Pitt lineage,1066-1600s,England/Virginia
Posted by: RayDate: July 11, 2000
Genforum.com
No doubt most Pitt/Pitts researchers interested in the ancient Pitt pedigree have seen this lineage on the Internet, but here it is for those who have not seen it.
It was sent to me by a researcher who says that the generations prior to the 1500s were taken from the following books:
"Visitation of Worcestershire 1560"
"Visitation of Shropshire 1623" and "Visitation of Surrey 1662/69"
1. Gervase de la Puette of c. 1182 Normandy (first to go to England from Normandy).
2. Thomas de la Pitte of c. 1225 Sommerset, England (first born in England).
3. Simon de la Pitte, soldier of King Henry III 1216-1272.
4. Thomas Putte, living near Worcestershire in 1278.
5. Robert Pyte 1284-1361.
6. Simon Atte Putte, soldier for King Edward III 1327-1377.
7. Richard Pyts, soldier of King Henry IV 1399-1433.
8. Johannas (John) Pitt of de Curvyard died 1438.
9. William Pitt of de la Perry died early 1400's.
10. Sir Edward Pitt of Kior in Worcestershire died 1455.
11. William Blithe Pitt died 1528.
12. Nicholas Pitt of Blandford in Dorset, born 1474, died 1545.
"Later the name was changed again to Pitts. I believe that all names beginning with the Pit are related to the De La Puette family of Normandy. Puette could be a place in Normandy."
Here is the descent of the Pitts of Isle of Wight County, Virginia, from Nicholas Pitt of Blandford:
2. i. NICHOLAS2 PITT, b. Abt. 1474, Blandford, Dorset, England.
Generation No. 2
2. NICHOLAS2 PITT (UNKNOWN1)1,2 was born Abt. 1474 in Blandford, Dorset, England3, and died 3.
Notes for NICHOLAS PITT:
Nicholas Pitt of Blandford was born about 1474 and was living in Blandford, Dorset, England in 1545. Henry Vii was King of England during this period of time.
Child of NICHOLAS PITT is:
3. i. WILLIAM3 PITT, d. Bef. January 17, 1552.
Generation No. 3
3. WILLIAM3 PITT (NICHOLAS2, UNKNOWN1)3,4 died Bef. January 17, 15525. He married HELENA HAVILAND5,6, daughter of JAMES HAVILAND and HELENA DE BEAUVOIS.
Notes for HELENA HAVILAND:
On January 17, 1552, Helena was widowed and living with her brother, Christopher Haviland of Poole, Dorset, England.
Children of WILLIAM PITT and HELENA HAVILAND are:
4. i. Thomas4 PITT, d. Abt. July 1613.
ii. JOHN PITT6, m. JOAN SWAYNE.
Notes for JOHN PITT:
John was the Clerk of the Exchequer for Queen Elizabeth I. He was married to Joan Swayne, daughter of John Swayne of Blandford Forum, Dorset, England. John and Joan's third son, Thomas, was the great great grandfather of William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, who was the Prime Minister of England from 1783 to 1801 and 1804 to 1806. He played a dominant part in British politics during the interval between the two terms.
iii. CHRISTOPHER PITT6.
Notes for CHRISTOPHER PITT:
Christopher Pitt was the Captain of the "Handmaiden" a ship from Bristol which fought in the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Generation No. 4
4. Thomas4 PITT (WILLIAM3, NICHOLAS2, UNKNOWN1)7,8 died Abt. July 1613.
Notes for Thomas PITT:
Thomas Pitt was the Chamberlain of Bristol and a merchant. His will was written May 1, 1613, and probated on August 5, 1613.
Children of Thomas PITT are:
5. i. WILLIAM5 PITT, d. Aft. 1622.
ii. ALICE PITT8, m. MR. NORTHEN8.
iii. ANNE PITT8, m. (1) MR. WATERS8; m. (2) JOHN MERRICK8.
iv. MARY PITT8, m. ROBERT OWEN8.
Generation No. 5
5. WILLIAM5 PITT (Thomas4, WILLIAM3, NICHOLAS2, UNKNOWN1)9,10 was born 11, and died Aft. 162212,13. He married MARY13,14.
Notes for WILLIAM PITT:
William Pitt, the son of Thomas, was a merchant and ship owner. He was in the trade business in East India and Turkey.
He was married to Mary (unknown maiden name). Thomas' son William was named executor and was given a lease for life of a tenement outside the Temple Gate in the City of Bristol. The said tenement was in the possession of George Tyce, who had an inn called the Saracen's Head.
William also inherited another tenement outside the Temple Gate that was occupied by Thomas Arther, Esq. When William's son Robert reached age 22 years, he was to be paid ten pounds yearly by Thomas Arther. At William's death, his son Robert was to inherit the two tenements.
William was also to give his two sons, Robert and William, ten pounds each when they reached sixteen years of age.
In William's will dated March 13, 1622, and proved February 4, 1624, William left his wife Mary 500 pounds, his son William 250 pounds, Robert 70 pounds, and 250 pounds to Henry, Thomas, and daughter Mary. He also left three houses to his wife, Mary.
Robert inherited the two houses William inherited from his father Thomas Pitt. He left his son William the best Turkey ring he had inherited from his great grandfather, Roger Cookes. Robert received his pearl ring. To the rest of his children and various relatives, he left jewelry and various gifts. Since a large part of his estate was in debt and "beyond seas" he further stated any loss was to be divided equally between his heirs.
