There were obviously as many families of Duke/Ducke of Virginia as there were of Harris, and the tendency to seek a common ancestor is fanciful. However, concerning the origins of a Ducke family connected to those of Parker and Merrit, a suggestion may be made, which, although not seeming to have any direct bearing on the ancestry of such as the Harris, may point to shared connections – a ‘continuation of associations’, from Somerset to the New world.

Much about Somerset can be gleaned from ‘Sessions of the Peace’, which were courts held in various locations, to settle local disputes, mete out punishments, arrange for tax collection, and oversee the maintenance of local roads and bridges. They were resided over by local dignatories, such as the Barbers, Bulls, Rodneys, Rosses, and Symes. The Rodneys were intermarried with the Hodges, the Rosses with the Lancasters of Virginia; Rice Davies was connected to the Pitts of Virginia.

In the following court, a case against Thomas Ducke was considered:

GENERAL SESSIONS OF THE PEACE HELD AT WELLS, the 8th, 9th, l0th, and 11th days of January, 8 Charles (1632-3), before Sir William Portman, Baronet, Sir Ralph Hopton, K.B., Sir Ferdinand Gorge, Sir Robert Phelipps, Sir Edward Rodney, Knights, Gerard Wood, D.D., Paul Godwyn, D.D., Robert Hopton, John Harrington, Francis Barber, John Farewell, Richard Cole, Rice Davies, James Farewell, and Abraham Burrell, Esquires.

Whereas Thomas Ducke of Hambridge was bound over to this Sessions for refusinge to give any maintenance unto fower poore children of one George Ducke sonne of the said Thomas Ducke but sufferinge the said children to lye uppon the charge of the parishe of Kingsbury the said Thomas Ducke beinge a man of sufficiency and grandfather of the said children, yt is at this Sessions ordered by the consent of the said Thomas Ducke that he the said Thomas Ducke shall allow and pay unto the Overseers of the poore of the said parishe of Kingsbury the some of six pounds yearly and to bee payd monthly from this tyme for and towards the releife of the said fower children and to bee by them imployed accordingly, and this paiment to continue untill a suite now Dependinge in his Maj’ies high Court of Chancery betweene the said Thomas Ducke and Ruben Cooke and Margery Ducke concerninge the same bee fully heard and ended. (S.A, Ixix, ii, 69).

Thus, Thomas Ducke was of deep pocket.

His son, George, had married Margery Cooke. Thomas Ducke was born circa 1580. He is mentioned in another sessional hearing of 1 September 1630: ‘Thomas Ducke may alienate a messuage in Hambridge in parish of Curry Rivel, Som. to William Coward, gent‘. His son, John, is recorded as being baptised in Curry Rivel: 31 January 1607, ‘John s. of Thomas Ducke’. He was alive in 1648: Ducke v Lye. Plaintiffs: Thomas Ducke. Defendants: John Lye. Place or subject: property in Hambridge, Somerset. (Nat. Arch ref. C 7/412/31). It can be assumed that a namesake mentioned in a court case of 1698 was a descendant of his: Ducke v Starre. Plaintiffs: Thomas Ducke. Defendants: John Starre, Marie Eliot, Thomas Moore, John Lie, William Barker and John Greene. Subject: title deeds of premises in Curry Rivel, Somerset. (Nat. Arch ref. C 3/485/1).

Thomas Duke was the grandson, I reasonably suppose, of a Thomas Duke who married into the family of John Walton, of High Ham, Somerset:

