SUSANNA HARVEY HOPTON

SUSANNA HARVEY HOPTON

by | Mar 5, 2022 | 17th Century

Bishops-Frome church

In searching for early colonial ladies for my continuing Founding Mothers blog, I came upon one who does not quite fit the bill but is so outstanding that I decided to include her, anyhow: Susanna Harvey Hopton.

Susanna Harvey was born to Sir Simon Harvey and his wife, Lady Ursula, in 1627, the last of six children. She was baptized 27 October at the Church of St. Martin in the Fields, in London. Sir Simon worked in the royal household as an organizer of events, purchaser of food and supporter of His Majesty. His brother, Sir John Harvey, was the despotic governor of Virginia 1628-1639. This tenuous relationship with the founding of the United States is enough to allow Susanna into the elect Founding Mothers blogpost.

Sir Simon died the year after Susanna’s birth. Her mother raised the children alone for some time. The family, it would seem, would have remained royalist in their views, considering their source of income was directly from the king for some years. When Susanna was fourteen, Lady Ursula remarried. The new stepfather was a parliamentarian, the liberal side of the upcoming Civil War. Susanna, being a staunch royalist, was most likely opposed to such a marriage. Her uncle, Sir John, having recently returned from a rocky term in Virginia, likely supported Susanna’s position, although he was not happy with King Charles at the time.

Susanna did not give up her support of royalist values, even after the King was executed in 1649. By the age of 24, she had become a royalist agent, collaborating with Richard Hopton, a barrister and judge from Kington, Herefordshire. At the same time as she was doing that, Susanna had made the acquaintance of Fr. Henry Turberville, a Catholic priest. Long talks with him convinced Susanna to convert from Anglicanism to Catholicism. This few years’ engagement in Roman Catholicism remained a defining event in her spiritual development and had a powerful influence on her subsequent writing.

She, in turn, referred to his poems in her works. Her works include:

  1. Daily Devotions Consisting of Thanksgivings, Confessions and Prayers (1673)
  2. Devotions in the Ancient Way of Offfices (1700)
  3. Letter to Father Turberville  in the “Second Collection of Controversial Letters” (posthumously)
  4. Meditations of the Six Days of the Creation and Devotions on the Life of Christ (posthumously)

As Susanna and Richard worked together, they fell in love, even though Richard was almost twenty years her senior. His large concern was her conversion. He worked to reverse her beliefs by plying her with writings by William Laud, Thomas Morton and William Chillingworth. All three were leading theologians of the day. In 1655, having been converted back to Richard’s belief, the two were married. She was 28. He was 47.

The marriage was a loving one. They lived in Kington and were socially quite active. Although without formal education, Susanna wrote extensively and adapted Roman Catholic devotional sources for Anglican use. She had a close relationship with many influential men, who helped her to publish some of her works anonymously. Other works were published posthumously. Thomas Traherne, a young minister, dedicated many of his mystic poetical works to her. She, in turn, referred to his poems in her works. Her works include:

  1. Daily Devotions Consisting of Thanksgivings, Confessions and Prayers (1673)
  2. Devotions in the Ancient Way of Offfices (1700)
  3. Letter to Father Turberville  in the “Second Collection of Controversial Letters” (posthumously)
  4. Meditations of the Six Days of the Creation and Devotions on the Life of Christ (posthumously)

In her later life, Susanna was known for her self-discipline and acts of charity.

Richard died in 1696, probably 88 years of age. After living in Kington for years, and some other places for extended periods, Susanna moved to the larger city of Hereford. There she died 12 July 1709 at the age of 81. She was buried in the chancel of the church at Bishops-Frome.

Her works were frequently reprinted, and she herself was commemorated in compilations of the lives of celebrated women for a hundred and fifty years after her death.

GRACE NEALE WATERS ROBBINS

GRACE NEALE WATERS ROBBINS

by | Aug 10, 2020 | 17th Century

In another of a continuing series of sagas of our foremothers, today we discuss Grace Robbins.

Grace, daughter of Arthur Neale and Grace O’Hara, was probably born in Brackley, Northamptonshire. But her true home seems to have been Dunluce Castle in Ireland, where her mother supposedly was born. She was a cousin of Admiral James Neale, who would be a favorite of King Charles I.

At the age of 15, Grace was taken to Virginia aboard the Diana, with Sir George Yeardley. They arrived in 1618. Within a few years, Grace had met and married Lt. Edward Waters, her elder by 14 years. They moved to Elizabeth City where Waters had patented several hundred acres of land. During the disastrous Good Friday 1622 Indian attack, both Grace and Lt Waters were captured by the Indians. While the Indians were celebrating, Edward, a military man, found one of their canoes. Luckily, the couple was not tied up or well guarded. The two stole the canoe and made their way to Jamestown.

 Apparently, the couple spent some time in Blount Point, in what is now Newport, Va., before going back to their land in Elizabeth City. Their son, William, born 1623 is recorded as being born there. However, by the census, or muster, of 1625, they were home. A child was born to them that year, Margaret.

Several years later, Lt. Waters visited England, where he died in August 1630, leaving Grace with two small children. After several years, Grace met the widower Obedience Robbins and his . They married. William, older, now, probably went to England for university studies.

Obedience Robbins, a trained surgeon and planter, had been in Virginia since 1628. When they married, they moved to his land on the Eastern Shore, some of which he was granted for bringing people over, including himself, Grace and Margaret. During the next ten years, Obedience and Grace had five more children. Dorothea, John, Obedience III, Mary and Frances (who probably died young).

While Grace handled the plantation management, Obedience, who apparently did not serve in a medical capacity, was politically active. He had already served as burgess in 1629/30 and in quarter courts in the early 30s. Grace was used to this, since Lt. Waters had been in a similar position.

Although Robbins still held offices while getting married in England, he apparently seemed to need time off with the rapid coming of children. He was not as active in politics in the late 1630s, except as a member of the church council, or vestry. However, he did host the “laughing king”, the Indian chief, who came to visit every year in the spring.  His and Grace’s hospitality was questioned on various occasions, even bringing the question into the courts, but hailed on others.

Grace had to have had great patience, since Obedience and their neighbor, Edward Scarborough, had great enmity for one another throughout their lives. They argued about boundaries of their own and boundaries of the counties. They argued about the treatment of the Indians, with Obedience being welcoming and Scarborough killing them. It only ended with the death of the men, just a few years apart.

Throughout the 25 or so years of their marriage, Robbins held land which he rented out, grew tobacco, which he sold and had means of transportation, mostly boats, which he rented. They lived on Cherrystone Creek, not far from the Chesapeake, where trade flourished. The family did well.

The Robbins did well for their children, too. Obedience’s daughter, Margaret, married Grace’s son, Col. William Waters. Their other children married into the most prominent families, like the Scarboroughs.

When Obedience died in 1662, Grace inherited a large, well-functioning plantation. Her remaining children and grandchildren inherited it when she died twenty years later.