Mary and his son William were named executors.
Notes for MARY:
Mary's will was dated November 25, 1634 and her son Robert was executor.
Children of WILLIAM PITT and MARY are:
6. i. COL. ROBERT6 PITT, b. Abt. 1607, England; d. Bef. January 09, 1674, Isle
of Wight, Virginia.
ii. WILLIAM PITT14.
iii. MARY PITT14, m. ANDREW NEWELL14.
Notes for MARY PITT:
Mary Pitt and her husband Andrew Newell moved to New England.
iv. Thomas PITT14.
Notes for Thomas PITT:
Thomas settled on the Appomattox River in Virginia.
v. ANNE PITT14.
vi. MAUD PITT14, m. DR. RICHARD RUSSELL14.
Notes for MAUD PITT:
Maud Pitt moved to New England with her husband Dr. Richard Russell.
vii. MARTHA PITT14.
viii. CAPTAIN HENRY PITT14, d. Abt. 1666; m. ANNE14, 1655.
Notes for CAPTAIN HENRY PITT:
Captain Henry Pitt married Anne, the widow of Robert Watson. They settled on Pagan Creek, Virginia, in 1652. Henry and Anne had a son named Thomas that married Col. Arthur Smith's daughter Mary.
Generation No. 6
6. COL. ROBERT6 PITT (WILLIAM5, Thomas4, WILLIAM3, NICHOLAS2, UNKNOWN1)15 was born Abt. 1607 in England16, and died Bef. January 09, 1674 in Isle of Wight, Virginia. He married MARTHA LEAR16.
Notes for COL. ROBERT PITT:
Colonel Robert Pitt was born about 1607 in England and was like most of his family a sailor and served as a Captain of a privateer out of Bristol named the "Thunder", aiding the Huguenots in the war against France in 1628 - Bristol Privateers, Powell, page 84.
As a sea merchant he owned a fleet of ships which sailed out of the Port at Bristol, England. He had moved to the colonies by 1637 as he had patented 550 acres of land in the Isle of Wight, Virginia, on February 14, 1637. This land was located on the New Haven River which was later changed to the Pagan River.
Also on April 17, 1648, he patented 300 acres adjacent to the original land. On June 7, 1654, he patented an additional 1,200 acres. In 1664, he patented 3,000 acred on the Blackwater with his son-in-law, Captain Joseph Bridger, and William Burgh. Also, he patented 1,000 acres in Accomac on March 12, 1662 and 3,000 acres in Accomac on October 2, 1663.
Between 1649 and 1660 he served as a member of the House of Burgesses for the Isle of Wight, served as a Lt. Colonel in 1662 commanding the Isle of Wight Militia and on the Governor's Council.
It is assumed that Col. Robert was married (twice, some say, first to Elizabeth Stevens and last:) to Martha Lear.
Colonel Robert Pitt died before January 9, 1674, as his Will was recorded on that date, it was dated June 6, 1672 and witnessed by Richard Jones and Thomas Hill. His wife, Martha, had died before that date as he left in her memory, a parcel of land with the stipulation that his executor would build one house of twenty-five feet within four years of his death on the land to be used for poor women. He also left in memory of his daughter, Martha, "two cows and two female cows, which cattle and their increase are to be put upon the aforesaid land and not to be disposed of until they increase to a number of twelve which number is to be continued upon the aforesaid land, and what shall be over that number of cattle shall be disposed of by the Sheriff, then one half of the benefit of the cows and the whole benefit of the land to be for the estate of poor women and the other half of the benefit of the cattle to be for the estate of poor female
orphans".
(Will of Col. Robert Pitt recorded in Isle of
Wight County, Virginia.)
Children of COL. PITT and MARTHA LEAR are:
7. ?i. HENRY7 PITT, b. 1645, Isle of Wight, Virginia; d. 1715, Surry Co,
Virginia.
(this is according to several Pitts genealogies, but I know of no proof Robert
Pitt had a son named Henry)
ii. MARTHA PITT17, d. Bef. January 09, 1674.
iii. MARY PITT17, m. JOHN BRASSEUR17, Virginia.
iv. WILLIAM PITT17.
Notes for WILLIAM PITT:
William Pitt stayed and lived in England.
v. JAMES PITT17.
vi. ROBERT PITT17, d. 1672, Isle of Wight, Virginia; m. UNKNOWN STEPHENS17,
1652, Surry County, Virginia.
Notes for ROBERT PITT:
Robert died in 1672 leaving a son, Robert.
vii. ELIZABETH PITT17, m. JOHN NORSWORTHY17, Virginia.
viii. HESTER PITT17, m. COL. JOSEPH BRIDGER of "White Marsh," Virginia.
Notes for HESTER PITT:
Hester and her husband Col. Joseph Bridger were a prominent family of the Isle
of Wight, Virginia.
ix. LT. COL. JOHN PITTS, m. OLIVE HARDY.
They had a son named Henry Pitt.
Some books say he was the Henry Pitt who married Mary Calloway and had a son, Charles, said to be the father of Joseph Pitts, father of Henry Pitts b. 1735 who moved to Newberry, S.C.
Others say Lt. Col. John Pitts had a brother Henry who was the ancestor of the Newberry, S.C. family, but this appears to be incorrect about his having a brother Henry.