1. …

1.1. John Walton. Oct. 17, 1549, Proved by Thomas Walton, May 4, 1551. (14 Bucke). Buried in the Church of High Ham, in the Chauncell, between Mr Dyer, sometime Parson of the same Church, and my two wives. To the Cathedral Church of Wells, 6 d. To the mayntenance of Goddis Dyvyne Service in the Church of Netherham, six good wether sheepe. … To my son Alexander Walton, my purchase in West Monckton, with appurtenances. To my son Andrew Walton & his heirs, all my lands in Langport Easton, Langport Weston, Som’ … To my daughter Joane Walton, £40, and ‘oon flate pece with a cover of silver parcel gilted, and oon bedde with appurtenances’, she to be ordered in her marriage by Sir Thomas Dyer, Kt, and William & Thomas Walton, her brothers. To my daughter Elisabeth Walton, £40, & the same to my daughter Agnes Walton. To my cousin Richard Walton, son of my brother William Walton,* the elder, my wood knyfe. 12d to the poor people of two Alms houses in Glastonbury. Residue to my son Thomas Walton, Exr. My brother Walton, & my gossip Uppham, overseers. ‘And I beseche the Lyvyn God Recyve my soule unto His endless mercy’.
1.2. *William Walton, of Shapwick, Somerset, m. 1. Joan  (2. Elizabeth). See Weaver’s Visitations of the County of Somerset, p. 134, 1885.
1.2.1. Dunston Walton. P.C.C., last will and testament, proved 29 March 1572, of Dunstan Walton (d. 19 March 1572), brother-in-law of the poet, Thomas Watson (d. 1592). After his death, his widow, Blanche (d. 24 April 1593), m. the London grocer and mercer, John Lambert. After his death, she married the London Lord Mayor, Thomas Skinner. The testator leaves bequests to his wife’s brother, John Watson (d. 19 December 1574)and sister, Anne (nee Watson) Ducke (d. 18 October 1574) and her daughter, Blanche. Ann Walton had firstly m. Thomas Watson, and, secondly, Thomas Ducke. Dunston Walton was one of the largest exporters of broadcloths.
1.2.2. Richard Walton. Cal. Pat. 1553-4, 89; lease of Shapwick.
1.2.2.1. Richard Walton, of Shapwick, Som. Esqr. Feb. 8, 1609. Admn. to Jane Worth, alias Walton, daughter of deceased.
1.2.2.2. Thomas Walton, of Shapwick, Som, Esqr. March 6, 1610. Proved April 29, 1611. (34 Wood) To be buried near my wife in the Chancel of Shapwick Church. To Richard, my son, my lands, &c, in Butleigh Wooton, Compton Dundon, Streate, Langporte Eston, Langport Weston, Weeke Perham, Curry Rivell, Drayton, &c, & elsewhere, to him & his heirs. In default, to my said daughter. Residue of my goods to my son Richard Walton, Exr. My friends, John Maye, Esqr, my brother William Walton, & Richard Hadley, clerk, overseers, to each £6. 13. 4. Proved by William Walton, brother, one of the overseers, during the minority of Richard Walton, son.
1.2.2.2.1. Richard Walton. The Waltons intermarried with the Martins: Nov. 1658. *Richard Walton, of Baltonsborough, Som., granted to Thomas Godwyn, uncle & Guardian assigned to Thomas Martyn, a minor, son of Thomas Martyn, nephew & next-of-kin to Richard Walton, deceased, because Thomas Martyn, the elder, & William Martyn, the nephew, have renounced the administration.  A Martin family of Wedmore intermarried with the Cowncells of that place; ‘Gulielmus Martin & Johannam Cowncell, 10 May 1567′.
1.2.2.3. William Walton, of Wooton Butleigh, Som. gent. Jany. 28 1616-17. Proved by Ann Walton, relict, during the minority of Francis Walton. (59 Weldon) … Also the Tithes of Moorlinch, parcel of the Rectory of Shapwicke, Mary Coke, my kins- woman. My son Francis Walton, Exr.
1.2.2.3.1. Francis walton.
1.2.3. Thomas Walton, d. 1576, Richard’s step-brother.
1.2.3.1. Thomas Walton, d. 1622.
1.2.3.1.1. Francis Walton, conveyed Shapwick manor to Abraham Burrell

Thus, Thomas Ducke of Curry Rivel was a neighbour of his Walton kinsfolk, one of whom mentioned in his will ‘Mary Coke, my kins-woman’. (Cooke).

The North/South road from Wedmore runs through High Ham after 12 miles, and Curry Rivel after 20 miles. This, however, disguises the potential nearness of families, as southerly hamlets of Wedmore meet with the northerly ones of High Ham, the same relationship obviously being shared with the hamlets of High Ham and Curry Rivel.

A Browning family were of Wedmore:

1. Richard Browning
1.1. Margaret Browninge, m. John Cowncell, 28 Apr 1567, leading to Hodges cowncell, I suggest.
1.2. Richard Browning.
1.2.1. John Browning.
1.2.1.1. John Browning, bapt. 15 May 1587.
1.2.1.2. Robert Browninge, bapt. 22 Jan. 1588.
1.2.1.2.1. Christiana Browning, bapt. 21 Jan. 1609.
1.2.1.2.1.1. Thomas Browning, bapt. 5 Feb. 1633.
1.2.1.3. Thomas Browning, bapt. 31 Mar. 1595.
1.2.2. Jane Browning, bapt. 7 Feb. 1601, m. Henry Marten, 28 Apr. 1623.

