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Marian Beatrice Carlson DePutron 1883 Feb 7 - 1955 Nov 30 b. Alex. Va., d. Hawthorne N.Y., was the founder of an organisation in the USA  called "The Sherwood Kindred of America" . She was the daughter of Mary Elizabeth and Jacob Coleman DePutron and published this collection of  poems and ideas on the history and origins of the surname. The organisation appears to have dissolved soon after her death in 1955. The opinions expressed are not necessarily those of our Sherwood One-Name Study Group. It includes a family tree of some descendants of Thomas the Immigrant, and a transcript of his Will 1655.

“SHERWOODIANA” 

M. BEATRIX CARLSON (c. 1950)

 "S H E R W O O D     F O R E S T"          

                      "All are gone away and past;
                       And if Robin should be cast
                       Sudden from his turfed grave;
                       And if Marian should have
                       Over again her forest days,
                       She would weep and he would craze;
                       He would swear for all his oaks,
                       Fall’n beneath the dockyard strokes,
                       Have rotted on the briny seas;
                       She would weep that her wild bees
                       Sang not to her--stranger; that honey
                       Can’t be got without hard money!        

                            So it is! Yet let us sing,
                       Honour to the old bow-string!
                       Honour to the bugle-horn!
                       Honour to the woods unshorn!
                       Honour to the Lincoln Green!
                       Honour to the Archer keen!
                       Honour to tight little John!
                       And the horse he rode upon;
                       Honour to bold Robin Hood!
                       Sleeping in the underwood;
                       Honour to Maid Marian!
                       And to all the SHERWOOD CLAN!"
                           "Though their days have hurried by;
                       Let us two a burden try."

                                         By JOHN KEATS. From:  “Robin Hood to a Friend.”

          SHERWOOD FOREST, Nottinghamshire, England, derived  its name from the earliest known ancestor of the Sherwood  family in England and America, SCIRWUDU, who flourished in  958 A. D., and came from the southern part of the Elbe River, in Germany and became the Saxon ancestor. He was a  contemporary of WALTHEOF, (969 A. D.) Saxon ancestor of the Nevils of Northumberland, the families of whom intermarried.

               Variations of the name are given in "The Dictionary of  English, Scotch and Welsh Surnames," (Bardsley)."The Standard Dictionary via Lexicographer," gives the following definition of the name of the first ancestor, SCIRWUDU: "Scir," signified "Fair," or "bright-colored;" rather than "Shire," and the "Wudu," may have borne some fanciful relation to Woden, the Saxon god of wisdom and heroes and the father of the Valkyries.       

                        “ T H E   C R U S A D E R ' S    R 0 S E”        

         MOTTOES:   "NON TIMEO SED CAVEO," (Not fearful, but cautious.)
                    "ARMA SPINA ROSA," (The thorn, defender of the rose.)
                    "FORTITER ET FIDELITOR," (Constant and true.)

                   "Robin Hood’s jolly forest-folk,
                    In action brave, sturdy as oak;
                    A fraternal, circling bevy of stars,
                    Foiled the blood-thirsty sons of Mars;
                    Their masterful art of yeomanry
                    Stemmed the tides of King John’s tyranny;
                    Their torch-light blazed the unknown way,
                    For Sherwoods of the present day.        

                    On! On! they came, a mighty host,
                    And ranged this land, from coast to coast;
                    Here they founded home, school and church,
                    Blest fruitage of a weary search.        

                    Among far-famed individuals
                    Are Bishops, Doctors, Generals;
                    Names of Statesmen, Authors glow,
                    Wherever Sherwood roses grow:
                    From lowly state to honored spheres
                    Our clan has risen through the years.
                    In Annals find your noble kin,
                    Then boast of worthy origin.        

                    Hark! the Carillon’s lingering chime
                    Resounds through white-rose aisles of time;
                    Joy-bells welcome the Sherwood band
                    From England’s shores to Freedom’s Land."        

         Dedicated to "Sherwood Kindred of America," 30 April 1949,

By:  JULIA EDNA SHERWOOD PARKER Poet Laureate, "Sherwood Kindred of America,"  346 Hutchinson Blvd., Mount Vernon, New York.  

