 Vol. 36 Pp 98-101 Y Y

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CAPT. RALPHE WORMELEY From «i»The Wormeley Family«/i»: Capt. Ralph Wormeley, of York country and afterwards of *'Rosegill' -(which he established) in what is now Miiddlesex county came to Virginia about 1636 and settled in York county, in which his name appears as a justice in 1636 and 1647. In 1649 he was living near the present Yorktown on Wormeley's Creek, and Colonel Henry Norwood, a Cavalier officer, visited him there. In his account of his voyage to Virginia Colonel Norwood says: It fell out at the time that Capt. Ralph Wormeley (of His Majesty's Council) had guests in his house feasting and carousing, that were lately come from England, and most of them my intimate acquaintance. Using the common freedom of the country, I thrust myself amongst Capt. Wormeley's guests, and had a kind reception from them all, which answered ( if not exceeded my expectations). Sir Thomas Lunsford, Sir Philip Honywood, Sir Henry Chicheley, and Col. Hammond were he persons I met there, and enjoyed that night with very good cheer." Many Yorkshire friends came to Virginia at this time, among them the ancestors of the Washingtons & Fairfaxes. On 2, Oct. 1649 Ralph Wormeley received 3,000 acres formerly granted to Capt. Christopher Wormeley. (See notes for Capt. Christopher Wormeley d. 1649.) Capt. Wormeley was a member of the House of Burgesses for York county at the session of October 1649, and in 1650, was by the King, then in exile at Breda, appointed a member of the Virginia Council. He died before Sept 16, 1651 (?) He married Agatha, daughter of Richard Eltonhead, of Eltonhead, Lancashire, England, and widow of Luke Stubbins, of Accomac country, Va. She married, as her third husband, Sir Henry Chicheley, later Governor of Virginia. There is on record in Lancaster county a deed of settlement, between Sir Henry Chichley and his wife, Agatha, and her two sons, Ralph and William, dated Nov. 20, 1652, which made Captain William Brocas, Mr. William Eltonhead and Mr. Towland Burnham, feofees in trust for the execution of the settlement. In Sept., 1654, William Wormeley having died, Chichley and wife renew this deed for the benefit of Ralph Wormeley alone. In Lancaster, on May 7, 1653 "Lady Agatha Chichley" made a deed of gift for a cow, "in consideration of the love and affection I bear unto my niece, Eltonhead Conway, ye daughter of Edwin Conway" and if the said Eltonhead dies "I give the cow to my sister Martha the wife of Edwin Conway". There is on record in Middlesex county an indenture between sir Henry Chichley. of Rosegill, Middlesex county, Virginia, Knight, and Ralph Wormeley, of the same place, esquire, son and heir of Ralph Wormeley, Esq., late deceased, was possessed of a considerable estate in houses, land, plate, jewels, goods household stuff, horses, mares, tobacco, negroes, English servants and other estate in the counties of York and Lancaster (now Middlesex), and said Ralph Wormeley, deceased, left his estate to his wife, who afrerwards married Sir Henry but before the marriage she settled the estate upon her son, Ralph Wormeley, the younger, who at the time of the marriage was under age of twenty-one, said Chichley, in payment of the profits of the estate which he has received, conveyed to said Ralph Wormeley, the younger, 700 acres in Middlesex and certain goods (per schedule), provided the said Chichley did not pay the said Wormeley £1300 sterling before December 1678. The schedule annexed enumerates certain furniture, etc., 1 dozen; silver spoons, 1 silver tankard, 1 silver plate, 1 silver mustard pot, 1 silver sugar box, 1 silver pepper box, 1 silver drinking cup, 6 silver salts, 4 English servants, 13 negroes, 24 horses ("branded with the escutcheon of Sir Henry Chichley's arms"), 60 head of cattle and 56 sheep. In Middlesex, Nov 5, 1682-3, administration on the estate of Sir Henry Chichley, deceased, was granted to Dame Agatha, his widow.

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From «i»Ex Libris«/i»: 'In 1650 certain loyal gentlemen, among them Col. Norwood sailed from England to seek their fortunes in Virginia...Their ship was driven out of her course. & made land on an unsettled part of Virginia...Col. Norwood & some others made their way to shore in what they supposed to be a barbarous coast inhabited only by Indians. They seem to have wandered for some weeks & to have separated from each other. Then, Col. Norwood reached the York River where a sloop carried him across to the residence of a gentleman who received him courteously & being on the point of leaving for the house of Capt. Ralph Wormeley, where merry-making was taking place, he proposed to Col. Norwood to go with him. The Colonel found his host "feasting & carousing with some loyal gentlemen just arrived from England & his was welcomed with cordiality beyond his expectation." Sir Thomas Lunsford, Sir Philip Honeywood, Sir Henry Chichley & Col. Hammond were there-& after a night spent in their jovial company, Capt. Wormeley gave Col. Norwood a horse & sent him on to Sir William Berkeley. (who was governor of the colony. Ralph Wormeley or his son subsequently changed the family residence to the banks of the Rappahannock, where they built a 'lordly house' called Rosegill. (See notes for Hon. Ralph Wormeley of 'Rosegill'.)
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«i»Descendants of Richard Eltonhed «/i»by Harrison states that "Ralph Wormeley inherited 4,545 acres in Va. from his brother Christopher & was a member of the Council (1666)." (However, his death date is given as 1665.)

NOTE: Making sense of the Christopher Wormeleys is a puzzle. The site «i»ourwormleyfamily.com«/i» says that Christopher Wormeley came to America in 1636 & that his land was inherited by his brother, or more likely his son or cousin Ralph Wormeley. I am presuming he was Ralph's brother but this is unclear. (See notes Raph Wormeley's father Capt. Christopher Wormeley & his brother named Christopher.)

• See notes about 'Rosegill' with Ralph II, III, John Wormeley & Ralph IV & V.

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Book Wormeley Family-Genealogy of Va. Familiies Genealogies of Virginia Families V 1981 Genealogical Publishing Co. 1981 Y Y