A Parker family were of Wedmore:

1. William Parker, m. Antonia Gibbs, 3 July 1589
1.1. William Parker: Edward Cook, 100 acs. in W. branch of Nanzemum Riv., adj. his own and land of William Parker. 17 Mar. 1654, p. 316. Edward Cooke was bapt. 9 Sept. 1610, in Wedmore, son of Edward Cooke, bapt. 28 Oct. 1565 and Diana Hutchins, who m. 1 Aug. 1594. Edward Cooke Sr. was probably the br. of Benjamin Cooke, whose son, John Cooke, was bapt. 30 Nov. 1602.
1.2. Thomas Parker, m. Margaret Cooke, 9 March 1612, dau. of the said Edward and Diana.
1.2.1. Richard Parker; d. bef. 23 Apr. 1681 in Nansemond Co.
1.2.1.1. Richard Parker, d. 1698-1704.
1.2.1.1.1. Richard Parker: Granted 304 acres near the head of Bennett’s Creek. 15 Oct. 1698: Richard Parker 48 acs. Nansamond Co.; E. side of the S. br. of Nansamond River; adj. Thomas Parker; Thomas Harrell; Thomas Duke; & Rich’d Parker’s Cross Sw. patent. (B.3. p.24)
1.2.1.1.1.1. Peter Parker, named in the Will of his father (1749), as was his br., Jonathon Parker, who was a jurist in a trial concerning James Bland.
1.2.1.1.1.1.1. Thomas Parker, d. 1782.
1.2.1.2. Thomas Parker: 23 Apr. 1681: Thomas Duke 430 acs. Up Par. of Nazemond ‘Neare Thomas Harrell: adj. Thomas Parker: the Cross Sw.; & 200 acs. formely belonging to William Wright & 200 acs. granted sa. Wright 18 Mar. 1662 who conveyed to sd. Duke; 230 acs. for trans. of 5 pers. Tho. Duke , Tho. Duke, Fra. Marr, Jno. Deverett, Wm Harring. (B.2, p. 221).  16 Apr. 1683: Thomas Parker 150 acs. Up. Par. of Nansimund. Beg. at Col Thomas Dew, at the mouth of Craeny Cr., issueing out of the southern br. including Racoone Island. (B. 2, P. 258). 25 Mar. 1700: Daniel Pugh willed 250 acs. adj. Cross Swamp to his grandson, John Duke ‘being the son & heir of his daughter Ann’ (Pugh). 26 Apr. 1711: Thomas Duke Jr & John Duke , his brother, 49 acs (N.L.) Up. Par. of Nansemond Co.; on the W’wd side of the S’n br. of Nansemond Riv; Beg. in line of Thomas Duke, their father, near land of Francis Mace. (B.3, p. 119). 1 March 1719: Samuel Merriot 640 acs. Chowan Precinct; joining John Pipkin, the sd. Merriot, ye Beaver Dam Branch, John Duke, John Drury & Joseph Ballard. (Hoffmann 3047).
1.2.1.3. Francis Parker. 16 Apr. 1683: Francis Parker 20 acs. Up. Par. of Nansimind “In the line of Hood’s Neck , in possession of sd. Parker; to Cross Swamp Pattent , granted his father Richard Parker Sr. Adj. Jerico, now belonging to Col. Thomas Dew.” (ibid.)

The Harrells intermarried with the Scotts:

On January 13, 1745, Richard Harrell Sr., a planter from Perquimans County sold 210 acres in Perquimans Co. to his son-in-law, James Scott. This land was just above the Roanoke River, in southern Bertie County. Richard’s Will was probated in the April Court of 1762. It named his sons, Dempsey, James and John; his grandsons Jacob and Jonathon Duke; his daughter,Martha Sheppard; his son, Richard; and his daughters, Zilpha Scott, Elizabeth Spivey, Sarah Hobbs, Ann Felton, Margaret Hill, and Mary Eason. He named his wife, Margaret, and son, John, executors. The witnesses were John Scott, James Scott, and Nicholas Stallings.

The Harrells intermarried with the Higgs:

In his will written on July 21, 1767, John Harrell named his sons Moses, Bayley, Lemuel, and Solomon; his daughters, Judah Higgs and Lucy Davenport; his sons, Amos and Gideon. His sons, Baley and Lemuel, were named as executors. The witnesses were Nicholas Skinner, Jacob Harrell, and John Higgs.

On 4 May l659, Thomas Browning sold his land on Hoskins Creek to John Cooke. (Rapp. B. 2, p.55). John Cooke assigned to Thomas Meader, dec’d, and given by will to Thomas Meader, orphan on 9 April 1664. (C&P, pp. 477-478).

Did Francis Browning, whomever he was, m. Rachel Merrit?

A Merrit family were of High Ham, neighbours of the waltons, into which family the Duckes intermarried.

John Meriot & Elizabeth Marden, 7 May 1603.
John Meriot & Julianna Scott, 3 June 1611.
John Meryott & Maria Stacie, 30 May 1636.
John Merriott & Christianna Higges, 3 May 1641.
Nicholas Merriott 7 Joanna Petty, 23 May 1641.
Thomas Meriat had son, Thomas baptized at High Ham, 2 May 1622.
Thomas Meriott of High Ham, Will proved 15 May 1634, wife Margaret.

Was Thomas Duke of Nansemond the son of George Duke, son of Thomas Duke?

It seems a reasonable conjecture.
Ad.

