Parish Support
In 1645 provision was made to allocate the proceeds of land owned by the Stratton St. Michaels Parish Glebe to the support of Mrs. Merywether and her six children. It is not clear where John Merywether was at this time and whether he was still Rector.

Joane in Virginia?
On 3 Sep 1677, a Joan Meriwether witnessed a document making Nicholas Meriwether the attorney for Bartholomew Owens. It is not known who this Joan is. As Francis, younger brother of Nicholas, died the previous year, it is possible she was the widow of Francis and living with Nicholas and his family. No other record of Joan has been found and there is no evidence that Francis was married when he died. Nicholas and Francis did have a sister named Joane, but she died in England in 1656.

There is no indication of a wife when Nicholas was appointed administrator of Francis’ estate in 1676. There are many reasons why a wife might not have been granted Administratrix of his estate, so that provides no useful clue.

One possibility is that the Joan Meriwether who witnessed the document is in fact Joane (Browne) Merywether, the mother of Nicholas and Francis. This would imply that she came to Virginia, possible along with her son Francis, and was living with Nicholas and Francis at “Indian Spring”.

John Merywether
© The Meriwether Society

John Merywether was born about 1599, probably in Oxfordshire, the son of Richard Merywether and his wife, name unknown. John attended Winchester College as a Scholar from 1611 until 1618, when he became a Fellow of New College from1618 until 1629). In 1629 he was appointed Rector for the Church of England in the parish of Stratton St. Michael in Norfolk, England.

In 1630 John married Joane Browne, daughter of Nicholas Browne and Fayth Cobb, in the Bawdeswell Church, Hundred of Eynsford, Norfolk. They had six children: Nicholas, John, Anne, Fayth, Joane and Francis. Nicholas and Francis are known to have immigrated to the Virginia Colony. Nothing else is known about the remaining children.

By 1639 John was in debtor’s prison in London. He was home on parole in 1640 but is found in the Fleet Prison again in 1646. He evidently lost his Rector’s position sometime before 1642.

Notes concerning the parish Stratton St. Michael indicate that he died sometime before 1660 on a ship while sailing to Virginia to join his son, presumably Nicholas.

John Merywether was the father of our English
immigrant. Nicholas Merywether —later in Vir-
ginia changed to Meriwether. He was born about
1599, most certainly in Burford Oxfordshire, son
of Richard Merywether originally from Bensing-
ton Oxdordshire and an unknown mother. His
father was a prominent office holder, yeoman
(farmer) and mercer (grocer), and led the family
into some risky land transactions.
John was well-educated, starting possibly in the
Burford Grammar School, then elected a scholar
in Winchester College (Hampshire), and then
entered New College in Oxford in 1618, and re-
ceived a Bachelor’s Civil Law degree in 1626. In
1629 he was appointed a rector in the parish of
Stratton St Michael and St Peter in Norfolk. He
provided minister services to the congregation
and managed the property of New College in the
parish. He married Joane Brown from a substan-
tial family in Little Walsingham Norfolk. They
had six children, Nicholas being the oldest.
John was removed from his position about 1642
by the parliamentarians in the Civil War. He had
started in the family’s land ventures when in col-
lege and continue with that until 1646 when he
spent some time in prison. He may also have
married a second time having three more chil-
dren. He apparently died at sea when going to
Virginia, probably about 1654-1657.

“Apr 25 1667 (being Thursday in the afternoone) Mr Oldfield of Long Stratton came to Wichingham to Mr Neves……….. Hee [said] that since his comeing to Stratton that hee had much endeavoured to seek into & recover the rights & dues belonging to that Rectory, haveing been with the Bishopp and Chancellour (Dr Mills) about it. For a Minister of another Church in the same Parish of Long Stratton viz one Mr Reeve detained the Tithes of 150 Acres or thereabouts & will not give for them the usuall annuall Rent which Mr Meriweather received viz 50s per Ann[um] unto Mr Oldfield, except Mr Oldfield can make it approve which are the said 150 or 160 Acres. Mr Meriweather hee told us took up his Tithes in kind, rented also some other Land in the same parish, kept a teame & servants & was a great Husband, spending little, & to purchase Land would borrow mony £400 at a time, the use whereof did in the end destroy him, for hee was caste into Prison & there lay a long time, till at last as Mr Oldfield said as hee was goeing into Virginia, uppon the sea, hee dyed. Hee hath sonne in Virginia at this time. Hee left his wife at Stratton, whome that he might marry hee gave her mother, for her consent (as Mr Oldfield said) an £100. Mr Meriweather being dead, the aforesaid Mr Reeve got all his Books, or notes, that concerned the Rectorie of Little Stratton: or the lesser church in Long Stratton (for the Parish hee said, was but one and the same) the Books were two, the One a sixpenny paper booke as wee call it, haveing the leaves cutt, the other some sheets of paper in 4to sewed together & not cutt…..”

