Henry Norwood

Henry Norwood (c.1614–89), of Leckhampton, Gloucestershire, supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War and was a Member of Parliament.^[1] He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Gloucester 20 April 1675.^[1]

Family and early life

Early life and Civil War

Henry Norwood was the second son of Henry Norwood, of West Camel, Somerset, and his wife, Elizabeth Rodney (widow of James Kirton^[2]), and was born in about 1614: His elder brother Charles was born in 1613, and his father died in 1616. Little is known of his life until, in 1637, he was admitted to the Inner Temple, listed as of Bishampton, Worcestershire. It is likely that the outbreak of the English Civil War intervened to halt a potential legal career: In 1647, Norwood's name was listed as owing debts and duties to the Inn; but on 30 May 1660, the day after the Restoration, he was finally called to the bar.^[3] Nevertheless, by then, Norwood was first and foremost a soldier, and there is no record that he was ever active as a lawyer.

He joined the Royalist forces in the early days Civil War and was commissioned in December 1642 to raise a troop in Gloucestershire and Worcestershire. In 1643, he was a Captain in Colonel Washington's force under Prince Rupert at the Storming of Bristol^[4] and appears to have remained with Washington until the surrender of Worcester in July, 1646. The garrison was given passes, on parole never to bear Arms any more against the Parliament of England, to return to their homes (or other places) or to go overseas within two months.^[5] Norwood evidently chose to go overseas: He met, in Holland, other Royalists (in particular, Majors Francis Morrison and Richard Fox) and (according to Norwood's account) came to an agreement to pursue their fortunes in Virginia.^[6] Norwood was second cousin to the Governor of Virginia, Sir William Berkeley, their grandmothers being Margery and Elizabeth Lygon, and Morrison held a commission from Charles II as Captain of Fort Comfort (where, in fact, his brother Lieutenant Robert Morrison/Moryson was already in charge). Other Norwoods had already emigrated to Virginia. Strangely, perhaps, in the light of those connections, Norwood himself says my best cargaroon (usually illicit cargo) was his Majesty’s gracious letter in my favour, which took effect beyond my expectation, because it recommended me (above whatever I had or could deserve) to the governor’s particular care. He does not say how he had earned the specific recommendation.

Virginia

Some time after the beheading of King Charles, in August 1949, Norwood, Morrison and Fox met in London and secured passage on a ship, The Virginia Merchant, Captain John Lockyer, bound for James River, Virginia. It is not clear why the three were in London at that time: One source, not especially reliable, suggests that they had intended a mission to rescue Charles I from Carisbrooke Castle but arrived too late.^[7] While in England, Norwood compounded for delinquency but is recorded as never sequestered nor engaged in the last war.^[8] Whatever the reason for being back in England, the three (in company with about 130 other emigrants) set out from the Downs on 23 September 1649. The tale of the voyage, with dolphins, shipwreck, cannibalism, and (friendly) indians, was told by Henry Norwood in A Voyage to Virginia published many years later, in 1732.^[9] The ship, under-provisioned, called at Fyall, left there on 22 October, and crossed on the trade winds to Bermuda (where they could not land) and Cape Hatteras where the ship grounded, but got back out to sea. Storms struck for some days and the ship was dismasted, except the mizzen; a mighty sea struck the ship and removed the fo'c's'le. Finally, the ship made land on 4 January 1650. Morrison went ashore with the ship's mate, found fresh water, and was thereafter followed by Norwood (Fox is not mentioned) and others. The location has been generally identified as what is now Ocean City, Maryland, just offshore from the Chesapeake Peninsula.

The ship sailed off, unexpectedly, on the next day, leaving those onshore marooned. After about ten days (during which the supposed cannibalism - of the corpses of those who died - occurred) the party were found by friendly native Americans, and taken by canoe to their own village of (or in) Kickotank. There, when the word Accawmacke (probably referring to the nation after which the town is named) was recognised by Norwood (as the English settlement in Virginia) the king or chief sent word to that settlement. Meanwhile, The Virginia Merchant had made it on to James River. Guided by a planter or trader, Jenkin Price (later, surveyor in Somerset County, Maryland) who had been sent to find them, Norwood trekked over to Price's base at Littleton's Plantation in (or on the edge of) Accomac (at that time Northampton County). From there, he travelled on to Yeardley's plantation and across Chesapeake Bay to York River at Ludlow's Plantation (which seems to have been where Yorktown power station is now). There (or rather, at neighbouring Wormeley's, across the creek) he met with old acquaintances before moving on, borrowing a horse, to Jamestown, finally reaching his destination, Sir William Berkeley's house at Green Spring Plantation, about the middle of February.