Thomas Ducke of Hambridge, and Thomas Ducke of Priddy, are mentioned in the Will of Robert Ducke, rector of Charlton Mackrell, Will pr. 20 Nov. 1583 (TNA Prob. 11166, fol. 118v). He also names John Holman, and res. leg. and exec. William Harrys. That the chantry of Charlton Mackrell church was vested in Sir Thomas Bell and Richard Duke, it may reasonably be presumed that Robert Ducke’s office arose from a family connection, as most did. Sir John Horsey held the advowson, and in 1567 presented John Sprynt as rector, Richard Duke’s kinsman.

Richard Duke, d. 1572, was Clerk of the Court of Augmentations, who acquired large grants of former monastic lands in the West Country following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. He was Sheriff of Devon in 1563–64. He was b. ‘by 1515, 1st s. of Henry Duke by Maud, da. of Roger White. educ. Temple, adm. 8 Feb. 1533. m. (1) by Apr. 1539, Elizabeth, da. of John Franke of Yorks., 1da.; (2) settlement 20 Apr. 1562, Joan, da. of Thomas Hoby or Halby of London, wid. of William Pantin of London and John Sprint of Bristol, Glos. 1s. d.v.p. The Dukes are said to have lived at Otterton from the time of Edward III and the manor became Richard Duke’s chief residence outside London’. (The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558, ed. S.T. Bindoff, 1982).

It is reasonable to assume that Thomas Ducke of Hambridge was of the Otterton pedigree, as suggested by Vivian, the antiquarian, which offers the only feasible account of the Ducke pedigree on chronological grounds, and is not the usual amalgam of different families. It can be added that the first record I can find that connects the Duckes of Otterton with Poherhayes is a letter dated 26 Jul.1584 from the father of Sir walter Raleigh requesting to purchase a farm from Richard Ducke of Otterton, d. 1606, in Hays, formerly called Poers-Hay, now Dukes-Hays, citing that he was born there. Any connection before this is of the ‘it is said’ category. It may also be added that I can not find evidence of the Duckes being mentioned in the cartulary of Otterton Priory, as is sometimes claimed; and said to ‘connect’ them to the Poers, who are frequently mentioned.

1. … Ducke, it is said, m. Cecily Poer, dau. of Roger Poer of Poerhayes, temp. Richard II.; 1377-1399. There was ‘it is said’ a shield on the front of a house immediately on the north side of Otterton church, on which appeared the arms of Ducke and Poer, quartered, ‘Ducke 1 and 4, per fess, argent and azure, 3 chaplets counterchanged; 2 and 3, for Le Poer, per pale wavy, or and azure. The practice of erroneously quartering arms with those of a supposed ancestress was common enough in the ‘visitation’ period, especially by a family who ‘had made good’ and which sought a salubrious association.
1.1. Richard Ducke. (Vivian).
1.1.1. Richard Ducke. (Vivian).
1.1.1.1. Richard Ducke, Mayor of Exeter. In 1522, he reformed the ale-houses and made landlords responsible for the good behaviour of their customers. (Vivian).

1.1.1.2. Henry Ducke, born c. 1480, merchant of Exeter, m. Maud White, dau. of Roger White of Ottery St. Mary. (Hist. Parl. Trust).
1.1.1.2.1. Richard Duke, Sheriff of Devon, born by 1515, d. 1572. The manor of Otterton in 1540 was purchased of Henry VIII. by Richard Ducke, esq., a clerk of the Augmentation Court, for the sum of £1727 4.9. 2d. This new proprietor, as we are told by Sir William Pole, (Collections, p. 151) “builded a fayre howse in this place on an ascent over the river Otter, which driveth his miles underneath the howse”.
1.1.1.2.1.1. Christiana Duke, m. George Sprint.
1.1.1.2.2. John Ducke of Prynne, Devon, m. 1. Ellen Midleton, dau of Thomas Midleton. 2. Agnes, dau. of John Grindal, relict of Sprint and Parker.
1.1.1.2.2.1. Richard Ducke of Otterton, bur. 21 Mar. 1606, m. 1. Martha Parker, d. 1582, dau. of John Parker, a merchant of London, which might be suggestive of the origins if the Parkers of Wedmore; consider: Release 1. Richard Duke of Otterton, esquire, 2 George Parker, son and heir apparent of Edmund Parker. Fee farm rent of £5 issuing out of the manor and barton of Boringdon. Consideration £80. 19 May 1673. (Plymouth and West Devon Record Office, ref. 69/M/2/25. That ‘William Harrys’ was the exec. of Robert Ducke, rector of Charlton Mackrell, might also suggest a Devonshire connection of the Harris family of Wedmore/Cheddar.

