Richard Swaine, died 1682 on Nantucket.

Richard Swaine, died 1682 on Nantucket.

There is information on Richard's siblings, parents, and ancestors is from "The English Origin of Richard Swaine of Hampton, NH, and Nantucket" by Clifford Stott in The American Genealogist, Vol 74, #4 [Oct 1999], pp. 241-9. Binfield and Easthamstead, Berks, are very close together. A Richard Swayne and a Sara Bisco were married in nearby Wargrave, Berks on 8 Dec 1617. These towns contain baptisms of Richard's children known in New England. The Bishop's transcription of son John's christening is the only one that names the mother, Basill, an unusuall name, also seen in New England records. Daughter Elizabeth's baptismal record in Mass/New Hampshire, "Basell". There is much more known about his wife Basill than is noted in the article. Also the will of his father is known contrary to what the article states.

The following list of events in Richard's life is from the above source.

1638, Sep 6, Mass. Gen Court granted the petition of Richard and others to establish a plantation at Winnacunnet, later called Hampton [now NH].

1638/9, Mar 13, Richard and several other granteeds of Hampton were made freeman of Mass, and Richard was appointed on of the commissioners to end small causes.

1638-40, Richard was granted land at Hampton. 100 acres, then 10 acres for a house lot, 12 acres of frest meadow, 15 acres of planting ground, and then 10 more acres in the south field.

1639, Oct 31, Richards was apppointed a lot layer [surveyor] for a year.

1641, May 24, Richard chosen hayward and pound keeper.

1650, Apr 2, Richard was appointed a Selectman of Hampton.

1652, Oct 5. "Henry Green bought a defamation suit against Richard Swaine ... for reporting that Green had "attempted the chasitity of Bassill Swaine [Richard's wife] and used beastly and used beastly and unseemly carriages and temptations toward Grace Boulter [Richard's daughter]." The suit was withdrawn.

1654, Richard was a member of the committee to determine an equitable way of assessing land.

1658, Richard was paid 18s for taking the county votes to Boston.

1659, July 2. Richard and John Swaine and 7 others bought Thomas Mayhew's rights to the island of Nantucket.

1659, Oct 18. "Arrest warrants were issued by the General Court for 8 men charged with entertaining Quakers. Among the group were two of the Nantucket proprietors - Richard Swaine and Thomas Macy. For his part in the affair, Richard Swaine was fined £3 and disenfranchised.

1661, Oct. 16. Richard "late of Hampton" Swaine, his wife Jane, and sons John and Richard sold several parcels of his lands in Hampton.

1662, Sep 19, on Nantucket made a deposition stating "he was 'aged about 67 years,' thus confirming that he was born about 1595."

1663, July 2. Richard bought another's 1/10 share in the Nantucket patent for £40 and then resold half of it to his son-in-law Nathaniel Boulter for £20.

"Court records show that Richard Swaine had occasional difficulties with his neighbors. On 26 sep 1648 at a court held in Hampton, Richard and several other men were charged with trespass by Robert Hethersay. Richard and his son-in-law Nathaniel Boulter sued Robert Lord for unjust molestateion [tresspass] at the same court. On 13 April 1652, Richard Swaine brought suit against John Marian and Edward Colcord for trespass, stating that they had mowed his meadow and carried away the hay and endeavord to alter the title of his land. The verdict was for the plaintiff, but Marion sued Swaine in 1654 for unjust molestation [tresspassing] about a parcel of meadow land. Henry Green brought a defamation suit against Richard Swaine on 5 Oct 1652 for reporting that Green had "attempted the chastity of Bassill Swaine [Richard's wife] and used beastly and unseemly carriage and temptations toward Grace Boulter [Richard's daughter]." The suit was withdrawn."

On 18 Oct 1659, arrest warrants were issued by the General Court for eight men charged with entertaining Quakers. Among the group were two of the Nantucket proprietors - Richard Swaine and Thomas Macy. For his part in the affair, Richard Swaine was fined £3 and disenfranchised on 12 Nov. 1659."

A footnote on p. 249 for the birth of son John: "The entry in Easthamstead Bishops' Transcript adds the name of the mother, Basill, which is not included in the parish register entry [FHL film #1279456, item 23] [No mother's name is given in the baptism of Richard's other children in Easthamstead. But the birth record of his daughter Elizabeth in Mass/New Hampshire names the mother as Basill.]

New Hampshire was formed in 1679. Prior to that Hampton was a part of MA. It was a part of Essex Co. and then it was in [Old] Norfolk Co.

There was a Richard Swan in early n.e. Mass. He and his children have often be confused with Richard Swaine's family.

See notes under his son John.

From Nantucket Lands and Land Owners by Henry B. Worth. (Bowie, MD: Heritage Books, 1992. Reprint from about 1901) p. 300

Aug. 1, 1682 Richard Swain was appointed administrator of the estate of his father Richard

From the Proprietor's Records, FHL film #906,228.

[2nd page after index] Nantucket-Aug 31, 1821. By the Salisbury Book of Records of 1659 it appears that the first Ten Purchasers of the Island of Nantucket and their Associates were: ...

Richard Swain associated with Thomas Look

John Swain associate with Thomas Coleman

Sold land on Nantucket, Nantucket Co. Deeds, Vol. 2, FHL #906,228.

p. 7, 8 Aug 1672. Richard Swayn of Nantucket sold his " my son Richard Swayn, my dwelling house and that lott of land its stands on" [more detailed description, hard to read all] for [?, not money?].

Wit: John Gardner, Richard Gardner Richard Swayn.

p. 14, 28 Feb 1676. "... Richard Sweane senior of sherbarne on the Iland of Nantucket in Newengland ... in consideration of what servis Thomas Looke and his wiffe hath done already - for me Richard Swaine and my son Richard in providing fiering for us and washing our clothes and dresinge our diat and living in my house ... " and will continue to do this "and also they are toe bee tender of me in my sickness - ... grant bargaine ... onto the said Thomas Looke twenty akers of land out of my 40 acres ..."

Wit: Petter Coffin senior, John C Challong[?] Richard (X) Swaine

p. 23, 8 Feb 1676. "... Richard Swaine of the towne of sherburne on the Iland of Nantucket ... for an in consideration of the sum of 29 pounds ... by my Sone John Swaine of the same towne ..." have bargained, sold ... onto the said John Swaine the one halfe of my lands meddowes and accommedations on this Iland of nantucket excepting my house - lott barne and out houses and what I have sold and promist unto Thomas Looke .... [and] ... my sone Richard Swaine ...

Wit: Petter Coffin, Richard Swaine Jur, John Challory Richard (X) Swaine

From "The Swain Saga" by Nancy Foote in Historic Nantucket, Vol. 32 #1 & #3.

Richard Swayne immigrated in 1635 on the "Truelove".[Probably not]

There was another Swayne family on Nantucket, and the two families were related - descendants of a Francis Swayne.

There's an article on Richard in "The Great Migration".

It states that Richard did not immigrate on the "Truelove" and gives reasons why this is probably not so. Yet in "The Great Migration Directory" published 21015, after the "Great Migration" series, by the same author, states he did immigrate on the "Truelove."