There is independent verification of the disastrous voyage, although different in several details from Norwood's account, in a petition to the High Court of Admiralty in 1650, by dependents of crew members, against the captain and owners of The Virginia Merchant.^[10]

By Norwood's own account, Berkeley provided him with money to purchase the office of Treasurer of Virginia and, in May 1650, he went to Holland to do that. Although the King Charles II was in Scotland following the Treaty of Breda, he granted the necessary patent appointing Norwood as Escheator, Treasurer and Receiver of Quit Rents in Virginia.^[11] That closes Norwood's account of his purpose to seek (his) fortune in Virginia and it is not clear whether he ever returned there. The tension between Virginia and the Parliament in England culminating in the surrender of the colony on 12 March 1652 (but not ending then) probably precluded that, at least until the re-election of Sir William Berkeley in 1660.^[12] However after the Restoration (if not before) Norwood continued to receive the benefit of the quit rents for some years, an income difficult to estimate because of the collection difficulties, but several hundred pounds each year until 1669, and a smaller amount thereafter.^[13]

English Interregnum

After his arrival in Holland in May, 1650, little is known of Norwood's movements for a short spell. ( )

In late December, 1654, Norwood was involved in the purchase and transport of firearms to Sir Henry Lyttelton (and, perhaps, others), almost certainly as part of the preparation for risings in conjunction with the Penruddock uprising. He was imprisoned in the Tower, questioned several times by John Thurloe^[14] and (reportedly) by Cromwell himself.^[15] No charge was brought (as no charge was brought against Lyttelton) and in September 1656 he petitioned Thurloe for his release.^[16] While in the Tower, Norwood was able to correspond with William Rumbold, who was one of Ormonde's and Chancellor Hyde's agents in London.^[17] At some point, Cromwell ordered him taken to Jersey, and he was imprisoned there until his release was authorised by Richard Cromwell in February 1659 (when Parliament ordered Robert Overton to be brought back from Jersey).^[18]

Norwood's release from Jersey was conditional; he was not to come into England without leave; he was not to act abroad against the Commonwealth; and he was required to put up a surety for £500. He was soon in England (without leave) and was in frequent contact with Hyde and the Court in exile. He went to Shropshire (attempting to raise troops) and Cheshire in July 1659 and was captured, with Sir George Booth at Winnington Bridge. However, his identity was not revealed, and he was soon released.^[19] In March 1660, Norwood went from Engand to Brussels, to the king, and returned with letters. At about that time (on 24 March 1660) he was given a Warrant as an Esquire of the Body (which enabled him, later, to attend the Coronation of Charles II). On 21 April 1660, Samuel Pepys met him, and was instructed (by his patron, Edward Montagu) to give him a convoy to Brill but not to enter it in the record, Pepys deducing that he was going to the King, then at Breda.^[20]

Tangier

Parliament

Notes

1. Henning 1983.
2. Lancaster, Henry; Coates, Ben. "History of Parliament Online".
3. Inderwick, QC, F A, ed. (1898). Records of the Inner Temple. Stevens & Sons, by Order of the Masters of the Bench.
4. Warburton, Eliot (1849). Memoirs and Correspondence of Prince Rupert 2. Richard Bentley. p. 252.
5. Rushworth, John. "Historical Collections: The surrender of Oxford, etc., in Historical Collections of Private Passages of State 1645-47". London: British History Online. Retrieved 29 April 2016.
6. Trye, Capt J H. "Colonel Henry Norwood of Leckhampton" (PDF). Bristol & Gloucester Archaeological Society, Transactions. pp. 113–121.
7. Fox, James Wallace (1917). "Fox Family". Richmond, Virginia: William and Mary Quarterly.
8. Calendar for the Committee for Compounding, volume iii, page 2075
9. There are many versions; the first, perhaps, in Awnsham Churchill's Collection of Voyages and Travels. The details given here are from the version at "A Dolorous Journey to the New World".
10. HCA 15/5 f.99 "Marine Lives (wiki)". 4 March 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2016.. Prescilla Lockier's (most descriptive) petition is at "Marine Lives - Cannibal Tales". 18 May 2015. Retrieved 30 April 2016.
11. Mcilwaine, H.R., ed. (1924). Minutes of the Council and General Court of Colonial Virginia.
12. Pestana, Carla. "Encyclopedia Virginia, The English Civil Wars and Virginia". Retrieved 3 May 2016.
13. Trye, Capt J H. "Colonel Henry Norwood of Leckhampton" (PDF). Bristol & Gloucester Archaeological Society, Transactions. pp. 113–121.
14. Birch, Thomas, ed. (1742). " A Collection of the State Papers of John Thurloe, Esq 3. pp. 65–130.,
15. Cromwelliana. London: Machell Stace. 1810. p. 150.
16. Birch, Thomas, ed. (1742). " A Collection of the State Papers of John Thurloe, Esq 5. pp. 417–418.
17. Macray, W Dunn, ed. (1874). Clarendon State Papers III. p. 134.
18. Rutt, John T, ed. (1828). Diary of Thomas Burton, Esq iv. p. 162.. The warrant cited in Burton is probably incorrectly dated as 8 January 1655/56; Norwood and Overton were delivered there on 9 February 1658 (CSP Navy).
19. Routledge, F J; Firth, Sir Charles, eds. (1932). Clarendon State Papers Volume IV. pp. 360, 407.
20. Diary of Samuel Pepys., at 21 April 1660 and 3 May 1660.

References

Henning, Basil Duke (1983), "Norwood, Henry (c.1614-89), of Leckhampton, Glos.", in Henning, B.D., The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690, Boydell and Brewer