Jeremy Clarke (Governor)
Encyclopedia
Jeremy Clarke (1605 - 1652) was an early colonial settler and President of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
. Born into a prominent family in England, he was a merchant and came to New England
with his wife and four stepsons, settling first at Portsmouth
in 1638, but the following year joining William Coddington
and others to establish the town of Newport
. Here he held a variety of civic positions until 1648 when Coddington's election as President of the colony
was disputed, and Clarke was chosen to serve in that office instead. He was the father of Walter Clarke
, another colonial governor of Rhode Island, and also had family connections with several other future governors of the colony.
in southeastern England, Jeremy Clarke was the son of William Clarke and Mary Weston. His maternal grandfather was Sir Jerome Weston, Barron of the Exchequer, and his uncle was Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland
, Lord High Treasurer
of England. Clarke was a merchant in London before sailing to New England
. While in England he married Frances (Latham) Dungan, the widow of William Dungan, and the daughter of Lewis Latham, and she and her four Dungan children accompanied Clarke to the American colonies. They became Quakers, and first settled on Aquidneck Island
(later Rhode Island), where Quakers were welcomed, and Clarke was listed as an inhabitant there in 1638. In April 1639, while living in Portsmouth
he was one of nine men who signed a compact, agreeing to establish a government just prior to settling in Newport
. In Newport he held a variety of positions from 1639 to 1649, including treasurer, constable, and assistant. In March 1640 he had 116 acres of land laid out for him in Newport, and the same year he was one of three appointed to lay out remaining lands in Newport. In 1642 he was chosen lieutenant of the military in Newport and in 1644 he became captain.
, who had been elected to that position that May. Coddington did not particularly care for the patent that Roger Williams
had obtained from the crown in 1644; he much preferred autonomy for the two Rhode Island towns of Portsmouth and Newport, or even their union with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Also, Coddington was a Royalist, supporting the King, Charles I, while most of the Rhode Island settlers supported the Puritan Party in England. For these, and probably other reasons not made clear in the court records of the day, Coddington was suspended from the office of President to which he had been elected, and Jeremy Clarke became the governor in his place.
One of the most important events of Clarke's administration was the granting of a charter to the town of Providence on 14 March 1649. Though first settled in 1636, this was the first recognition of organized government in what was called Providence Plantations in the Narragansett Bay in New England. This charter of civil incorporation gave the free inhabitants of the town full power and authority to govern and rule themselves.
Civil records do not show Clarke serving in any official capacity beyond his presidency. Friends' (Quaker) records indicate that Clarke was buried "by the street by the waterside in Newport" in the "11th month, 1651," which is January 1652 in the current calendar. The cemetery is now called the Clifton Burying Ground
, and is where a number of prominent Quakers were buried, including his son, Walter Clarke
. His widow later married William Vaughan, dying early in September 1677 "in the 67th year of her age. She was buried in Newport Cemetery, with the inscription on her marker reading, "Here lyeth ye body of Mrs. Frances Vaughan, Alius Clarke, ye mother of ye only children of Capt'n Jeremiah Clarke."
, a future colonial governor of Rhode Island. Their oldest daughter, Mary, married John Cranston, another future governor of the colony, and their son Weston married Mary Easton who was a granddaughter of two other governors, John Coggeshall
and Nicholas Easton
. Their youngest child, Sarah, married the future colonial governor Caleb Carr
as her second husband.
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
. Born into a prominent family in England, he was a merchant and came to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
with his wife and four stepsons, settling first at Portsmouth
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
in 1638, but the following year joining William Coddington
William Coddington
William Coddington was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving as the Judge of Portsmouth, Judge of Newport, Governor of Portsmouth and Newport, Deputy Governor of the entire colony, and then Governor of the...
and others to establish the town of Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. Here he held a variety of civic positions until 1648 when Coddington's election as President of the colony
Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations
The Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...
was disputed, and Clarke was chosen to serve in that office instead. He was the father of Walter Clarke
Walter Clarke (governor)
Walter Clarke was an early Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the first native-born governor of the colony. The son of colonial President Jeremy Clarke, he was a Quaker like his father. While in his late 20s, he was elected as a Deputy from Newport, and in 1673...