1. Sir Roger Giffard of Brightlegh, m. Margaret, dau. and heir of John Coblegh of Brightlegh.
1.1.John Giffard, m. Mary, dau. of Sir Richard Grenvile, of Buckland-Monachorum.
1.1.1.John Giffard, m. Honor Erle, dau. of … Erle of Charborough, in Dorsetshire.
1.1.1.1. Arthur Giffard, m. Ann, dau. of Thomas Legh, of Northam, esq., and had issue: Mary (n.b. m. Hugh Wyot of Braunton), Elizabeth, (m. Arthur Harris, Esq., recorder of Great Torrington, and younger brother of John Harris, of Hayne, Esq., sans issue).
1.2. Roger Giffard, esq., m. secondly, Agnes, dau. of John Grindal, of London, merchant, the relict of John Duke of Otterton, before that of Grail, ere that the relict of Sprint, but first the widow of Parker of London, sans issue; thirdly he married a dau. of John Prouz of Tiverton, the widow of Walrond, of the same, and had issue George; who m. a dau. of Thomas Hodges, of Wedmore near Wells, Somerset.

Another point of the compass which points to the origins of Thomas Ducke of Curry Rivel is his grant to William Coward, a kinsman of sorts.

1 September 1630: Thomas Ducke may alienate (grant) a messuage in Hambridge in parish of Curry Rivel, Som. to William Coward gent.

This informs of a connection between Thomas Ducke and Arthur Duck:

1. John Coward, of West Pennard, Somerset, Yeoman. Will proved Feb. 7, 1591, by Thomas & Elizabeth Coward. (16 Harrington). To be buried in the churchyard, near my father & wife. My father Robert Coward, decd. Edward Coward, my son. Thomas & Elizabeth, my children. John Whytinge, my brother in law. Cogitation of marriage between Thomas Coward, my son, & Mary, daughter of William Watkyns, of Wells, gent.
1.1. Thomas Coward, of Wells, Somerset, gent. Will proved Apr. 27, 1621, by Mary Coward the relict, & Thomas Coward the son. (30 Dale). To be buried at St Cuthberts. To my younger son William Coward, the mansion in Chamberlain Street, where Hugh Halswell, Esq., now dwelleth. My son Thomas, & my wife Mary, Exors. Arthur Duck, Chancellor to the Bishop of Bath & Wells, Timothy Revett, D.D., Archdeacon of Bath, Thomas Southworth, Recorder of Wells, & (his br.) Henry Southworth, Overseers. My sister Elizabeth Walton, widow, & her four children. Edward Southworth (d. by 1573), of Salmesbury, Lancashire, Mercer of London, who settled in Wells, Som. by 1564, m. Jane, da. of Edward Lloyd of Llwynymaen, Salop; their son, Henry, was the father of Margaret (Southworth) Duck, Wife of Arthur Duck, as follows. Edward Southworth was named in the Will of Dunstan Walton (‘my cousin, Edward Sothwarthe (Southworth), and to his wife, forty shillings in money’), br.-in-law of Thomas Ducke,as heretobefore given.

In reading that which follows it should be recognised that Heavitree is 10 mls fr. Otterton, Devon.

1. Richard Ducke. Lease. 1. Roger Leighe of Sowton, yeoman. 2. Richard Ducke of Heavitree, yeoman. 1. in right of his wife Elizabeth and wardship of her son John Clemente alias Fishe is seised of a fourth part of St. Loyes, which he leases to 2. Fine: £33. Rent: 10s.Term: 17 years from 1 June. 29 September, 1498. (Devon Archives and Local Studies Service, ref. 3004A/PFT 59).

1. Philip Duck. PROB 11/48/619: Will of Phillip Duck, Husbandman of Heavitree, Devon. 16 November 1566. Grant: 1. John Predyaux of Upton Pyne, esq. 2. Thomas Charelton, Richard Wylls, Richard Mounstevyn at Wyndeyeat, Philip Duck, John Lee at Mare and John Pyne, all husbandmen of Heavitree. The Church House, Heavitree. 13 January, 1550. (ibid. 3004A/PFT 32).  Feoffment: 1. John Drewe, Esq., 2. Richard Mounstephyn, John Pyne, John Legh of Whipton, Philip Ducke, William Tayllor and John Legh of Wonford. Messuage or tenement called St. Lowes. 14 October, 1557. (ibid. 3004A/PFT 52).

1.1. John Duck. Lease 1. Roger Ayshforde of Tale, Payhembury, Esq., and Elizabeth his wife 2. William Taylor of Heavitree. Fourth part of capital messuage called St. Loyes at Wonford, now leased to William Taylor, John Leighe, Philip Mountestephen and John Duck under a lease of 8 October, 1567 Fine: £12. Rent: 10s. 10 April, 1583. (ibid., 3004A/PFT 54).