   "The Crusader’s Rose," was the rose which was introduced into England, by the Crusaders, who brought it from Jerusalem  and the "Rose-au-Naturel," is therefore said to indicate an origin in a Crusading ancestor. The Sherwood rose is the only white (au-naturel) rose registered in the "Book of Crests," Fairbairn. "British Armorial," (Papworth), p. 459, gives " A chevron, Sable, between three mullets, Gules," as the Coat of Arms of Sherwood of Yorkshire, Newcastle and Somersetshire. All are to be found in "General Armory," (Burke), and in "Illustrations," (Burke)  Plate LXXXVII, edited 1844, and the above blazons are used in the third quarter of Evans, of Baymount and Robinstowe, West Meath, Ireland. Information regarding Coats d’Armour  may be obtained from the College of Arms, London, England. All early records are ecclesiastical and civic. Yeomen were not included in any English records prior to 1538. 

SHERWOODS OF  ENGLAND    

 The following text in Italic appears to be reproduced exactly from the 1928 article ‘Sherwood of England’ by Mary Sherwood Hale: 

When Scirwudu (958) Saxon ancestor of the Sherwoods, and Waltheof (969) Saxon ancestor of the Nevil Earls of Northumberland flourished, the Saxons from south of the Elbe had held intermittent rule in Northumberland since the 5th cent. They, with the Angles from north of the Elbe, had driven back the Britons, Pict and Scots, until Northumberland included the Scottish lowlands on the north, and on the south Westmoreland, Durham, Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, etc. From time to time the Danes had landed, overrun some of this territory, destroying records and property, and holding brief reign.

         The last and greatest of these, Canute (1017) built a mansion in Staindrop-on-the-Tees,  Co. Durham. In the 6th Cent., the Anglian king Ida (d.559) and his 12 sons had driven the British king Arthur from his "Seat" in Northumberland near the Firth of Forth, and in 617 the Saxon king Edwy built a stronghold castle near the Seat and named the place Edinburgh. Between 954 and 971, the Earls of Northumberland withdrew from Edinburgh, leaving it to the Scots, and in 1017 it was incorporated with Scotland. That Scirwudu had connection with the Saxon castle of Edinburgh seems indicated; the Saxon kings occupied the old Northumbrian Capitol at Bamburgh Castle,--the Joyeuse Gards of Lancelot, and there were other Fortress castles at Knaresborough, Hartlepool, Chester-le-street. Durham, Scarborough, etc.     

The Saxons, whose religion included Woden and the other gods of Valhalla early accepted Christianity, and in the day of Scirwudu and Waltheof several bishoprics existed at Lindisfarne, Durham, York, Lindissi (Lincoln), and both Sherwoods and Nevils were early established at Durham, Lincoln, and undoubtedly Lindisfarne. Waltheof's son m.         1st a dau. of Aldan, Bishop of Durham,--Saxon Bishops married-- and he m. 3d, a dau. of King Aethelred the Unready, whose dower included Raby-in-Staindrop, Teasdale valley, Co. Durham, where Nevils  and Sherwoods have continued for more than 900 years. From a later Norman wife Waltheof's descendants took the name of Nevil, and built the stronghold castle of RABY, on the site of Canute's mansion, and the 5th Baron Raby became the 1st Earl of Westmoreland.  

Scirwudu becomes Scirewood and de Shyreswood toward the end of the Crusades. Fairbairn gives a group of rose crests au naturel,--the Crusader's rose of Palestine,--in which all roses are red and all names Scotch, Logie, Ross, MacCartney, etc., except the one white rose of Saxon Sherwood. Both Sherwoods and Nevil lost land and lives through the attainder of Sir Chas. Nevil (1543-1608) Earl of Westmoreland 1570 for his activities in "The Uprisings in the North". In the list of property sequestrated by the Crown 1570, was that of his cousin Sir Jno. Nevil of Leversedge, Yorks, which included Sherwood Hall, Egrough, Yorkshire near Selby. Sir Jno. was a desc. of Alys. Sherwood. Thos. Sherwood was Wracked in the Tower, in connection with the "Uprisings" 

Abreviated list: Wm. Scirewood, Archdeacon of Durham 1249; Wm. Archdeacon of Durham 1260, one of whom endowed University Coll. Oxford.; Wm. de Shyreswood Chancellor of Lincoln 1249; Wm. Treas. of Lincoln d. 1258;  Cath. S. m. 1313 Rich. Ollyer "un des Compagnons du roi Ed. II"; Willelmus de S. 1325-6, "Calend. Inquis. Ad quod Damnum"; Marg. Willel. and Alex. Yorkshire 1379; Alys m. Sir Jno. Nevil of Leversedge cir. 1350. Raff Notts. cir. 1440; 'Wm. Bishop of Meath and Gov. of Ireland d. 1482; Jno. Bish. of Durham and lawyer for Ed. IV., it 1494; Thos. Wracked in Tower 1577; Eliz. m. Maudesley of Essex,--rec. 1509-47; Beverly S. Wills Yorksh. 1529-1640; Sir Rich. Bedfordshire 1583; (See Somerset S. elsewhere). London "Citizens of 1st Class".

