Notes for Robert Bracewell: (Isle of Wight Co., VA Will & Deed Book 1, Vol. 2, p. 81) "In the name of GodAmen, I ROBERT BRACEWELL beinge very weake & sicke of Body but of perfectt memorie, doe make this my last Will & Testament, Revockeinge all former Wills whatsoever., Imprimis I bequeath my Soule into the hands of my Redeemer, who gave it to mee, And my body unto the ground from whence it came to be decently buried, And for those Temporall goods God hath given mee I dispose of them in manner as followeth, I give unto my daughter JANE STOCKES her children, three cowes, To REBECCA WEST my daughter one Cowe & Calfe And one Cowe & Calfe to the next child she shall have, And the rest of all my Estate unto my two sonns ROBERT and RICHARD whome I make my full & sole executors of this my ill, and the Mill I desire shalbe finisht, with what speed may bee And to be lett out, only reservinge corne for themselves, and the p.(ro)duse of the Mill to be equally divided betweene them both, And reserved to build a new mill hereafter And when built to be left wholly to my sonne RICHARD Likewise I give Seaven hundred Acres of landwhere I now live and sixe hundred Acrees att the Western Branch of Nancemond County To be equally divided betweene my two sonnes ROBERT and RICHARD Likewise it is my desire that noe part or parcell of the estate shalbe disposed of, nor none of the land, untill they both are of full Age, nor no wayes divided But ifit shall please God that either of them shall depart this life before he comesof Age, That then the Survivor shall enjoye the whole Likewise I give unto my Servant ELIZABETH HALL when she shalbe free one heifer of two yeares of Age Andlikewise it is my desire That my loveinge friends Mr RICHARD IZARD and GEORGE GWILLIM to be Guardians unto my CHildren in the time of theire Minoritie, And to see this my Will performed Likewise I give unto them the said RICHARD IZARD &GEORGE GWILLIM, ffortie shillings to each of them, to buy them each one ringe,Likewise I give unto my Daughter ANN BAGNALL one Cowe & Calfe And one Cowe & calfe to her first Child, And if it please God she have any, And likewise it is my desire that my two sonnes, ROBERT & RICHARD shalbe putt to schoole untill they cann both write & read And this beinge my Will I testifie it with my hand this 15th of February 1667 In Witness of ROB: BRACELL GEORGE GWILLIM RICHARD (X) IZARD This will was proved in open Cort held for the Isle of Wight County this first Day of May 1668 And then Recorded Teste JOHN JENNINGS Clr: Recordes:
Robert was an Oxford scholar. Received BA in 1631. He was baptised atSt. Andrews, Holborn, E ngland. He was in Isle of Wight Co, VA by 1651and was elected to the House of Burges in 1653 . Will proven on 1 May1668. Sold 100 acres of land in 1673 in Isle of Wight Co, VA. Sold 4 00acres of land given to him by his father in 1660 in Isle of Wight Co, VAin 1673. Sold 30 0 acres for 15,000 lbs of "tob and cask" in Isle ofWight Co., VA in 1674. Nothing is known o f the family prior to this dateexcept that they and others of this name in England were sai d to havefled from Scotland during a rebellion against tyrannical rule. At the ageof fifteen , young Robert Bracewell was sent to Oxford University to beeducated for the minintry. Recor ds of colonial Virginia show that RobertBracewell, son of Richard Bracewell of London, Gentle man, entered HartHall, Oxford University, February 22, 1627, at the age of fifteen andgraduat ed with an A. B.degree on November 3, 1631. This information hasbeen certified of recent yea rs by an Oxford Registrar. (Henning 1,378)(The Braswell Family, by Elizabeth B. Pearsall) . A period of almosttwenty years elapses before Robert Bracewell is heard from again. Durin gthe latter part of this period, England and Scotland were passing througha very difficult ti me under Charles I, who was determined as his father,James I, had been to force the Anglica n form of worship on the Puritansof England and the Presbyterians of Scotland. The circumsta nces whichresulted in Robert Bracewell's coming to Virginia are not known, but whenhe appeare d in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, some time prior to 1649,he was an Episcopal clergyman. T he first time his name is found in therecords of colonial Virginia was when he was a witnes s to an agreementbetween Ambrose Bennett and Thomas Webb for the use of a mill andadjacent la nd, April 29, 1650.(Deed book 1, p. 426). When Captain JohnUpton made his will in January 16 51, he mentioned three hundred acres ofland he had sold to Mr. Robert Bracewell.(Will and Adm r. Book A, pps.32-33). Robert Bracewell's plantation was located on the BlackwaterRiver, som e miles south of the James River and the colonial town ofJamestown, a few miles northwest o f where the Town of Smithfield,Virginia, now stands. Robert Bracewell's pastorate, known as L awne'sCreek Parish, was in the vicinity of the present boundary line betweenSurry and Isle o f Wight counties. The name of Lawne's Creek was changedin 1737 to Southwalk Parish. In 165 3 the Reverend Robert Bracewell waselected to the House of Burgesses of Virginia. At this pe riod inhistory, separation of church and state was the subject of much agitationin both Europ e and America. According to the records of the 1653 Sessionsof the House of Burgesses, "It i s ordered that Mr. Robert Bracewell,clark(cleric), be suspended since it is unpresidential an d may producebad consequences." (Henning 1, p. 378) If clergymen were not allowed tohold pol itical office, it seems odd that he was elected in the beginning.Whether the Reverend Rober t Bracewell was a wealthy man before coming toVirginia, or whether he accumulated his wealt h after coming to thiscountry has not been established, but at the time of his death in 166 8 hewas the possessor of considerable property. He was referred to in theWilliam and Mary Qua rterly, Volume 7, as a "notable minister." (TheBraswell Family, by Elizabeth B. Pearsall) . Robert Bracewell's will wasmade February 15, 1667 and is one of the earliest recorded will s in thiscountry. It is to be found in Deed and Will Book 1, p. 9, of the Isle ofWight recor ds of Virginia. In his will, Robert Bracewell directed thathis two underage sons, Robert, Jr . and Richard, were to receive the bulkof his estate and were to share the 700 acre home plan tation and 600acres on the Nansemond River. They were to share also in his new millwhen it w as finished. He named his two friends and neighbors, Mr. GeorgeGwillen(Welsh for Williams) an d Mr. Richard Izard, to act as guardiansfor the children, each to receive forty shillings wit h which to buyhimself a ring. He further directed that his two sons be put to schoolto lear n to read and write. His three married daughters were to receivethree cows each, and an inde ntured servant, Elizabeth Hall, was toreceive a heifer when she became free. Seven of his fr iends were toreceive one cow each and his son-in-law, William West, a cow and ayearling. Incl uded in the inventory of his property were sixty-three headof livestock, a servant boy, a lib rary worth 500 pounds of tobacco, asloop, silverware and numerous articles of clothing and ho useholdfurnishings. The total value of his estate was given a 35,000 pounds oftobacco.(Will a nd Deed Book 1, p.55). An accounting of his estaterendered on January 10, 1669-70, and signe d by Richard and RebeccaIzard.(Will and Deed Book 1, p. 28)
More About Robert Bracewell: Christening: 13 Oct 1611, St Andrew, Holborn, London, Eng.
More About Robert Bracewell and Rebecca Izard: Marriage: 1649, London, Middlesex (now London), England.153, 154
Children of Robert Bracewell and Rebecca Izard are:
+Richard Braswell I, b. 1651, ,Isle of Wight, Virginia, d. 28 Jul 1724, ,Isle of Wight, Virginia.
Robert Bracewell (b. 1611, d. 01 May 1668)
Notes for Robert Bracewell: