[1]

Notes on the Darwin family

At the end of the fifteenth century the Darwins were settled as substantial yeomen, holding land in several parishes, at Marton near Gainsborough. After several generations we find William Darwin, who was born in 1575 and died in 1644, adding to the land derived from his ancestors an estate at Cleatham in the parish of Marton. This he derived, at least in part, from his marriage into a family of some position, Healey of Burringham. In 1613 he received a grant in reversion from James I of the port of Yeoman of the armoury of Greenwich, and he held the office during the reigns of James & of Charles I. The pay only amounted to £30 a year, but the tenure probably necessitated but little residence at Greenwich, since his abode appears to have been at the Old Hall at Cleatham. William Darwin is the first of the name whom we find described as Gentleman, and his widow sealed her will with the arms since used by her family, viz. Argent on a bend gules coltesed vest three escallops on.

His eldest son William, born in 1626, had a somewhat adventurous life. He served, when still a boy, in the civil wars as lieutenant in a troop of horse in the Royal army. On the scattering of the royal armies, he subscribed to the solemn league & covenant, and paid a heavy fine for the removal of the sequestration laid on his estate (Royalist Composition papers in the Record Office, and Journals of the Houses of Commons and Lords). He then became a barrister of Lincolns Inn, and is said ultimately to have been Recorder of the City of Lincoln.

[2]

The following is the petition which he addressed in [N…] 1645 to Committee of the parliament, with respect to the sequestration of his estate

[3]

"To the honoble Comttee for Composions Sitterige att  Gouldsmiths Hall.

The humble petition of Willm Darwin Sonn & heir of Wm Darwin late of Cletham in the Count of Lincoln Gent decd─ Humbly sheweth that the petrs said father being in Gainsborough when it was taken by the Kings pty went from thence into Nottinghamshire where it pleased God to strike him with the gowt and such sickness that he was not able to return to his habitacon in the County of Lincoln, but writt under his hand to the Comitee there of his willingness to come in but could not by reason of his lameness and weakness and soe soone as he was able (wch was on March 1643) he came in upon the proposicons at that time and the petr haveing then also bin in his Maty's service about 10 months came in upon the same pposicons and was under age and hath ever since lived peceably in the County of Lincoln not doinge any Act or thing prejudiciall to the Parliament.

That the petr understanding of the late proposicons of Parliament hath taken then the naconall Covenant

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as may appeare by the paper annexed and humbly submitted himself to yor honors & is very desirous to compound for his delinquency.

And therefore humbly beseecheth this honble Comttee to pdon his said offence and to take of the sequestration of his estate the pticulars whereof as hereto annexed) and to direct an order to the Comitte of Lincoln yt they may certify yor honours of the petr fathers and his own offence and the value of the petrs estate and to deale mercifully with him in his composicon for his delinquencie in regard that his estate byeth in the parts of that County that he receiveth very small benefit by the same

And the petr as in duty bound shall pray &c

Will Darwin"

[5]

On the restoration of Charles II we find him presenting to the King petitions, which, when placed in juxtaposition with the preceding, have a curious effect. They run as follows:─

(19

& I gave them in trust for her that house in this city of Lincoln which I bought of Mr Chas Yarborough & also the residue of my personal estate.

The will was proved in the Resig. Ct. of Canty 8 Feb 1691/ Derby Erasmus Darwin son of deceased, power being reserved for William Sampson his other executor named of (Recorded in book "Fare" fol 26)

I have failed to ascertain the date of William Darwin's death, or the place of his burial, but it was of course between 24 Aug & 23 Nov. 1675

 His widow Ann died between 22 Aug. 1691 & 8 Feb following I suspect that she was buried at Marton on the 2nd Dec. 1691 (The extract from the burial register of Marton furnished to me says that Mrs. Ann Darwin was buried 2 Dec 1692, but I think it must have been misread, as I know of no other Mrs. Ann Darwin who cd. have been possibly buried at Marton at this period. Indeed I think the only other Ann Darwin then living was the widow of her son William, she survived until 1722)

We will now take the history of this William Darwin (& to some extent of his father) as it exists in his own handwriting. At the Public Record office are to petitions signed, if not wholly written "To the King's Most Excellent Matie

"The humble Peticon of William Darwin of Lincoln's Inn in the countie of Middlesex Esqr. Sheweth unto yr most gracious Matie that yr most humble Petr's late Father being a servant unto yr maties renowned grandfathers & most sacred Fathers, as yeoman of their maties Armoury, dyed during the late Warr in the Service of gr Maties Royall Father; yr Maties Petr having been in Armes in yr. Royal Father's service from the beginning of that unnaturall Warr, & served as Captain Leiftenant unto Sr. William Pelham his Troop of horse, & since the endo f the said Watt yr. Petr. hath imployed his time in the study of the Comon Lawever waiting an opportunitie to advance yr maties service & often exposing to hazard his life & fortune as in duty he was obliged to doe:

May it therefore please yr Majestie graciously to owne yr Petr for a servant, in what place yr Matie shall please graciously to confer upon him (as yr Petrs Father was to yr Maties Royall Grandfathers & Fathers)

And yr. Maties Petr shall ever pray &c,

Will Darwin"

(20

The other Petition is as follows:—

To the King's Most Excellent Matie

"The humble petition of Willm Darwin of Lincoln's Inn Esqr sheweth

That upon your petrs desition psented to yor Matie at the Hause therein shewing that of petr late fathers served your renowned grandfather & Father of blocked memory as yeoman of their Maties Armory & died in the [illeg] in the service of yor Royall Fathers your petr having beene in Armies begining & during that Warr & served in several commands of all at his owne charges in yor royall Father's service & then & serve through varietie of sufferings (to his almost utter Ruine) in adhesion to your maties just cause & furtherance of yor maties service at petrs greate expenses. That since yor petrs being an actuall Armies he hath continued the study of the Common Law. That yor matie out of yor accustomed favours upon yor petrs petition for the stewardship of the Peverell & the office his father enjoyed, was graciously leased to refer the same to the Right Honble The Lords Commissioners of the Treasury. But in respect of some former grant thereof yor petr could have no [illeg] of yor Maties Gracious benevolence intended unto him yor petr father so long enjoyed, or as yet any imployment from or under your sacred Matie, so mach as a testimony of yor petrs Loyalty to the great discomfort of yor petr as well as his Ruine.

Yor Petr therefore humbly beggs the gracious bounty of yor sacred Matie to be one of yor Maties Councell of the Court of the Lord President & Councell in the north

And your petr shall ever pray &c

Will Darwin

It is not necessary to see [illeg] too closely with the other [illeg] or grammar of these Petitions. Both were prose of the period, & the meaning is distin at end. The date conjecturally assigned at the Record office to the first one is May 1660, & to the second June in the same year, but I suspect that the person who fixed upon these dates was misled by the reference to the Hague in the [later] one, & by overlooking the [illeg] fact that these had been another petition between these two which has not been preserved among the public records. i think the date of the first petition was somewhat [illeg], probably when it was first understood that King Charles would [2 words illeg] to his Kingdom. In that the petitions

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The petitions appear to have been unsuccessful, and the want of success may be explained by the intimate association of William Darwin with a prominent Roundhead; for in 1653 he had married Anne daughter of Erasmus Earle of Heydon Hall Norfolk.

Earle, a man of good family, was a member of the Long Parliament and acted, along with Thurloe and Milton, as secretary for the parliament in the conference with the king held at Uxbridge in June 1645. He was an intimate friend of Oliver Cromwell, who visited Heydon, and he was appointed own sergeant-at-law to both the Cromwells. The estate of Heydon ultimately passed by the marriage of the heiress of the Earles to the family of Lytton-Bulwer. The name of Erasmus, born since that time by marry of the Darwins was derived from Erasmus Earle.

The eldest son of the cavalier, again William, died when a young man, and we know of nothing of him, saving an extant portrait and his marriage with Anne Waring. This marriage brought the manor and estate of Elston, near Newark into the family‡, Anne Waring's mother derived the estate from the family of Lassells or Lascelles. This detail is worth mentioning because Captain George Lassells had been protégé of Monk Duke of Albemarle, and retained the account book of his chief. This large folio volume, countersigned by Monk, is still preserved by Mr Darwin of Elston. When we bear in mind the prominent part played by Monk in the history of the time, it seems possible that this volume might prove of value to the historian of the period.

‡ A catalogue of the goods & effects of Edmund Waring of Mr Lea, Co Staff, M.P for his county in 1625, is published in the Journal of Antiquarian Society, April 29 1875, and affords a curious & precise catalogue of all the contents of a large country house in the reign of James I.

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Anne Darwin, née Waring, died in 1722 and made a curious bequest in her will by which she charged certain land at Cleatham (still called the Darwin Charity) with the provision of four gray coats to be given each year to four poor widows of the parishes of Elston, Kinton, Grimly and Marton successively "All which said gray coats shall have on the right rm a badge of red cloth cut in the shape of Two Great Roman Letters A.D."

The charity still exists, but we do not know whether the recipients are still so labelled.

Erasmus Darwin the poet was born at Elston Hall, but the estate passed to his elder brother from whom the present Mr. Francis Darwin derives it.

[10]

FD on Evoln ─ sexual selection

notes on Dev of Utri

Letters to Nature [few words illeg]