Thos. 1586-1655, “A Founder of New Eng.” 1634: Wm. 1st Att'y Genl of Va. 1688, d. 1698; Hugh, Governor's Ass't Md. 1692.

 

SHERWOOD COAT OF ARMS

Argent, a chevron between three mullets sable. Crest : A dexter hand holding a branch of a rose tree argent, slipped, leaved vert. The time and circumstances of its granting, I have not found, but the name is included among the existing Armigiri at the second Visitation of the Heralds in 1563. The Harleian Society's Mss. is somewhat confusing to consult, as the several series deal with "Marriages" or "Wills", etc., but Foster's Pedigrees founded on the "Visitations may be found by the perserving. Foster's Peds. in Vol. XVI of Harl. Soc. gives the Vis. of Yorkshire, 1563, and on p. 228 gives Sir Edmond Nevil of Leversedge. The same volume, p. 246; gives a Sherwood Ped. Smith's "Old Yorkshire" Vol. IV, pp. 240-1-2, as well as Vol. Ill, p. 24, show the complete Nevil-Sherwood line. Papworth's Brit. Armorial, p. 459, gives under "three mullets between" the armsof Sherwoods of York, Newcastle, and Somerset. All are to be found in Burke's Gen'l Armory. Burke's Illustrations, Plate LXXXVII, ed.1844 illustrates the above blazon as used in the third quarter of Evans of Baymount Co. Dublin, & Robinstowe, West Meath. Information concerning Eng. Coat Armour may be obtained from the College of Arms, London. All early Eng. Rec. are Ecclesiastical, not Civic. Yeomen were not included in any records prior to 1538. The rose is said to have been introduced into England by Crusaders who brought it from Palestine, and the rose crest au naturel, is therefore said to indicate an origin in a crusading ancestor, and is called "the Crusader's rose." The Sherwood rose is the only white one registered in Fairbairn. The motto: Fortitor et Fidelitor" may be freely translated "Constant and True", as given by Fairbairn, who gives also "Arma Spina Rosa", i.e. "The thorn is the defense of the rose", and several other  mottoes are used by bearers of the rose au natural. Sherwood is quartered by Abbot of Bellasis; by Nevil of Leversedge; by Evans of Baymount Ireland; by Oliviere de Lorancourt, France; by Skeffington, Earls of Masserme, Antrim, Ireland. (Lodge’s Peerage, Vol. II, 372 Dc Magney's Nobiliare, & Burke's Gen. Armory.)

 

ENGLISH COLONIALS

Thomas Sherwood 1586-1655, "A Founder of New Eng. (N. E. H&G Reg. Vol. XIV, 323  

Wm. Sherwood 1688, first Att'y. Gen'l. of Va. 1677 (Fiske's Old  Va.

Hugh Sherwood, Governor's Ass't. Md. 1692 (C. D. A.)

       

                   

SCIRWUDU-DE SHYRESWOOD-SCIREWOO D,-SHERWOOD of England

1. When the Angles and Saxons, who came into England from both borders of the river Elbe in western Germany, retreated before the Vikings and Danes into central England, they became known as the West Saxons. Their fifth king in succession from Alfred the Gt. 901, was named Edwy, and among his Saxon subjects was Scirwudu 958 ancestor of the Sherwoods. (Standard Dict. via Lexicographer.) "Scir" signified fair, bright-colored, rather than Shire, and the “wudu” may have borne some fanciful relation to Woden, the Saxon god of wisdom and heroes, and father of the Valkyries.

2. In 1249, when the diocese of Lincoln included besides Lincolnshire; Northamtonshire, Huntington: Bucks: Hertford: William de Shyres-Wood, Chancellor of Lincoln died. (Brit.)

In 1258 Win. Shirwood Prebend of Aylesbury, was Treasurer of Lincoln (Dict. Nat. Biog.)

In 1273 Ralph de Scirewood lived in Lincolnshire. (Bardsley's Dict. Surnames).

