Either Ralph or Hugh, mentioned above, apparently died without sons, leaving a daughter and heiress, Estachis, who married Nicholas de Cantilupe (of a celebrated and great family of that period) and carried to him the manor of Greasley.
There occurs now a hiatus of about two hundred and fifty years in the family history collected by me. No further information has been obtained until the time of Henry VIII. At that period other data have been obtained. It is the same family certainly. They bear the same name (modernized), they live in the same vicinity, have relations with the same families, own substantially the same estates; and these evidences are borne out by the family traditions and common repute of ancient descent.
XIII JOHN FITZ RANDOLPH is the first of the later line. He seems to have been a person of consequence; is designated "gentleman," and held a commission in the royal army as Colonel. There are two letters extant, written to him by Henry VIII, in one of which the king empowers him to raise military forces for service. In 1515 he purchased from Cuthbert de Lanton, gentleman, the estate of Langton Hall (or Westwood), in Nottinghamshire. He was succeeded by his son.
XII CHRISTOPHER FITZ RANDOLPH, called "of Langton Hall," who married Joan, one of the daughters and heirs apparent of Cuthbert de Langton. Pending his marriage there were covenants made concerning the marriage between de Langton and another Christoopher Fitz-Randolph, cousin of this one. Christopher, son of John, above, had by his marriage with Joan de Langton, four sons: Thomas, John, Edward, and CHRISTOPHER. Thomas Fitz Randolph was born about 1530; succeeded to Langton Hall, and his descendants retained it until 1790. He married Katherine, daughter of Godfrey Foljambe, knight. James Fitz Randolph, his son, was born about 1650; he also succeeded to Langton Hall; married Katherine, daughter of Walter Manteniel of Nottinghamshire; died 1612; children: Philalethes, who was born in 1592 and died childless, and Thommas and Ferdinand, both of whom also died childless, and Isabel, to whom went the estate.
XI CHRISTOPHER FITZ RANDOLPH, fourth son, was born about 1540. The name of his wife is not discovered, nor any full account of his family. His son:
X JAMES FITZ RANDOLPH immigrated to America in 1630, and settled at Scituate in the Plymouth Colony. His son:
IX EDWARD FITZ RANDOLPH, from Nottinghamshire, England, born about 1616, immigrated with his parents, as stated above, in 1630. The name, at that time, was variously spelled Fitzrandle, Fittsrendolfe, and Fittsrandolfs. The family, at the first, settled at Scituate, in the Plymouth Colony, in the year 1630. There, Edward, on the 10th of May, 1637, married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Blossom; and joined the church on the 14th following. In the year 1639, he moved to Barnstable, on Cape Cod; and there had issue:
1. - Nathaniel, baptised 9th August, 1640; died at 4 months.
2. - Nathaniel, baptised 15th May, 1642; married in Barnastable, November,
1662, Mary Holley and had issue, John and Isaac; married second, Jane Hampton,
12th April 1706-7
3. - Mary, baptised 6th October, 1644; died young.
4. - Hannah, baptised 23rd April 1648; married Jasper Taylor, November 6,
1668.
5. - Margaret, baptised 2nd June, 1650.
6. - Mary, baptised 2nd June 1651; became second wife of Samuel Hinchley, 15th
January, 1669, - brother of Governor Hinckley, of Massachusetts.
7. - John, baptised 7th October, 1653; married Sarah Bonham.
8. - Joseph, baptised 1st March, 1656; married Hannah Conger, January 1687.
9. - Thomas, baptised 16th August, 1659; married Elizabeth Manning, 23rd
November, 1686.
10. - Hope, baptised 2nd April, 1661.
11. - Benjamin, born in 1663.
The exact date of the birth of Benjamin is not known. His baptism is not shown by the Barnstable registers as are those of his older brothers and sisters. It was about this time, say 1665-8, that the family, Edward with his unmarried sons, moved to Piscataway Township, Middlesex County, New Jersey. Edward and his wife died and were buried, at Piscataway. The earliest authentic history of this township is gathered from the public records, which state that the large tract on the east side of Raritan river, which comprised the towns of Piscataway, Elizabeth, etc., was purchased from the Indians in 1663. The purchasers were John Bailey, Daniel Denton, Luke Watson, and others, who obtained a patent in 1664 from Governor Nchols, who acted under the Duke of York. Amongst other early settlers, the Fitz Randolphs are shown by the county records so early as the year 1681. Most of these settlers were Baptists, as is supposed. However, the tradition is that there were but six professed Baptist, viz: Hugh Dunn, who was an exhorter, John Drake, afterward their pastor, Nicholas Bonham, John Smalley, Edward Dunham, afterwards minister of the Seventh-day Baptists, and John Fitz Randolph, who is evidently John, 7 above. Those persons were consituted a Baptist Church, in the spring of 1689, by the assistance of Rev. Thomas Killingsworth, who was then pastor of Middletown and Cohansey churches.