Lucy (Parke) Byrd (1685 - 1716)

Born 1685 in James City, Virginia

Ancestors

Wife of William Evelyn Byrd Jr. — married 4 May 1706 (to 23 Nov 1716) in Virginia

Descendants

Died 23 Nov 1716 at about age 31 in London, England

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Rick Gardiner [send private message]

Biography

Lucy Parke

Origin

Lucy was born c. 1685 at Queens Creek, James City, Virginia Colony, a daughter of Colonel Daniel Parke Jane Ludwell. Her father, Daniel Parke, was a gentleman planter of Virginia who later became governor of the Leeward Islands.^[1]

Marriage

Lucy married to William Byrd II.^[2] Theirs was a turbulent marriage. Frequently arguments centered around Lucy's treatment of the slaves.

The most violent quarrels were about the house servants, whom Mrs. Byrd abused with a sadistic cruelty that shocked even her husband, who was no humanitarian. One domestic battle occurred when Lucy Byrd ordered a little slave girl named Jenny to be burned with a hot iron for a minor fault (citing Fischer).^[2]

Death and Legacy

Lucy died died in England of smallpox in 1716.^[2]

Research Notes

from Jouett Taylor Prisley family history and genealogy:

Lucy came from an impressive background as daughter of Daniel Parke, Governor General of the Leeward Islands and formerly aide-de-camp to the Duke of Marlborough.

It is stated that "a few months after Lucy Parke Byrd died, her husband married Maria Taylor, daughter of Thomas Taylor of Kensington, England.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} "Jouett Taylor Prisley family history and genealogy."
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} Chipman, Jeffrey Thomas, (May 30, 2011) "A Cavalier Atitude: an Essential Primer on Colonial Virginia Genealogy." accessed 22 August 2016.

See also:

• Fischer, David Hackett, (1989) Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America. New York: Oxford University Press, (pp. 287-290).