Richard Bernard (abt. 1608 - abt. 1651)

Born about 1608 in England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Husband of Anna (Cordray) Bernard — married 25 Nov 1634 in London, England

Descendants

Died about 1651 at about age 43 in Virginia

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Magna Carta Gateway Ancestor Descendant of Surety Barons Hugh le Bigod, John Fitz Robert, and possibly others (see text). Join: Magna Carta Project Discuss: magna_carta

Biography

Richard was the son of Richard Bernard and Elizabeth Woolhouse.^[1][2] Richard was said to be 26 when he obtained a licence for his marriage to his second wife in 1634, pointing to a birth date of about 1608. His father had property in Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire and his birth county is uncertain.

Richard married Dorothy Alwey, daughter of Richard Alwey of Shenley, Herefordshire and John Uvedall. The licence for their marriage was dated 12 December 1632.^[1][2] No children from this marriage are known.

Dorothy died before 24 November 1634, the date of a licence issued for Richard's second marriage, at St Andrew-in-the-Wardrobe, London, to Anna Cordray/Cowdray, daughter of William Cordray/Corderoy of Chute, Wiltshire and Bridget Goddard. The licence describes him as a widower, age 26, of Petsoe, Buckinghamshire, and gives her age as 22.^[3] They married at St Andrew-in-the-Wardrobe the next day.^[1][2] They had the following children:

• Richard^[1][2]
• Corderoy^[1][2]
• possibly Francis,^[1][2] who witnessed a deed of Richard's widow in 1662^[4] and who is probably the Francis mentioned as a nephew in the 1677 Will of Richard's sister-in-law Eleanor Corderoy^[5]
• possibly Robert, named as a nephew in the 1677 Will of Richard's sister-in-law Eleanor Corderoy and who was sole executor of that Will^[5]
• Anna, who married Major John Smith^[1][2][4]
• Elizabeth^[1][2]

Richard was admitted to Lincoln's Inn on 1 March 1628/9.His admission record describes him as of Great Missenden, Buckinghamshire.^[6] He was called to the bar on 17 May 1636.^[7]

Richard and his second wife settled in Virigina, where they lived in York County.^[1][2] They immigrated before 3 January 1646/7, when Richard leased a plantation there.^[4]

According to Douglas Richardson, Richard died before 3 April 1651,^[1][2] when his wife was granted 1000 acres on the south side of the Potomeck River. However, the list of names in the headright includes two Richard Bernards, one of whom is named before Anna, and this may cast doubt on the death date given by Richardson.

• The full list of names given in Nugent's Cavaliers and Pioneers is: Mr Richard Bernard, Mrs Anna Bernard, Mrs Elinor Corderoy, Eliza. (Elizabeth) Barnett, Cordery Barnett, Richard Barnett, Wm. Cordery, Edward Cordery, Wm. Ironmonger, Fra. (Francis) Ironmonger, Eliza. (Elizabeth) Ironmonger, Eliza. (Elizabeth) Percy/Perry, Eliza. (Elizabeth) Ashton, John Smith, Thomas Sheld, Joseph Bacon, Ann Whitlock, John Fuller, Leonard Lett, and Henry Fabitt.^[8]
• Two articles refer to a 1652 grant to Richard's wife of 1000 acres at the head of Jones' Creek, Gloucester County, Virginia, with a similar list of names (with one or two spelling differences), again including two Richard Bernards, one named before Anna.^[4][9]

In 1652 Richard's wife bought Priors Plantation.^{[1][2][4][10]} This suggests that her husband died no later than 1652.

Research Notes

Richard Bernard is double first cousin to Willliam Bernard who immigrated from England to Virginia about 22 years before Richard. Being a double first cousin is the same genetically as being a sibling. William and Richard have the same grandparents - all four of them, because their fathers, Richard Bernard and Francis Bernard, who were brothers, married the Woolhouse sisters, Elizabeth and Mary.^[1][2]

Research Notes

Baptism

Marlyn Lewis says that Richard was baptised at Turvey, Bedfordshire on 12 March 1609, but this is not supported by the sources cited, which are the books of Douglas Richardson and David Faris's Plantagenet Ancestry of Seventeenth-century Colonists.^[11] it is not clear where Marlyn Lewis got this information from, and the Turvey baptism records for this period do not seem to be viewable online.

Death Place

Marlyn Lewis gives Richard's burial place as Gloucester, Virginia - again not supported by the sources cited.^[11]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11} Douglas Richardson. Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 4 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham, 2nd edition (Salt Lake City: the author, 2011), Vol. I, p. 187, BERNARD 14.ii.a, Google Books
2. ↑ ^{2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11} Douglas Richardson. Royal Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, 5 vols, ed. Kimball G. Everingham (Salt Lake City: the author, 2013), Vol. I, p. 345, BERNARD 17.ii.a
3. ↑ College of Arms, Bishop of London Marriage Licences, Vol II, 1611-1828, p. 220, FindMyPast
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} Bernard Family in 'The William and Mary Quarterly', 1st series, Vol. 5, No.1 (July 1896), pp. 62-64, viewable on JSTOR (registration - free - required)
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} "England & Wales, Prerogative Court of Canterbury Wills, 1384-1858", The National Archives; Kew, Surrey, England; Records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, Series PROB 11; Class: PROB 11; Piece: 355, Ancestry Sharing Link - Ancestry Record 5111 #986383 (accessed 7 March 2023): Will of Elianor Corderoy, granted probate on 10 Dec 1677
6. ↑ Frederick Lewis Weis (with additions and corrections by Walter Lee Sheppard and William R Beall). The Magna Carta Sureties, 1215, 5th edition, Genealogical Publishing Company, 1999, p. 66 (line 46/15)
7. ↑ William Paley Baildon. The Records of the Honorable Society of Lincoln's Inn. The Black Books, Vol. II, Lincoln's Inn, 1898, p. 339, Internet Archive
8. ↑ Nell Marion Nugent. Cavaliers and Pioneers, Abstracts of Virginia Land Patents and Grants 1623-1800, Vol. I, Dietz Printing Co, 1934, p. 211, Hathi Trust
9. ↑ Virginia Gleanings in England in 'The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 75, Internet Archive
10. ↑ The Smiths of Virginia in 'The William and Mary Quarterly', Vol. 4, No. 1, 1895, pp. 46-47, Hathi Trust
11. ↑ ^{11.0 11.1} Marlyn Lewis, 'Our Royal, Titled, Noble and Commoner Ancestors', entry for Richard Bernard