3. Catherine Sherwood, "heiress of her House," married Richard d'Olyer of Yorkshire gr.son of deLacy, earl of Lincoln, and "un des compagnons de Roi Edw. 11 1313.” See Oliviere de Lorancourt in de Magney's "Nobiliare de France", which includes also the statement that the Sherwoods were among the "best families of England." In 1326 Isabella "the she-wolf of France" and the wife of Edw. II, who had been staying with her paramour Mortimer in France, landed with him in Suffolk and were as Catholics supported by the Archbishop of Canterbury, and the King was forced to flee into Wales. In 1327 he was deposed for weak control of the Nation, and for indulgence in gifts of manor lands to his favorites. The Calendorium Inquisitorium Edw. II to Hen. VI., records the "damnum" i.e. excommunication, possibly execution of Willelmus de Sherwood 1325-6. This Willelmus would seem to be of the family of Catherine Sherwood d'Oliviere.

Near the middle of the 14th century Alys Sherwood married Sir Jno. Nevil of Leversedge Yorkshire. For Sir Jno. Nevil of Leversedge Yorkshire 1379 see Foster's Pedigrees vol. IV, p. 228. (See also Jacob's  Peerage vol. II: Baronagium Genealogicum vol. IV.: Smith's Old Yorkshire.) Sherwood is in 4th quarter of Nevil of Leversedge Shield. In 1359 Margaretta, Alex, and Willelmus de Shyrrewood, were of Yorkshire. (Bardsley.)

4. Wm. Sherwood d. 1482 was Lord Bishop of the Palatinate of Meath, Ireland, and Dep. Gov. of Ireland for Geo. Duke of Clarence, who was the son of Rich. Plantagenet duke of York by his wife Cecilly Nevil, dau. of Ralph Nevil 1st earl of Westmoreland and 6th Baron Raby, Yorkshire. He m. Joan Beaufort dau. of Jno. of Gaunt and Katherine Swynford, and thus Cecilly was gr.dau. of Jno. of Gaunt (See  Dict. Nat. Biog. and Gilbert's Viceroys of Ireland).

Jno. Sherwood d. 1494 was Chancellor of Exeter Cath. 1460, and Lord Bishop, of the Palatinate of Durham, 1484-94. He was King's Advocate at Rome for Ed. IV. and proposed for Cardinal by Rich. III, whose death prevented consummation. He brought the first Greek Library into Eng., and wrote one of the first books printed there. He was a poet of merit. A letter of his is 917 of Paston Letters. (See Dict. Nat. Biog.: Surtees Hist. Durham.) Leland's Itinerary.

Raby Castle came into possession of the crown in 1570, due to the connection of Chas. Nevil 6th Earl of Westmoreland in the uprisings in the North. Sir Harry Vane, Col. Gov. of Mass. bought it from the Crown. He was condemned for heresy.

5. Circa 1420 a Raff. Sherwood must have lived, as his dau. Anne m. Jno. Baynbrigge of Durham, and their gr.gr.son d. 1575. In the Visitation of York 1563, under Eliz., Wm. Sherwood, Clothdealer of Newcastle-on-Tyne, gave the 3 generations required of the Armigers to establish their right to continue the use of the Arms of their ancestors.

He gave: "Raff Sherwood of Nottyngham begat John Sherwood son and heir, who m. Jone, dau. of__Sherwyn of Stelington Yorkshire, and begat the present (1563) Wm. of Newcastle, who m. Elenor, dau. of Pyter Chaytor of Croft. Wm. records also his bro. "Thos. m. Isabel, no issue." Anne, dau. of Raff Sherwood, m. Jno. Bowes of Middleton, Co. Durham, (Hutchinson's Durham), The Bowes-Lyon, is in 1921 the largest landholder in Yorkshire and their heiress m. the Duke of York, 2nd son of GEO. V. Sherwoods were still living in the Wear valley of Durham and Yorkshire in 19th C. (Gentleman's Mag.)

See Sherwood Ped. Harl. Soc. XVI, p.p. 285 and 228. See Hutch. Hist. Durham V. 3. The easily proved connection between the Durham, Yorkshire, Nottynham, Lincolnshire, Suffolk and London Sherwoods arises of course from their Saxon origin in common. I have not learned the year nor circumstances of their Grant of Arms, but that it was among the early ones is self-evident. Illustrations of it may be found in Nevil of Leversedge, and in Ped. of Evans of Baymount, Dublin, Co. Meath, Ireland. (Burke's Illustrations.)

The White Rose Crest "au natural" is known as a Crusader's Crest. Sherwood of Newcastle varied his own Line, according to custom, by a difference of color.       