1.1.1. Richard Duck (d.1605) of Heavitree, Devon, m. Joanna, dau. of  John Kelly, Esq. son of Oliver Kelly, Esq. the Lord of Heavitree, granted land 11th Sept. 1516, for the erection of the Church-house. Duck’s Almshouse, in this parish, for 4 poor persons, was founded by Richard Duck, of Mount Radford, Esq. In 1589, he purchased the ground (from the Kellys) for the erection of the building, and conveyed the same to Trustees, by his deed, 25th Nov. 1603. Ecclesiastical Antiquities of Devon, etc., G. Oliver and J. P. Jones. In 1536, Henry Trecarell Esq., of Trecarell, alleged that Oliver Kelly of Southwick in Devon had married his dau., Lora, without his consent. Loras sister was married to William Kelly of Radcliffe in Devon. The salient point being that the Kellys of Heavitree, Southwick, and Ratcliffe were very likely the same family. The dau. of Michael Kelly, esq. of Ratcliffe, m. John Harris, Esq. of Stone, father of of William Harris, who m. the heiress Thomasine Hayne, of Hayne. The Harris of Hayne held Mount Radford, the Duckes being their tenants. Bargain and sale 1. William Hurst of Oxton, esq. 2. Richard Ducke of Heavitree, yeoman. Piece of land, 24 perches, in the north end of close called Longe acre, between the road from Exeter to Honiton on the north and Butts Lane on the east, with lands of Oliver Kelly, Esq., on the west and the rest of Longe acre on the south, now occupied by Joan Pyne, widow, and on which 1. had begun to erect almshouses Consideration: 40s. 13 February, 1590. (ibid. 3004A/PFT 25). Lease for lives, further covenant. 1. Richard Ducke, John Pyne and Roger Menyfye of Heavitree, yeoman. 2. William Walrond, esq. Premises: capital messuage or mansion house (no parish, but endorsed ‘St. Loyes’). 1598. (ibid. 1926 B/W/L/12/5). Assignment: 1. Richard Ducke, John Pyne and Roger Mynefie of Heavitree, yeomen. 2. William Bruton, gent., Philip Ducke, John German, Thomas Leighe, John Payne, Ralph Paidge and John Pyne the younger, all of Heavitree, yeomen. 1. assign to 2. the profits of their lease PFT 57, to be used for the benefit of the parish. 29 December, 1599 (ibid. 3004A/PFT 62). Lease: 1. John Clement alias Fyshe of Sowton alias Clyst Fomison, yeoman. 2. Richard Ducke, William Taylor, John Pynde, John Isacke, and Philip Mounstephen. Fourth part of tenement called St. Lowes. Term: 21 years. Rent: 10s. 10 October, 1577. (ibid. 3004A/PFT 53). Thus, a clear line of association is made between this Richard Ducke and his great-grandfather.

1.1.1.1. Arthur Duck, of Wyke Chaumpflour. By a settlement, 1621, on the marriage of William (son of William Bull of Wells, gent.) and Jane (a daughter of Henry Southworth of Wells, esq.), Henry Southworth conveyed the manor in trust for his three daughters, Jane, Margaret and Elizabeth. Elizabeth died in 1621, and Margaret married Arthur Duck. One moiety of the manor, therefore, passed into the Bull family. (Somerset Heritage Centre, ref. DD\SG/1).

1.1.1.2. Nicholas Duck, bapt. 30 Nov. 1569, 2nd s. of Richard Duck (admon. 20 Apr. 1605) of Heavitree, Devon and his w. Joan; bro. of Arthur.2 educ. Exeter Coll. Oxf. 1584; New Inn; L. Inn 1589, called 1598. m. 6 Oct. 1601, Grace, da. of Thomas Walker of Exeter, 1s. d. 28 Aug. 1628.

1.1.1.2.1. Richard Duck (1603–1656), eldest son and heir. During the Civil War Mount Radford House and the parish church of St Leonard’s were fortified by the Royalists in defence of the City of Exeter.He married Bridget Drewe, daughter of Sir Thomas Drewe* (d. 1651) of The Grange, Broadhembury, Devon, Sheriff of Devon in 1612. *Or on a Fess Wavy Sable; 3 Lozenges of the First. 2. Ermin, a Lion passant Gules armed and langued Azure. Ducke, Richard, of Devon, arm. fil. nat. max. Wadham Coll., matric. xd May, 1620, aged 16; sup. for B.A. 3 July, 1622. bar.-at-law, Lincoln’s Inn, 1629 (as son and
heir of Nicholas, of the city of Exeter, and a bencher), of Mount R. Bargain and sale. 1. Robert Shapcott of Bradninch, Esq. 1. Robert Shapcott of Bradninch, Esq. 2. Nathaniel Pyne of Heavitree, gent. Richard Duck and Richard Taylor of Heavitree. Recites will of Henry Walrond late of Bradfield, Esq., 1649, of which 1. was an executor. Moiety of three messuages and 9 a. of land called St. Loyes, part of the manor of Wonford, lately occupied by Thomas Isacke, Esq., Richard Lee and John Mynefee, yeoman. 1. appoints Francis Giels of Pinhoe, gent., and Philip Duck of Heavitree, gent., as attornies. Consideration: £140. Endorsed with livery of seisin, 24 May, 1658. (Devon Archives and Local Studies Service, ref. 3004A/PFT 7).

