Edward Dillingham 1595 to 1666-67 and Ursula Carter died 1656 of Sandwich, Mass.

This post edited July 2016: My initial post incorrectly identified Edward Dillingham's wife Ursula Carter as the daughter of William and Mary (Anscell) Carter baptized Kempston 20 June 1590. Ursula Carter of Kempston married William Paley there on 26 October 1614 so is not the woman who married Edward Dillingham the following February. Ursula Carter Dillingham's parents are not known. 


Edward Dillingham was baptized 6 December 1595 in Cotesbach, Leicestershire, England, the son of Rev. Henry Dillingham. He is my 10th great-grandfather on my grandmother Milly (Booth) Rollins’ side.

St. Mary's Church, Cotesbach

Edward married Ursula/Drusilla Carter at Cotesbach, Leicestershire on 14 February 1614/5  and had six children born Bitteswell or Cotesbach:

1.      Elizabeth baptized 2 April 1616, married John Wing

2.      Mary baptized 2 December 1618

3.      Osheah, born February 1622, married Stephen Wing

4.      Henry, born about 1624, married Hannah Perry

5.      Sarah, baptized 23 June 1627, buried 1 February 1628/29 at Cottesbach

6.      John, baptized 1 May 1629, married Elizabeth Feake

They may have had son Nathaniel and another son John that died young, buried at Cotesbach 9 May 1629. I descend from John and Elizabeth. I wrote about them here.

Edward lived in Bitteswell, a village near Cotesbach, where he was a gentleman landowner. He was a member of the Plough Company, or the Company of London, that was made up of group of men coming to America, including Benjamin Crispe whom I also descend from.

It is believed Edward came to America on 5 June 1632 on the William and Francis, a difficult journey lasting 88 days. It is believed that Deborah Wing, the widow of Reverend John Wing, was also a passenger with her four half-grown sons. They arrived Nantasket and settled first at Saugus (now Lynn, Mass.)  

He was in Massachusetts Bay Colony records in 1636 for accounts with Richard Saltonstall, regarding Edward’s brother’s John Dillingham’s estate. John was of Ipswich, Mass., and left his brother Edward one-third of his estate.  

On 3 April 1637, the Plymouth Court granted permission of the ten men of Saugus to settle at Sandwich (then Shawme). Sandwich is the oldest town on Cape Cod.

"It is also agreed by the Court that those tenn men of Saugust, viz Edmund Freeman, Henry Feake, Thomas Dexter, Edward Dillingham, William Wood, John Carman, Richard Chadwell, William Almey, Thomas Tupper & George Knott shall have liberty to view a place to sitt down & have sufficient lands for three score famylies, upon the conditions propounded to them by the Governor and Mr. Winslowe."

Source: SandwichHistory.org

A controversy arose by 1640 about the ten men claiming ownership to the best salt marsh meadows and the rest of the townspeople had to travel longer distances for hay. This did not put the original ten, including Edward, in a good light as being fair with their fellow townspeople. He was on the committee to redistribute the land but looks like it still wasn't fairly distributed. I suppose the original settlers felt some sense of entitlement, thinking they deserved the prime land for their efforts in settling the town.

He was on the 1643 list of Sandwich men able to bear arms and took the Oath of Fidelity in 1644.

Edward remained in Sandwich for the remainder of his days, living east of the upper mill pond. The Dillingham property ran along current day Main Street to at least School Street. The present present First Church of Christ is on Dillingham land. In 1890 the homestead cellar was said to still be there, as well as a pear tree Edward planted. They lived near the Wing family. His home survives on Main Street, Sandwich, currently operated as a Bed and Breakfast. It is widely reported to be haunted.

 

The Dillingham House, Sandwich

He served as Deputy to the Court once and Surveyor of Highways three times.

The first purchase of new Indian-held land after 13 May 1654 entry in Plymouth records lists Mr. Dillingham was one of five men chosen to petition the Court to grant and assist them in purchasing Manomet land.  He is the only one called "Mr." in the list, an honorific.

In 1657 Quaker sympathizers were brought before Court.  Edward Dillingham Sr. was admonished and released.

Ursula died 6 February 1655/6 at Sandwich. She was buried on 9 February, likely at Spring Hill Cemetery.

Edward died at age 71 between May 1666 and May 1667. His will is dated 1 May 1666, proved 1 June 1667. He left considerable bequests to sons Henry and John, as well as people back in England. The inventory was taken by Stephen Winge and Stephen Skiffe, presented at Court 5 June 1667. His will was signed by a mark.

Sources Not Listed Above:

RA Lovell Jr., Sandwich, A Cape Cod Town, 1984

Barbara Gill, CCGS Bulletin, The Ten Men From Saugus, Spring 2005

Simeon Deyo, History of Barnstable County, Massachusetts, 1890

CW Swift, Dillingham Family, Library of Cape Cod History & Genealogy, No. 95, 1912