6. In the time of Hen. VIII (1509-47) Elizabeth Sherwood m. Richard Maudesley of The Mere, Co. Suffolk; another branch probably of the Maudesleys of Derbyshire. Between 1558-1583 the Bramfield Church Register, near the Maudesleys of the Mere manor, records many Sherwoods among its vital statistics, of Owsden, Saxmundham, Suffolk, the name Thomas being conspicuous. Between 1529-1640, 20 Sherwood wills of "gentlemen" were probated in Yorshire, many near Beverly, a town near Selby. The Genealogist "Vol. VI. gives a Ped. of Jno. Sherwood of East Hendred, Berks which is probably that of Sherwood of Drayton, Berks, 1570-1902, compiled by Geo. Tudor Sherwood of London.       

During the Inquisitions of Eliz. into the "Uprisings in the North", Thos. Sherwood was examined upon the Wrack Nov. 17th 1577, and condemned to the "rat dungeon" under the Thames. (Strickland, Vol.III, p. 349). N.B. He was the first Catholic Martyr under the reign of  Elizabeth I to be hung, drawn and quartered at Tyburn.  

7. Robert Sherwood of Coventry, Warwickshire, fl. 1520, was an eminent Hebraist and Logician. Of the Coventry line is that of Mrs. Sherwood, author of "The Fairfield Family" etc., and the wife of Capt. Henry Sherwood. As Mary Martha Butts, she m. her cousin on her Sherwood side.       

8. There was an eminent physician of Bath, Somerset 1599 named Reuben Sherwood; in 1620 Dr. Jno. Sherwood d. in Bath, and Dr. Reuben Sherwood lived in Abbey House, Bath, and had as guest the Princess Anne; later he was known as physician to Queen Anne, 1660-1705. (See Collinson's  Somerset).       

8. Henry Sherwood 1610, Reg. Univ. Oxford. Vol. ii, pt. ii, p. 317. Wm. Sherwood 1639-1728, Naturalist. A fellow of Oxford, where he endowed a Chair of Botany in which he established Dillenius. He was a great traveller and student and came to No. America in 1712, visiting Virginia and the Carolinas, where he discovered the plant Sherardia, named for him. (Dict. Nat. Bi.) He was a son of "Thos. Sherwood, Gent." of Bushby Lincolnshire, but resided at Tower Hill London. Many Sherwoods lived in London where the citizens were divided into four classes. The Sherwood are in Class A.

James Sherwood 1666-1738, a brother of Wm. 1639-1728, botanist and cultivator of rare plants, had "the finest garden in Eng." He carried into effect his brother's Oxford endowment, and received the degree of M.D., and a Fellowship. He was a gifted musician and composed twenty-four sonatas, for violin, cello, harpischord. 

8 1/2. Sir Richard Sherwood, b. cir. 1560, of Woodall, Bedfordshire, Knight. Catherine Sherwood, his dau. m. Sir Wm. Skeffington, Earl of Masserine, an Irish nobleman of Antrim, whose title is now extinct. In 1620, Sir Wm. d. ae. 20. Catherine m. 2nd Michael Bray, one of her grooms. A dispute arose between Sir Jno. Skeffington, bro. and hr. of Wm., and Michael Bray, followed by a sword duel in which Michael killed Sir Jno., who as he fell ran Bray through.       

Bishop Wm. Sherwood, d. 1482, was Bishop of Meath; Evans who quartered Sherwood was of Meath, and the Earls of Skeffington are buried there. (See Lodge' Irish Peerage, Vol. II, p. 372), The family of Robert Sherwood, Ed of Life, and Author, 1928, is Irish. I don't know its origin.       

9. Wm. Sherwood of London came to Va. with the Cavaliers, "he was a gentleman and an aristocrat, and the first Att'y Gen'l. of Va." (Fiske's Hist. Va.) Hugh Sherwood of London settled in Talbot Co. Md.... Governor's Ass't. 1692. C.D.A. Reg.

Robert Emmet Sherwood is a direct descendant of Thomas (1) Sherwood, a Pioneer of New England, First settler of Fairfield, Connecticut; Deputy to the General Court, at Hartford, from Fairfield; Committeeman on Military Affairs and a soldier of the Pequot War, which extinguished the Pequot Tribe of Indians at the "Great Swamp Fight," at Fairfield, Connecticut, 13 July 1637; by his first wife, Alice Seabrooke, daughter of Robert Seabrooke and his wife, Alice Goodspeed, of Wingrave, County Bucks, England. 

Mrs. Marianne Beatrix de Putron Carlson, author and compiler of "Sherwoodiana" is also a direct descendant of Thomas (1) Sherwood, and his (2) wife, Mary Fitch, dau. of Thomas Fitch and Anne Reve, of Bocking, County Essex, England, whose pedigree traces back through all of the Kings and Queens of England, Scotland and Ireland. One of her ancestors, through the Fitch family was Sir Walter Giffard, who led the first assault at the Battle of Hastings. 

