Francis Norwood married in Gloucester, Massachusetts 13 October 1663; he was of age by 1657; a Richard and John Norwood are recorded in Virginia, and probably belong to an earlier generation.

The Norwoods are thought to be related to the Norwoods of Leckhampton, Gloucestershire, who certainly seem to have had relatives in America. These Norwoods were also related to a Thomas Norwood of Astwood, Buckinghamshire, who had their arms confirmed to him with a crescent for difference. Charles E. Banks stated that Francis was from Aston Clinton, Buckinghamshire [since proven to be impossible].

William Norwood of Leckhampton (1548-1632) married Elizabeth Lygon, who died in 1598. Their son Richard (1574-1630) married Elizabeth Steward; their children were Eleanor, Dorothy, John, Francis, Thomas and William, of whom only Eleanor and Francis are certainly recorded in England. It has been claimed that Francis Norwood of Massachusetts was son of Thomas, Richard's son.

The only Francis Norwoods recorded in the International Genealogical Index of Gloucestershire are Francis son of Thomas and Mary, baptized at Leckhampton 27 January 1701/2--much too late to be relevant--and a Franses child of William and Jane Norwood baptised at Dymock 6 March 1584/5. We searched Dymock registers from their commencement to 1710, and this was the only Norwood entry found, and refers to a daughter rather than a son:

6 Mar 1583(/4) Franses d. of Wyllyam & Joane Norwod

William Norwood (1615-1703), third son of Richard and Elizabeth, served as a Royalist at the Battle of Edgehill 1642, and emigrated to Virginia in 1648. Callam claims that Captain Thomas Norwood, Richard Norwood's son, was killed at Taunton in 1645; he had served in Sir John Byron's regiment, and had been taken prisoner at Brackley, Berkshire, on 28 August 1642. However, the idea that Thomas was father of the emigrant is based on little more than the fact that Francis the emigrant named his eldest known son Thomas. There is no evidence that Captain Thomas Norwood was married or had any children.

Richard Norwood matriculated at Jesus College Oxford 21 January 1585/6 with his brother William. He was then aged 12, i.e. born 1572/3-1573/4. He died 12 January 1630/1, and was buried at Leckhampton, where there is a memorial (see appendix). he is recorded as lord of the manor of Down Hatherly, Gloucestershire, in 1608. He left no will, but his widow Elizabeth made a will 25 May 1623, proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury 6 June 1634.

Richard's eldest surviving son was Francis, who was born about 1600-1, dying in 1672 aged 71. he left issue, including sons William, Thomas and Francis. The will of Henry Norwood of Leckhampton esquire made in 1689 appoints Captain William Norwood, one of the sons of Francis Norwood late of Leckhampton deceased, and Thomas Norwood, another of his sons, clerk, to be his executors; and he makes a bequest of £50 to his cousin Francis Norwood.

The original parish registers of Leckhampton do not survive from the relevant period; however, there are some fragmentary Bishop's Transcripts, which we have searched from 1600 to 1706 (pl). The baptisms of Richard's children Dorothy and Roger survive from 1607 and 1609; and Roger's burial in 1609. Their daughter Eleanor was buried in 1625; Francis their son was buried there in 1682/3.

The ordinary probate jurisdiction for Gloucestershire was that of the Episcopal Consistory Court of Gloucester, the archives of which survive at Gloucester. Of the period 1600 to 1700 three Norwood wills survive:

1648 John Norwood      Cheltenham     gent
1682 Francis Norwood   Leckhampton
1690 Richard Norwood   Leckhampton          121

Copies and transcripts of the wills of John and Francis are enclosed; the will of John Norwood is nuncupative. A copy of the administration of the estate of Richard Norwood is also enclosed; administration was granted to his brothers Francis and Thomas.

Francis Norwood of Leckhampton, whose will was proved in 1682, refers to "my six children now residing in England", but makes no mention of his siblings.

It will be noted that this Francis was of an age to have been father of the emigrant; and that this will suggests that at least one of his children was abroad; it will also be remembered that the will of Henry Norwood refers to a cousin Francis Norwood, living in 1689.

The question therefore arises whether Francis Norwood (1602-82) had a son Francis, and whether that Francis can be traced in England and so discounted. Francis senior married Judith daughter of Timothy Gates of Cleeve. She died 28 September 1670 and there is a memorial at Leckhampton.

In his will Francis senior mentions his leasehold estate at Bishops Cleeve; there are bequests to his son Richard, his grandson Joseph Battailhay and son-in-law James Carthright, whom he made executor.

The administration of the estate of Richard Norwood of Leckhampton was granted 17 April 1690 to his brothers Francis Norwood of Leckhampton gentleman and Thomas Norwood of Leckhampton gentleman. Francis was buried at Leckhampton 6 November 1700. This establishes that Francis senior's son Francis, although a direct contemporary of the emigrant, remained in England--unless Richard, Francis and Thomas represent an even later generation.

