Alice Carpenter ca 1590 to 1670 of England, Leiden, and Plymouth and Her Husbands Edward Southworth and William Bradford

Alice was born about 1590, likely at Wrington, Somersetshire, the daughter of Alexander Carpenter who was a Separatist at Leiden with the Pilgrims. [Anderson] Her mother’s name is not known.  

Alice is shown to be a daughter of Alexander from the 23 July 1612 Leiden marriage record of Julian Carpenter from Bath to George Morton, accompanied by her father Alexander Carpenter and her sister Alice Carpenter. [MD 11:193] Juliann/Juliana and George are also my direct ancestors; I wrote about them here.

About 1614 Alice Carpenter married Edward Southworth at Leiden. [MD 10:1] Alice and Edward are my 13th great-grandparents on my grandfather Arthur Washburn Ellis Davis’ side of the family.

Edward Southworth was likely the child of that name baptized 12 April 1585 at Clarborough, Nottinghamshire, England, son of Richard Southworth and Immyun Aston. [Allan] 

Edward was a member of the Pilgrim’s Separatist group that fled England to Leiden, where John Robinson was their religious leader. At some point, Alice and Edward returned to England as Edward received a letter there in 1620.

Alice and Edward had two sons: 

1. Constant born about 1615 probably at Leiden; married Elizabeth Collier; died Duxbury in Plymouth Colony 11 March 1678/79. He held a number of influential and high-ranking positions in government: Governor’s assistant, colony treasurer, deputy for Duxbury to the Plymouth court, and was also a frequent committee member. He owned a grist mill and was a large land owner. 
2. Thomas born about 1619 probably at Leiden; married Elizabeth Reynor; died 8 Dec 1669 at Plymouth. He held important positions: commissioner to the United Colonies, Governor’s assistant, deputy to the Plymouth Court, and selectman. He was lieutenant in 1648 and 1653 and captain of the military company of Plymouth in 1659 and 1661.

I descend from Constant; I wrote about him here.

Author Sue Allan sets forth in her book In Search of the Separatist Edward Southworth of Leiden circumstantial evidence that Edward was from Nottinghamshire, rather than Lancashire as some suggest. She found no evidence of a Lancashire connection and feels that theory should be dismissed. She suggests using Occam’s razor when determining Edward’s origins—the simplest explanation is usually the right one, and in Edward’s case that means a Clarborough birth. One bit of evidence is a Southworth Coat of Arms, which is said to have been embroidered by Alice, is much closer, except for a reversal of colors, to the Clarborough family arms than the Lancashire one. William Pontus was a known Separatist who fled to Holland where one of the groomsmen who witnessed his 1611 marriage to Wybra Hanson was Edward Southworth. An Ann Southworth married Richard Pontas/Pontus at Clarborough; perhaps Edward is related as Pontus is an unusual surname and knew Edward from their hometown. Clarborough was at the geographical center of a “Golden Triangle” of fervent Separatist activity.

Edward was living in London when he received a letter from Robert Cushman dated 17 August 1620. It is addressed to Edward Southworth, Heneage House, Duke’s Place, Aldgate Ward, London. Robert told his “loving friend” that he did not expect to see him again because of the dangers of the imminent journey and the “infirmity of body hath seized me.” [Allan] Robert, however, lived until 1625 while Edward was the one who would soon die. Robert Cushman is my 12th great-grandfather and was heavily involved in the business side of raising funds for the Pilgrims trip to America. 

Edward likely died at London between the writing of Cushman’s 1620 letter and the sailing of the ship Fortune the following year. He was about 34 years old. If he died at the address of the letter, he may have been buried at the nearest church—St. Mary’s of Whitechapel but no burial record for him there, but there are gaps in St. Mary’s registers for the years 1619-1621. [Allan]

In 1623 Alice Carpenter Southworth sailed on the Anne, arriving at Plymouth on July 10. On 14 August 1623 she married Governor William Bradford. [MD 30:4] Since the marriage took place so soon after the ship landed, it seems the marriage had already been arranged, perhaps by correspondence between them.

William Bradford was baptized Austerfield, Yorkshire, 19 March 1589/90, son of William and Alice (Hanson) Bradford. He married first Dorothy May on 10 December 1613 at Amsterdam. They had one child, John, born about 1617. Dorothy died by drowning when she fell from the Mayflower on 7 December 1620. [Anderson] When she fell from the ship or jumped is not known with certainty. 