                                   THOMAS  (I)   SHERWOOD.

THOMAS (I) SHERWOOD the Puritan Pioneer ancestor of all the Sherwoods who originated in Massachusetts and Connecticut, was a Founder of New England, (Ref. "Pioneers of Massachusetts," - Charles Henry Pope - p. 413), one of the original seventeen settlers of  Fairfield, Connecticut; Deputy to the General Court, at Hartford, from Fairfield; Committeeman, serving on Military Affairs, and a Soldier of the Pequot War, which ended with the "Great Swamp Fight," at Fairfield, 13 July 1637, thereby exterminating the Pequot tribe.

               THOMAS (I) SHERWOOD came to America, aboard the good ship "ffraunces," Capt. John Cutting, Master, which sailed from Ipswich, County Suffolk, England, 10 April 1634, landing at "Plymouth Rock," Cape Cod Harbor, Massachusetts, during the latter part of July of the same year, after a stormy and tempestuous voyage, fraught with  much discomfort. He was accompanied by his first wife, Alice Seabrooke Sherwood, ae. 47, and his children: Anne, or Hannah, ae. 14, Rose, ae. 11; Thomas, ae 10 and Rebecca, ae 9, (Ref. "Original List of Persons of Quality," - James Camden Hotten - 1620-1700.) Thomas  Sherwood’s age, as given on the sailing list was 48 years. After a  short stay at Boston and Concord, Massachusetts, he removed to Wethersfield, Stamford and  Fairfield, Connecticut.

               THOMAS (I) SHERWOOD had two suits for slander against Henry Graye: i. e., on June 5, 1645, in the particular Court of Fairfield, Connecticut, "Jo. Haynes, Esq., Governor, & c., the jury ......... in the action of Thomas Sherwood, the elder, Plaintiff, against Henry Graye, Defendant, the jury finds for the Plaintiff. Costs of Court and damages in the amount of twenty pounds were awarded to Thomas Sherwood." In the second action of Thomas Sherwood, the elder, Plaintiff, against Henry Graye, Defendant, the jury finds for the Plaintiff; costs of court and damages in the amount of  fower pounds were assessed against the Defendant, Henry Gray. (Ref. "Colonial Records of Connecticut," 1635-1665 - p. 126.) He also had suits against Jehue (1) Burre, in all of which he was  granted damages, for slander, in the amount of forty pounds (which was no inconsiderable sum in that day.) But despite this early friction the families of Thomas (I) Sherwood and Jehue (I) Burre have maintained most amicable relations from the earliest period to the present time, with, after 315 years, the families of William Osborne Burr and. M. Wesley Sherwood, as adjoining neighbors at Fairfield.

              THOMAS (I) SHERWOOD sold land to John Holly at Stamford, Connecticut, in 1648. His Will dated 21 July 1655; probated at Fairfield 25 October 1655, sets the date of his demise at a period between the dating and probation of the Will. In his Will he mentions his (2) wife, Mary Fitch Sherwood; the children of his first wife and the Children of his second wife, (References: "History of Stamford, Connecticut," - Rev. E. Huntington, A. M., - p. 61 and "Fairfield, Connecticut, Probate Records," - Liber (I); Folio 109.)

              THOMAS (I) SHERWO0D and his (2) wife, MARY FITCH SHERWOOD were witnesses at the trial of Good Dame Knapp, for Witchcraft. Mary Fitch Sherwood walked to the gallows with Good Dame Knapp and prevented the mob from desecrating her body. They were spoken of as "some of the most respectable persons of Connecticut." (Reference: "Powers-Banks," Genealogy, - Trial of Good Dame Knapp.)

              THOMAS (I) SHERWOOD was born about 1586, in Nottinghamshire,         England, (as he is said to have told his contemporaries).  This was the seat of "Sherwood Forest," the camping ground of "Robin Hood.," - the Earl of Huntingdon and Lord of Locksley, renowned in history. He died at Fairfield, Connecticut, between 21 July 1655 and 7 September 1655, the date of the filing of his Will. He married (1) ALICE SEABROOKE SHERWOOD, daughter of Robert Seabrooke and Alice Goodspeed, daughter of Nicholas Goodspeed and. Alice _____, born at Wingrave, 12 September 1587, County Bucks, England. To this marriage eight children were born, as follows:

         * 2.     1.   ELIZABETH                                 (2), m. (1)         John Tomson,

                                                                            (2)                   Daniel Finch.