Samuel Ruddetts' "Gloucestershire" (1779) states:

           Richard Norwood, son of William, married Elizabeth daughter of Nicholas Steward, LL.D.
           Francis Norwood, Richard's second son, married Judith daughter of Timothy Gates,
           rector of Cleeve.  He died in 1682.
           Henry Norwood, son of a younger brother  of Richard, purchased Leckhampton of Francis;
           and having distinguished himself for his loyalty in the civil wars, was made governor 
           of Tangier by King Charles the Second, and served in parliament for the city of 
           Gloucester.  this Colonel Henry Norwood underwent great variety of fortune.  He was 
           one of the company in a voyage, who were reduced to the last extremity for want of 
           victuals.  They cast lots to determine which of them would be killed to be a morsel 
           for the rest, and he on whom the lot fell was directed to go into the hold of the ship 
           to prepare himself.  Their ravenous hunger compelled them to follow him in a short 
           time, where they found him dead; and notwithstanding the accident they greedily fell 
           to, and made a hearty meal of the carcass.  The remains were buried handsomely.  
           Colonel Norwood died in 1689, and by will returned the estate to the family of Francis 
           Norwood.  Richard Norwood, William and Thomas, sons of Francis, succeeded to it in 
           order, and the reverend Thomas Norwood, eighth son of Francis, was the owner of 
           Leckhampton at the beginning of this century.

If this account is correct, Richard, Francis and Thomas may be presumed to have been sons of Francis (1600-82). We have already abstracted Henry's will, in which he refers to his cousin Francis; and there is nothing to indicate but that Francis son of Francis is intended.

We then abstracted full details from the will of William Norwood of Leckhampton, proved in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury in 1693. He is described as an armiger of Flanders; the will was dated 12 May 1693 and proved 18 September. He leaves to Thomas Norwood his goods "left at the expiration of my brother Richard Norwood"; and also mentions his wife Elizabeth, to whom probate was granted. This William is clearly the son of Francis, and brother of Richard, Francis and Thomas.

Having proved that Francis Norwood the emigrant was not the son of Francis Norwood of Leckhampton, and that there is no positive indication that Captain Thomas Norwood of Leckhampton had a son, we returned to American sources in order to discover more about members of the Norwood family who emigrated, hoping to find further clues as to the origins of Francis.

According to printed sources in the UK, William, Richard, Charles and Henry Norwood emigrated to Virginia in the 17th century; and their distant cousin John Norwood also emigrated to Virginia. We found the will of William Norwood who came to Virginia in about 1648 and died there in 1703. He left a widow Lydia (Jordan), and sons Edward, George and Richard; and daughters Sarah, and Elizabeth Branch. Lydia Lowerry and Mary Norwood; and a granddaughter Elizabeth Branch. The inventory of the estate of Richard Norwood of Isle of Wight County, Virginia (Will Book 3 p285) was made 26 January 1731. This probably refers to the estate of William's son Richard; for the most part illegible, it lists certain slaves, and was returned on 25 October 1731 by Edward Brantly, Joseph Parks and Thomas Cook.

Mary Norwood married 15 January 1704 Nicholas Harvey in Christ Church, Middlesex County, Virginia; this may have been the Mary mentioned in William's will. George Norwood is listed in the Surry County Quit Rents of 1704 with 330 acres (Richard Norwood is also listed with 80 acres) but is not found in the county thereafter. However, George Norwood left a will in Northampton County, North Carolina, proved 1749. He names his sons Samuel, William and Nathaniel; grandsons George, Nathaniel and John; and granddaughters Elizabeth, Mary and Sarah.

Charles Norwood did not leave a will in Virginia. Richard Norwood was listed as headright in September 1643 for Sir Francis Wyatt, and in Warwick County (where William Norwood who died in 1703 had also obtained his lands in 1681 and 1686) there is a notation in the patent of one James Cathon stating that the property patented is "adjacent to the Widdow Norwoo"[sic]. In 1696, when this patent was obtained, the "Widdow Norwood" would not have been Lydia, wife of William, as William did not die until 1703. However, a comparison of the neighbours shows that the two properties (William Norwood's patent of 1686 and James Cathon's patent of 1697) both border that of Francis Rice. It may be conjectured that the widow was the wife of either Charles or Richard.

John Norwood is described in "Seventeenth Century Isle of Wight" by John Bennett Boddie as "a nephew of Edward Bennett's wife, moved from Lower Norfolk to Anne Arundel County, Maryland. He was Sheriff of Anne Arundel in 1662...John Norwood who emigrated to Anne Arundel Co. 1650 from Virginia was born 1605 at Wykeham Abbey, Lincolnshire, and was the son of Tyringham Norwood (1576-1625) at Wykeham, Spalding, Lincs."

The current budget did not extend to investigating the Norwood family of Essex and Kent; however, this would be the first stage of any future research. We can however say in conclusion that we do not believe that Francis Norwood the emigrant was a direct descendant of the Leckhampton family, and his origins must lie elsewhere.

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