1.1.1.2.1.1. Nicholas Duck (1630–1667), eldest son and heir, who married his cousin Martha Duck (d. 1674), eldest daughter and co-heiress of his great-uncle the “vastly rich” Sir Arthur Duck (1580–1649), a Doctor of Civil Law, a Royalist in the Civil War, MP for Minehead in Somerset and an author of several works.

Combining the two points of the compass that fix Thomas Ducke of Curry Rivel to other Devonshire Duckes, the following suggestion is made:

1. Richard Ducke; being Richard Ducke of Heavitree, yeoman, 10 mls fr. Otterton.
1.1. Richard Ducke, Mayor of Exeter in 1522.
1.2. Henry Ducke, born c. 1480, merchant of Exeter, m. Maud White, dau. of Roger White of Ottery St. Mary.
1.2.1. Richard Duke, Sheriff of Devon, born by 1515, d. 1572; purchased the manor of Otterton in 1540. It may be recalled that Thomas Ducke of Hambridge was mentioned in the Will of Robert Ducke, rector of Charlton Mackrell, Will pr. 20 Nov. 1583 (TNA Prob. 11166, fol. 118v), and that the chantry of Charlton Mackrell church was vested in Sir Thomas Bell and Richard Duke; and that it may reasonably be presumed that Robert Ducke’s office arose from a family connection, as most did. Sir John Horsey held the advowson, and in 1567 presented John Sprynt as rector, Richard Duke’s kinsman.
1.2.1.1. Christiana Duke, m. George Sprint.
1.2.2. John Ducke of Prynne, Devon, m. 1. Ellen Midleton, dau of Thomas Midleton. 2. Agnes, dau. of John Grindal.
1.2.2.1. Richard Ducke of Otterton, bur. 21 Mar. 1606, m. 1. Martha Parker, d. 1582, dau. of John Parker, a merchant of London, by a first wife; his second wife being the said Agnes, dau. of John Grindal, who subsequently married Roger Giffard, esq., who, by a subsequent wife, had a son, George; who m. a dau. of Thomas Hodges, of Wedmore near Wells, Somerset. Roger Giffard’s great-nephew, Arthur Giffard, m. Ann, dau. of Thomas Legh, of Northam, esq., their dau., Elizabeth, m. Arthur Harris, Esq., recorder of Great Torrington, and younger brother of John Harris, of Hayne, Esq.
1.3. Philip Duck.
1.3.1. John Duck.
1.3.1.1. Richard Duck (d.1605), married into the same family of Kelly as the wife of John Harris, Esq. of Stone, father of William Harris, who m. the heiress Thomasine Hayne, of Hayne. The Harris of Hayne held Mount Radford, the Duckes being their tenants.
1.3.1.1.1. Arthur Duck, m. Margaret Southworth, dau. of Henry Southworth of Wells, esq., son of Edward Southworth, who was named in the Will of Dunstan Walton (‘my cousin, Edward Sothwarthe (Southworth), and to his wife, forty shillings in money’), br.-in-law of Thomas Ducke, who I suggest was either a younger br. of Richard Duke, Sheriff of Devon, or a br. of Richard Duck (d.1605).

What is witnessed is the purchase of manors after the Dissolution of the Monasteries, with families moving to new abodes.

An interesting point in the deeds concerning Heavitree is the recording of associated families. Those that lived next each other were usually kin.

It would be relatively easy at this juncture to focus on the connections of a family of House, of Compton Martin, Somerset, to the families of Cowncell, Harris, Hayne, Hodges, and Parker, described in other notes as intermarried with such families as the Cooks, Haynes, Hix, Millards, Parkers, and Webbs; however, another focus deserving attention is that connecting them to families of Ducke, Bates, and Brown. The following extracts are extensive, because, although many genealogical strands do not surface in Virginia, some that do may be less well known than the common ones, and researchers may recognise them as being pertinent to their particular family.

(Compton Martin is 12 mls. fr. Wedmore. North Curry is 20 mls fr. Wedmore.

William House/Elizabeth White, 30 Apr. 1564, North Curry (St Peter and Paul)
margaret House/John Sharpe, 10 Oct. 1565, North Curry.
John House/Thamesin Samme, 3 May 1589, North Curry.
Christopher/House Elizabeth Trapnel, 9 May 1601, North Curry.
Richard House/ Alice Voules, 20 Oct. 1603, Wedmore.
Nicholas House/Jane Boucher, 1615, North Curry.
Thomas House/Julian Stevens, 7 Jul. 1623, North Curry.
Sibell House/ Gregory Dirrham, 5 Jul. 1629, North Curry.
Julian House/John Napper, 21 Feb. 1630, North Curry.
Christian House/James Hurston, 6 May 1633, North Curry.

Elizabeth House Laurence Stacie, 6 Nov. 1634, North Curry.
John Meryott & Maria Stacie, 30 May 1636, High Ham.

Thomas House/Susana Hixe, 28 May 1638, Compton Martin (St Michael the Archangel).
John Brown, bapt. 14 Jul. 1681, Compton Martin, ‘f. John,* m. Jane’.
Elizabeth Hicks/Richard Brown, 23 Dec. 1690, Compton Martin; issue: **Richard Brown, bapt. 10 Jan 1692; John Brown, bapt. 14 Jul. 1681, Compton Martin, f. John,* m. Jane.
‘Exchange Quarterly’, 1967, Vo. 8, Iss. 43:
*John Brown, the elder of Surry Co. to Robert Hix the younger, land, 1735, I, p. 191
Noah Brown fr. Wm. Moore land granted Thomas Cook Mar. 23, 1715, 200 acres, wit. John Duke, John Brown, Wm. Lynball, Jul. 13, 1735; I, p. 224.
**Richard Browne and Wm. Eaton of Prince Georges Co., 455 a. (bor. by Henry Bates, John Duke, Adam Tapley, Wm. Hough, John Brown); Wit: John Brown, Noah Browne, Frances Brown, wife of Richard, concurs to sale. Apr. 4, 1737, Book I, p. 325.
John Brown & Mary to Hinchey Mabry, 340a. conveyed to Brown by James Matthews Feb. 8, 1703, Oct. 28, 1735 at Williamsburg, I, p. 391.
John Bates/Deborah Wilkins, 31 Oct 1679, Compton Martin; issue: John Bates,* bapt. 18 Nov 1682 William, bapt. 30 Nov. 1684; Thomas, bapt. May 1687, James, bapt. 18 Aug. 1689.
Will of Thomas House of the County of Brunswick, planter, being weak in body, dated 16 Feb. 1734: I give my wife my land I now live on as long as she lives and after her decease to my son Thomas House; my wife seven pounds in money. My aforesaid son sixteen pounds cash. My daughter Hanah House one hundred acres of land joining to **James House’s land that is now John Bates. The remainder part of my estate is to be equally divided among my children. My wife executrix and Capt. John Duke executor. Thomas House, jur. Wit: John Taylor Duke David Case 5 June 1735. Presented in Court by Katherine House, executrix, and John Duke, executor. Proved by John Taylor Duke and David Case. ”

Thomas House/Francis Millard, 29 May 1664, Compton Martin, she bapt. 10 Jun 1628, dau. of Henry Millard/Als Hickes, m. 16 Apr. 1621., issue: 1. James House bapt. 1 Sep 1666 Compton Martin. John Duke and John Taylor Duke witnessed the will of James House in Brunswick, 9 Feb. 1735. The two proved this will on 1 May 1735 in court. 2. Thomas House, bapt. 30 Jan. 1667, Compton Martin, d.v.p. 3. Thomas House, bapt. 12 Aug 1677, Compton Martin. Capt. John Duke was named executor and Katherine House as executrix in the will of Thomas House in Brunswick on 16 Feb. 1734. The will was witnessed by John Taylor Duke and David Case. It was proved in court on 5 June 1735 by John Taylor Duke and David Case. Thomas House: ‘To my daughter Hanah House – 100 acrres ‘joining James House’s land that is now *John Bates‘.
Thomas House, bapt. 19 Mar. 1692, Compton Martin; f. James, m. Sarah.
James House, bapt. 13 Mar. 1697, Compton Martin, f. James, m. Sarah.

Frances Millard/ Richard Cooke, 5 Oct. 1598, Compton Martin.
Elianor House/John Baker, 2 Jul. 1641, North Curry.
Rebecca House/ John Stevens, 11 Nov. 1641, North Curry.
Edward House/Deborra Bridge, 23 Apr. 1656, North Curry.
Deborah House/Jacob Montague, 26 Oct. 1673, Wedmore.
Adrian House/Deborah Collins, 25 Apr. 1678, North Curry.
Rachel House/ Charles Durston, 1 Dec. 1679, North Curry.
Alice House/Edward Urch, 10 Mar. 1680, Wedmore.
Anne House/Samuel Webbe, 3 May 1681, North Curry.
Thomas House/Elnor Councel, 5 Nov. 1682, Edington (St George). 9 mls. fr. Wedmore.
Edith House/Joseph Urch, 7 Feb. 1683, Wedmore.
Joannes House/Mariam Hayne, 11 May 1686, Wedmore.
Mary House/Joshua Collins, 23 May 1687, North Curry.
Jone House/ Tho. Rowsell, 16 Jan. 1687, North Curry.

copyright m stanhope 2016