         * 3.     2.   MARGARET,                                 (2),      m.        Elias Maverick,

         * 4.     3.   SARAH,                                                      m.        Sgt. John Wheeler,        

           5.     4.   ANNE, or Hannah,                        (2),

         * 6.     5.   ROSE,                   m.  (1) Thomas Rumble,
                                                            (2) Thomas Barlow,
                                                            (3) Edward Nash, of Norwalk, Conn.,

         * 7.     6.   THOMAS,              (2),  m.  (1) Sarah Wheeler,

                                                     (2)  Anne Turney,

                                                     (3)  Elizabeth Calder Cable; widow of  John Cable.

                                                     (4)  Sarah Hide Coley, dau. of Humphrey Hide and. widow of Peter Coley,

         *  8.    7.   REBECCA,                                  (2), m. Angell Husted, of Greenwich, Conn.

            9.    8.   JANE,    (2). m. Thomas Merritt, of Rye, Westchester County, New York.

        

ALICE SEABROOKE SHERWOOD died. at the birth of her daughter, Jane in 1639, at Fairfield., Conn.

THOMAS (I) SHERWOOD married (2) MARY FITCH SHERWOOD, daughter of Thomas Fitch and Anne Reve, born about 1619 at Bocking, County Essex, England. Of this marriage the following children were born:

         * 10.    9.   STEPHEN,                                  (2),       m.   (1) Rebecca, dau. of Benjamin Turney,         sister of Anne and.

                                                                        Sarah Turney, m.                                                                                                          to Thomas (2) and. Matthew (2) Sherwood: brothers of Stephen (2) Sherwood.

                                                                 (2) Hannah Jackson Galpin, widow of Philip Galpin.

         * 11.    10.   CAPTAIN MATTHEW,             (2),       m.   (1) Sarah Turney, (above)

                                                                                             (2) Mary Fitch, daughter of Thomas (2) Fitch and Anne Stacie;  Govof Connecticut; her first cousin.     

         *  12.  11.   MARY,                                          (2),      m.  Joseph Loomis, as 2nd. wife,

         *  13.  12.   RUTH,                                          (2),      m.  Joshua Holcombe,

         *  14.  13.   ABIGAIL,                            (2        m.  Daniel Lockwood, son of  Robert  Lockwood and Susannah St. John.

         *  15.  14.   ISAAC,                                           (2)      m.  Elizabeth Jackson, daughter of  John Jackson and Elizabeth Smith; daughter of Henry Smith and. Ann Pynchon; daughter of Gov. William Pynchon, founder of Roxbury and Springfield, Massachusetts, and Ann Andrews who was the daughter of John Andrews and Ann ____________        

MARY FITCH SHERWOOD, married, as her second husband, John Banks, Senior, one of the wealthiest men of Connecticut; one of the most prominent lawyers of Connecticut, who was attorney for Good Dame Knapp, at her trial for witchcraft. Mary Fitch Sherwood was a witness at the trial and walked to the gallows with Good Dame Knapp, where she prevented the desecration of the body. This was one of the most famous trials of Connecticut. Roger Ludlow was then Governor of Connecticut. Mrs. Thomas Staples later sued Roger Ludlow, for slander, as an outgrowth of the Knapp trial which caused such strong sentiment against Roger Ludlow that, it is said, he removed to Virginia, and, according to report, took the first ten volumes of the Fairfield, Connecticut, Records, with him, or disposed of them, so that no records of any value can be obtained prior to the time of his removal.

THOMAS (I) SHERWOOD was interred in the "Old Burying Ground," adjacent to the Old Town Meeting Hall, Fairfield, Connecticut, but no stone marks his grave, due to the ravages of time. A very beautiful Memorial Monument will be placed in the cemetery, close to those of Andrew Ward and. Rev. John Jones, his contemporaries, by his descendants, at the time of the next Annual Meeting of "Sherwood Kindred of America," (which date will be announced 1ater) honoring the memories of THOMAS (I) SHERWOOD and. his two wives, from whom all the Sherwoods of Connecticut, descend: Alice Seabrook Sherwood and Mary Fitch Sherwood. A cordial invitation to attend the pilgrimage to the cemetery and later to the unveiling of both the Memorial Monument and a magnificent Memorial Scroll, honoring the memories of our Puritan Pioneer Ancestor and his two wives, which will be placed in the Old Town Hall - Probate Court Room, which is in process of completion, being elaborately made in gold and black lettering, with the Sherwood Coat of Arms, in oil painting, by the International Heraldic Artist, Mr. Dudley J. Howell, is extended to all of the descendants of the foregoing, which will be a most auspicious occasion and one which will be recorded in the Annals of Fairfield History. It is hoped that many descendants, from far and near, will attend these ceremonies.

