iii. Samuel, entered at University College, Oxon, 3 November,
1737, died s. p. iv. Sarah, died s. p.
Edward, son and heir, of Old Road. Antigua, and Newlands, in the parish of Thames Ditton, co. Surrey, born 9 May, 1710, m. in 1747, Mary, dau. of -- Bennet, of Penryth, co. Cumberland. He, dying 6 April, 1784, was buried at Thames Ditton, aforesaid, leaving issue by his wife, i. Rowland-Edward, son and heir. ii. Samuel, who possessed an estate in Hampshire, and dying s. p. in 1825, was buried at Lyndhurst, in that county.
Rowland-Edward, as eldest son, inherited the family estates of Old Road, Antigua, and Newlands, co. Surrey, born 18 Dec 1784, m. Mary, dau. of Robert Symes, of the Island of Jamaica, Esq., and dying 28 Nov. 1826, in the seventy-eighth year of his age, left issue two sons,
i. Rowland-Edward, son and heir.
ii. Samuel Williams, captain in the Royal Navy, and two daus.
Rowland-Edward Williams, as eldest son, possesses the family estates in England and Antigua, the patrimonial domains of his ancestors, who came in among the first settlers; member of her Majesty's privy council in that island, and late captain in the 10th regiment of Hussars, m. Mary-Anne, dau. of Sir Patrick Ross, K.C.B., (then captain-general and governor-in-chief of the Leeward Caribbee Islands,) who, dying at the early age of thirty-two, left issue by him two sons, one of which only survives.
Nos. 8 & 9.
GENEALOGY OF THE CODRINGTON FAMILY.
One of the great ancestors of the Codrington family was John de Codrington, grandson of Geoffrey Codrington, standard-bearer to Henry V., 1415; he afterwards purchased the manor of Wapeley in 1455, living to the great age of 112; died in 1475. From this source descends the family of Codrington connected with Antigua.
Geoffrey Codrington, of Codrington, co. Gloucester, left issue a son, Robert, of the same place, and also of Sodbury. Robert had issue three sons, Morvail, Humphry, and John.
John, m. and had issue, Christopher, and Edward.
Edward, m. and had a son,
Thomas, who m. and had a son,
Simon, who died in 1618, leaving by his wife, Anne, co-heiress of Richard Seacole, of Didmarton, co. Gloucester, three sons,
i. John. ii. Giles. iii. Robert.
Robert Codrington, m. Anne, co-heiress of Richard Stubbs, and left issue, Christopher, and John. John was of Didmarton, and died in 1670.
Christopher, the eldest son, was a lieutenant-colonel in the army, and settled in Barbados in the year 1649, after having contended in the Royal cause; he married and had two sons, Christopher, and John, the latter colonel of the Life-guards in Barbados, of whom presently.
Christopher, the elder son, was governor of the Leeward Islands in 1689, and died in 1698, leaving, by ------, his wife, two sons, Christopher, the celebrated founder of All Souls', Oxford, and John, who died in the lifetime of his brother.
Christopher, the elder son, was the purchaser, from his cousin, Samuel, of Doddington, in Gloucestershire, and was appointed to succeed his father in the government of the Leeward Islands, in 1698. Among his great possessions in the West Indies, he had an estate called "Betty's Hope," in Antigua, from whence, 22 Feb. 1702, was dated his will, making such munificent bequests for the foundation of a college in Barbados, and to All Souls' College, Oxford, which is thus described in a contemporary work, among the remarkable events of the year 1710:-- "About the same time (21 July, 1710) came advice from the Leeward Islands of the death of Col. Christopher Codrington, for some time captain-general of those Islands. He left the bulk of his estate to his cousin-german, Col. William Codrington, of Barbados, (and also of Antigua,) which is reckoned to amount to 40,000l. and upwards. He most generously bequeathed 20,000l. to the Society for Propagating the Faith in that part of the world; and having for many years been Fellow of All Souls', Oxford, gave that college 10,000l., as also his noble library, valued at 6000l. more. He ordered his body to be buried there, and allowed only 20l. for a gravestone upon it, but left 1500l. for erecting a monument for his father in _Westminster Abbey_." And to his remaining estates, his cousin, Col. William Codrington succeeded accordingly. He was a Member of the Council of the Island of Antigua, and son of Col. John Codrington, of the Life-guards, Barbados, by his wife, the dau. of Col. Bates, of the same island. Col. William Codrington is spoken of in very high terms by "Oldmixon," in his "British Empire in America," _as one of the two men of the best heads and best fortunes in British America_, (Col. Edward Byam, as already mentioned, being the other,) and was very deservedly created a Baronet, 21 April, 1721. He died 17 Dec. 1738, leaving by his wife, Elizabeth, dau. of William Bethel, of Swindon, co. York, Esq., four sons, i. William, second Bart., who succeeded him, and of whom hereafter. ii. John-Archibald, died s. p. in 1759. iii. Christopher, m., and died s. p. in 1797. iv. Edward.