Francis Blomefield’s History of the County of Norfolk
Stratton [volume 5, pp 178ff]
[page 202] Rectors of Stratton St Michael & St Peter:

Peter Raye, 1610, was succeeded by John Merewether in 1629, who held it united to Taseburgh

‘from both which he was ejected by the Earl of Manchester’s scandalous committee and one Cooke was put in being a godly man to preach, and had 5s a Sunday allowed him by the sequestrators, out of the tithes, and Mrs Merewether a fifth part of the profits to maintain herself and six children; he being also deprived of his temporal estate of £50 per annum, the rest was ordered to go towards maintaining the parliament forces &c, but it seems Cooke was not godly enough for those rebels, for in 1654, they put in one Ric. Laurence, who held it by intrusion till Merewether’s death, which happened before the Restoration, when Nic. Woodward, S.T.P. custos &c in 1660 presented James Oldfield…….’

From: NRO, General Enquiries
Sent: Thursday, August 1, 2019 10:43 AM
To: GUY M BENSON
Subject: RE: Research for the Meriwether Society
Hello Guy

Thanks very much for your e-mail of 25 July 2019, and apologies for my delay in responding.
I have now checked the Merywether (and variants) baptism entries in the Stratton St Michael with St Peter parish register, as follows:
1633 – John the sonne of John Merywether and Joane his wife was baptised the twenty first day of Aprill. Borne, it was the 18th being Maunday Thursday for that year.
1634 – Anne Merywether the daughter of John Merywether and Joane his wife was baptised the 18th of November and born the 9th of November.
1636 – Fayth, the daughter of John Merywether and Joane his wife was baptised the twenty ninth of January.
1638 – Joane the daughter of John Merywether and Joane his wife was baptised the twenty fourth day of March.
1642 – Francis the sonne of John Merywether and Joane his wife was baptised the 29th of September.

I hope this is helpful; if you have any further queries, please contact us again.
With Best Wishes
Theresa.
Theresa Palfrey, Senior Searchroom/Research Assistant
Norfolk Record Office, The Archive Centre, Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 2DQ
+44 (0) 1603 222599 | norfrec@norfolk.gov.uk | www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk
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From: GUY M BENSON <gmisc3591@nc.rr.com>
Sent: 25 July 2019 01:53
To: NRO, General Enquiries <norfrec@norfolk.gov.uk>
Subject: Re: Research for the Meriwether Society
Thanks Theresa. I assume you are including all Meriwether spelling—there are about 50 variations. Guy
From: NRO, General Enquiries
Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2019 11:50 AM
To: GUY M BENSON
Subject: RE: Research for the Meriwether Society

Hello Guy

Just an update for you; I’ve managed to check the first Bale parish register today and there are no Merywether baptism entries in the years 1633, 1634, 1636, 1638 and 1642.
I also had a quick look at the first Stratton St Michael with St Peter register, and the Merywether baptism entries for the above years are there; I will transcribe them in full when I am next in, On Tuesday 30 July, and e-mail you.

I hope this is OK.

Kindest Regards
Theresa.
Theresa Palfrey, Senior Searchroom/Research Assistant
Norfolk Record Office, The Archive Centre, Martineau Lane, Norwich, Norfolk, NR1 2DQ
+44 (0) 1603 222599 | norfrec@norfolk.gov.uk | www.archives.norfolk.gov.uk

Other Marriage & Children?
It appears that sometime before 1644 John Merywether paid his mother-in-law, Faythe (Cobb) Browne, 100£ to separate from his wife, Joane, so that he could perhaps remarry. A Samuel Merywether, son of a John Merywether, was Christened on 2 Jun 1646 at All Saints Church, Kingston upon Thames. This could be a son of John's by a second marriage. John's daughter Fayth was buried at this church in 1649, indicating that John was probably living in that area in the late 1640s. 279