              The author and compiler of "Sherwoodiana," Mrs. M. Beatrix Carlson heartily solicits any and all information regarding the Sherwood families, of America, for incorporation in the Genealogy, and will be deeply appreciative of all data received. 

                 L A S T   W I L L   O F   THOMAS  (I)  SHERWOOD.                                        

 REFERENCE:  "FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT, PROBATE RECORDS." Liber I; Folio 109-11.

STATE  OF CONNECTICUT,     )

COUNTY OF FAIRFIELD,          )   SS.

TOWN   OF FAIRFIELD,       )        

IMPRIMIS:   I give and bequeath unto the children of my first wife;

I bequeath unto my son, Thomas, five acres of upland, lying upon the north end of Sasco Neck;

I bequeath unto my daughter, Jane, twenty shillings;

I bequeath unto my daughter, Tomson, twenty shillings;

I bequeath unto my daughter, Margaret, twenty shillings;

I bequeath unto my daughter, Sarah, twenty shillings;

I bequeath unto my daughter, Hanna, twenty shillings;

I bequeath unto my daughter, Rose, twenty shillings;

I bequeath unto my daughter, Rebecca,           twenty shillings;

I will that the above named legasies be payd within one year after my decease.

I will and bequeath unto my well-beloved wife, Mary Sherwood, whom I make my Executor and Executrix, of this my Last Will, who shall pay the above-named legasies. And also the legasies underwritten.

As to my son, Steven Sherwood, I bequeath my dwelling-house and home-lot with all the buildings on this home-lot and all the lott that layd next to my home-lot on which I now live, excepting one-half acre, etc.

I will and bequeath unto my son, Matthew, all my upland and meadow lying on the other side of Uncawy Creek, namely on the east side of the said Creek;

I will and bequeath unto my daughter, Mary, ten pounds;

I will and bequeath unto my daughter, Ruth, ten pounds;

I will and bequeath unto my daughter, Abigail ten pounds;

I will and bequeath unto my son, Isaak, that dwelling-house next to my dwelling-house that I now live in, and also I give unto him with the building on that home-lot on which it standeth and he is to have the said half acre of land square off from the front, the whole wideance of the lott and soe downward.

I give and bequeath unto my loving and well-beloved wife, Mary Sherwood, all the estate, undivided, whom I make mine Executor and Executrix of this my Last Will, excepting a mare colt, which my son, Isaak, shall have and that to his use and profit presently.

I will that Steven have his portion when he is twenty years of age. And also that Matthew shall have his portion when he is twenty years old. And my son, Isaak shall have four acres of meadow, in the great meadow, which I bought of Peter Merritt and five acres in the new field, which he is to have at twenty years of age.        

To: Mary, Abigail and Ruth which I had by my last  wife ..................... etc., etc.

And I desire my well-beloved friends, Thomas Staples and Nathan Gold to be overseers of this my Last Will.        

Signed in the presence and witnesses of us this twenty-first day of July, 1655.

                                       (Signed)     THOMAS SHERWOOD, (his signature.)        

S E A L.    Witnesses:   Giles Smith, and John Tomson.                                            Proved: October ye 25th, 1655.                                                          ----------------------        

         REFERENCE:     "FAIRFIELD, CONNECTICUT, PROBATE RECORDS."

25 October 1655:  Oath was this day given to the Court that the above and foregoing said Will was the Last Will of Thomas (1) Sherwood, to their knowledge and ye Court approves of this ye sd Will.        

 (Signed)  William Hill Secrest (Secretary).

         

COPIA: An invoice of the estate of Thomas (1) Sherwood., Senr.,  of Fairfield, taken this 7th September 1655, by us, whose named are underwrotten:

                          (Here follows a long inventory).

                                                                                                 L.  252:0s:0d,

                                                                                    Upland,                 140:0s:0d,

                                                                                                  L.  392:0s:0d.        

                                                                                   

                               (Signed)           NATHAN GOLD,
                                                      JOHN  BANKS,
                                                      THOMAS STAPLES,             (.) his mark,
                                                      THOMAS BARLOW,              (w) his mark.

                           25 October 1655:  The Court approves of the Inventory.

                                            (Signed)  William Hill,                  Secrest,

 (From this ancient and most interesting document it appears that Thomas (1) Sherwood was a man of considerable means, judging the wealth of that time.)