To John Archibald he bequeathed his Barbados estates. To Christopher he bequeathed an estate called "Rooms's," in Antigua. To Edward the Folly estate in that island, (now modernized into "Bath Lodge,") and comprising "Betty's Hope," the "Cotton Estate," and the "Cables," all in the Island of Antigua, and the entire Island of Barbuda, in the general bequest to his eldest son and successor.
Sir William, second Bart., M.P. for Minehead, co. Somerset, dying 11 March, 1792, left, by Anne, his wife, the dau. of -- Acton, Esq., a son and heir of his own name--viz.,
Sir William, third Bart., who died in France in 1816, whereupon his cousin,
Christopher-Bethel Codrington, of Dodington Park, co. Gloucester, assumed the title, asserting his cousin to have died in France, without lawful issue. He was the son of Edward, by his wife, Rebecca Le Sturgeon, and grandson of Sir William, the first Bart., the son of Col. John Codrington, Treasurer of Barbados, by his wife, the dau. of Col. Bates, of the same island, as already mentioned. Besides Christopher-Bethel, of Dodington Park, Edward was the father of Sir Edward Codrington, the hero of Navarino, G.C.B., K.S.L., K.S.G., and Rear-Admiral of the Blue; and also of Caroline, the wife of Joseph-Lyons Walrond, of Walrond's and Lyon's Estates, in Antigua, and of Dulford House, co. Devon, and by whom she has, Bethel Walrond, Esq., formerly M.P. for Sudbury, who m. in 1829, Lady Janet Erskine, dau. of the Earl of Rosslyn. Sir Christopher-Bethel, of Dodington Park, aforesaid, m. 15 Aug. 1796, the Hon. Carolina-Georgiana-Harriott Foley, dau. of Thomas, second Lord Foley, (by Harriott, dau. of William, second Earl of Harrington, by Caroline Fitzroy, dau. of Charles, second Duke of Grafton, K.G.,) and by her had, (among other children,)
Sir William-Christopher, the present Bart., born 12 March, 1805, and m. Lady Georgiana Somerset, dau. of his Grace the present Duke of Beaufort.
It may be right to observe, that the title is disputed by his cousin, William-Raimond Codrington, who alleges himself to be the legitimate son of William, the third Bart., but this is a litigation into which we shall not enter.
No. 10.
GENEALOGY OF THE MATHEW FAMILY.
The family of the Mathews originally came from Glamorganshire, (where they were one with the Mathews, Earls of Llandaff,) emigrated to the West Indies, from Cornwall, in the Heraldic Visitation for which county, in 1622, they are mentioned. The lineal descent of the present branch of the family, from the first settler of the name, may be traced in the following manner --viz.,
Abednego Mathew, of Pennetenny and St. Kew, co. Cornwall, born in 1629, was a colonel in the army, and emigrating to the West Indies, obtained grants of land, first in Antigua, and afterwards in St Christopher's, of which island he became governor, through the interest (it is supposed) of his second cousin, George, Duke of Albemarle, and Sir Richard Grenville, and which situation he honourably filled until his death, 18 April, 1681. He m. a Miss Sparrow, a West Indian heiress, by whom he left issue two sons, i. Charles, colonel in the army, m. Miss Dashwood. His arms, impaled with those of Dashwood, are given in a General Atlas, published in 1721, to which work he was a subscriber. ii. William, Knt.
Sir William Mathew was one of the brightest luminaries the West Indies produced: a brave soldier--an accomplished gentleman--a true friend--and a good governor. He was colonel of Monk's own regiment, the Coldstream-guards, and highly distinguished himself by his gallant bearing and true martial glory, at the siege of Namur, Neerwinden, &c., under William III. In 1702, he was nominated brigadier-general of her Majesty's Guards; and in 1704, appointed captain-general and governor-in-chief of the Leeward Caribbee Islands, and sailing from England at the beginning of June, in a squadron consisting of five men-of-war, and six transports, arrived at Antigua, the seat of his government, 14 July, 1704, where he died 4th Dec following. Sir William Mathew