The marriage of William Bradford and Alice Carpenter Southworth was noted in a September 1623 letter written by Emmanuel Altham to his brother Sir Edward Altham [James]:

"Upon the occasion of the Governor's marriage, since I came, Massasoit was sent for to the wedding, where came with him his wife, the queen, although he hath five wives. With him came four other kings and about six score men with their bows and arrows - where, when they came to our town, we saluted them with the shooting off of many muskets and training our men. And so all the bows and arrows was brought into the Governor's house, and he brought the Governor three or four bucks and a turkey. And so we had very good pastime in seeing them dance, which is in such manner, with such a noise that you would wonder...

"And now to say somewhat of the great cheer we had at the Governor's marriage. We had about twelve pasty venisons, besides others, pieces of roasted venison and other such good cheer in such quantity that I could wish you some of our share. For here we have the best grapes that ever you say - and the biggest, and divers sorts of plums and nuts which our business will not suffer us to look for."

Alice’s two sons Constant and Thomas Southworth came to Plymouth in 1628 with their Aunt Juliana Carpenter Morton, so perhaps they had been living with her. 

Also interesting is that Alice had four sisters: Juliann (spelled in a variety of ways including Julian, Julianna), Priscilla, Agnes, and Mary Carpenter. All the sisters eventually came to Plymouth except Agnes who married Samuel Fuller but she died before he sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. I am also descended from Juliana and her husband George Morton 

Alice had three children with William Bradford [Anderson]: 

1. William born 17 June 1624 [MD 30:4] ; m 1st Alice Richards; 2nd a woman whose name is unknown, 3rd Mary (Wood) Holmes
2. Mercy born by 1627; m. Benjamin Vermayes; perhaps died young as she is not mentioned in her father’s 1657 will or her 1670 mother’s will 
3. Joseph born about 1630; m. Jael Hobart 

William Bradford died 9 May 1657 at Plymouth. [Anderson] In his 9 May 1657 will, he named Alice executrix and for “her future maintenance my will is that my stock in the Kennebecke trade be reserved for her comfortable subsistence.” [PCPR 2:1:54-59]

Alice wrote her will 7 June 1670. She asked that her body be buried near her late husband Mr. William Bradford. She left bequests to her sister Mary Carpenter, her son Mr. Constant Southworth, son Mr. Joseph Bradford, son Captain William Bradford, friend Mr. Thomas Prence, grandchild Elizabeth Howland the daughter of Alice’s deceased son Captain Thomas Southworth, Elizabeth Howland’s son James Howland, and servant maid Mary Smith. [Will transcribed at PilgrimHall.org]

Alice Carpenter Southworth Bradford died Plymouth 26 March 1670. [MD 18:68] She was about 80 years old. "On the 26th day of March, 1670, Mistris Allice Bradford, Seni'r, changed this life for the better, haueing attained to fourscore years of age, or therabouts. Shee was a godly matron, and much loued while shee liued, and lamented, tho aged, when shee died, and was honorabley enterred on the 29th day of the month aforsaid, att New Plymouth.”

The  inventory of Alice Bradford late of Plymouth was taken June 1670 and totaled over £162. It did not include real estate. It is very lengthy and included livestock, a great deal of household items including valuable silver, a large collection of her late husband’s books, two guns, 

Alice led such an interesting, albeit hard, life. She was widowed when she was about 31. She left her two young sons behind to make the arduous voyage to Plymouth where she must have heard about the vast number of deaths. She married the most important man in the colony—Governor William Bradford. Her wedding was a large affair with Native Americans in attendance—imagine how eye popping that must have been for a newly arrived English woman. After about 7 years, she was reunited with her two sons, and she had three more children with Bradford. Her Southworth sons benefitted from Bradford being their stepfather as they grew up to be influential men themselves. She was the first lady of the colony, so was expected to set an example in all matters, especially religious ones. 

Sources:

Sue Allan, In Search of the Separatist Edward Southworth of Leiden, 2019

Eugene Stratton, Plymouth Colony Its History and People, 1986

Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration Begins, 1995

Sidney V. James, Jr., editor, Three Visitors to Early Plymouth, 1963