Acknowledgements

Magna Carta Project

This profile was re-reviewed for the Magna Carta Project by Michael Cayley on 13 October 2022.

Richard Bernard is listed in Magna Carta Ancestry as a Gateway Ancestor (vol. I, pages xxiii-xxix) and was identified by the Magna Carta Project in a project approved/badged trail (reviewed in March 2015) to Magna Carta Surety Baron John FitzRobert. Over time, the project identified other badged trails connecting this Gateway to surety barons Roger le Bigod, Hugh le Bigod, Richard de Clare, Gilbert de Clare, John de Lacy and Saher de Quincy. Richard Bernard is also the Gateway in a Richardson-documented trail to Robert de Ros (vol. 1, pages 186-188 BERNARD) and another trail, to surety William d'Aubigny, branches off that Ros trail. These two trails were badged in October 2022. All the trails named above are outlined in the Magna Carta Trails section, below.

See Base Camp for more information about identified Magna Carta trails and their status. See the project's glossary for project-specific terms, such as a "badged trail".

Magna Carta Trails

Badged trail to FitzRobert (2015):

Gateway Ancestor Richard Bernard (badged/100% 5-star)

1. Richard is the son of Richard Bernard (badged/re-reviewed 19 October 2022)

2. Richard is the son of Francis Bernard (badged/100% 5-star)

3. Francis is the son of John Bernard (badged/100% 5-star)

4. John is the son of John Bernard (badged/100% 5-star)

5. John is the son of Margaret Scrope (badged/100% 5-star)

6. Margaret is the daughter of Henry le Scrope (badged/100% 5-star)

7. Henry is the son of Margaret Neville (badged/100% 5-star)

8. Margaret is the daughter of Ralph Neville (badged/100% 5-star)

9. Ralph is the son of John de Neville (badged/100% 5-star)

10. John is the son of Ralph de Neville (badged/100% 5-star)

11. Ralph is the son of Euphame Clavering (badged/100% 5-star)

12. Euphame is the daughter fo Robert FitzRoger (badged/100% 5-star)

13. Robert is the son of Roger FitzJohn (badged/100% 5-star)

14. Roger is the son of Magna Carta Surety John FitzRobert

Badged trails to the Bigods, Lacy, Quincy and the Clares (after 2015):

9. Ralph Neville is the son of Maud Percy (badged/100% 5-star)

10. Maud is the daughter of Idoine de Clifford (badged/100% 5-star)

11. Idoine is the daughter of Robert de Clifford (badged/100% 5-star)

12. Robert is the son of Isabel Vipont (badged/100% 5-star)

13. Isabel is the daughter of Isabel FitzJohn (badged/100% 5-star)

14. Isabel is the daughter of Isabel Bigod (badged/100% 5-star)

15. Isabel is the daughter of Magna Carta Surety Hugh le Bigod

16. Hugh is the son of Magna Carta Surety Roger le Bigod

11. Idoine de Clifford is the daughter of Maud de Clare (badged/100% 5-star)

12. Maud is the daughter of Thomas de Clare (badged/100% 5-star)

13. Thomas is the son of Maud de Lacy (badged/100% 5-star)

14. Maud is the daughter of Magna Carta Surety John de Lacy

14. Maud de Lacy is the daughter of Margaret de Quincy (badged/100% 5-star)

15. Margaret is the daughter of Robert de Quincy (badged/100% 5-star)

16. Robert is the son of Magna Carta Surety Saher de Quincy

13. Thomas de Clare is the son of Richard de Clare (badged/100% 5-star)

14. Richard is the son of Magna Carta Surety Gilbert de Clare

15. Gilbert is the son of Magna Carta Surety Richard de Clare

Badged Richardson-documented trail to Ros (MCA 1:186-188 BERNARD):

7. Henry le Scrope is the son of Richard le Scrope (badged/R&A 30 Oct 2022)

8. Richard is the son of Margaret Tiptoft (badged/R&A 3 Nov 2022)

9. Margaret is the daughter of Robert de Tibetot (badged/100% 5-star)

10. Robert is the son of John de Tibetot (badged/100% 5-star)

11. John is the son of Agnes de Ros (badged/100% 5-star)

12. Agnes is the daughter of William de Ros (badged/100% 5-star)

13. William is the son of Robert de Roos (badged/100% 5-star)

14. Robert is the son of William de Roos (badged/100% 5-star)

15. William is the son of Magna Carta Surety Robert de Ros

Badged trail to Albini:

13. William de Ros is the son of Isabel d'Aubigny (badged/100% 5-star)

14. Isabel is the daughter of William d'Aubigny (badged/100% 5-star)

15. William is the son of Magna Carta Surety William d'Aubigny