, another colonial governor of Rhode Island, and also had family connections with several other future governors of the colony.
Immigration to New England
Born in central KentKent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
in southeastern England, Jeremy Clarke was the son of William Clarke and Mary Weston. His maternal grandfather was Sir Jerome Weston, Barron of the Exchequer, and his uncle was Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland
Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland
Richard Weston, 1st Earl of Portland, KG , was Chancellor of the Exchequer and later Lord Treasurer of England under James I and Charles I, being one of the most influential figures in the early years of Charles I's Personal Rule and the architect of many of the policies that enabled him to rule...
, Lord High Treasurer
Lord High Treasurer
The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Act of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third highest ranked Great Officer of State, below the Lord High Chancellor and above the Lord President...
of England. Clarke was a merchant in London before sailing to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. While in England he married Frances (Latham) Dungan, the widow of William Dungan, and the daughter of Lewis Latham, and she and her four Dungan children accompanied Clarke to the American colonies. They became Quakers, and first settled on Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island
Aquidneck Island, located in the state of Rhode Island, is the largest island in Narragansett Bay. The island's official name is Rhode Island, and the common use of name "Aquidneck Island" helps distinguish the island from the state. The total land area is 97.9 km²...
(later Rhode Island), where Quakers were welcomed, and Clarke was listed as an inhabitant there in 1638. In April 1639, while living in Portsmouth
Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Portsmouth is a town in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 17,389 at the 2010 U.S. Census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water. Most of its land area lies on Aquidneck...
he was one of nine men who signed a compact, agreeing to establish a government just prior to settling in Newport
Newport, Rhode Island
Newport is a city on Aquidneck Island in Newport County, Rhode Island, United States, about south of Providence. Known as a New England summer resort and for the famous Newport Mansions, it is the home of Salve Regina University and Naval Station Newport which houses the United States Naval War...
. In Newport he held a variety of positions from 1639 to 1649, including treasurer, constable, and assistant. In March 1640 he had 116 acres of land laid out for him in Newport, and the same year he was one of three appointed to lay out remaining lands in Newport. In 1642 he was chosen lieutenant of the military in Newport and in 1644 he became captain.
Colonial Presidency
In 1648 Clarke was Newport's assistant to the governor, but became President Regent, or acting governor, of the entire colony (four towns) when accusations were made against William CoddingtonWilliam Coddington
William Coddington was an early magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, and later of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving as the Judge of Portsmouth, Judge of Newport, Governor of Portsmouth and Newport, Deputy Governor of the entire colony, and then Governor of the...
, who had been elected to that position that May. Coddington did not particularly care for the patent that Roger Williams
Roger Williams (theologian)
Roger Williams was an English Protestant theologian who was an early proponent of religious freedom and the separation of church and state. In 1636, he began the colony of Providence Plantation, which provided a refuge for religious minorities. Williams started the first Baptist church in America,...
had obtained from the crown in 1644; he much preferred autonomy for the two Rhode Island towns of Portsmouth and Newport, or even their union with the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Also, Coddington was a Royalist, supporting the King, Charles I, while most of the Rhode Island settlers supported the Puritan Party in England. For these, and probably other reasons not made clear in the court records of the day, Coddington was suspended from the office of President to which he had been elected, and Jeremy Clarke became the governor in his place.
One of the most important events of Clarke's administration was the granting of a charter to the town of Providence on 14 March 1649. Though first settled in 1636, this was the first recognition of organized government in what was called Providence Plantations in the Narragansett Bay in New England. This charter of civil incorporation gave the free inhabitants of the town full power and authority to govern and rule themselves.
Civil records do not show Clarke serving in any official capacity beyond his presidency. Friends' (Quaker) records indicate that Clarke was buried "by the street by the waterside in Newport" in the "11th month, 1651," which is January 1652 in the current calendar. The cemetery is now called the Clifton Burying Ground
Clifton Burying Ground
The Clifton Burying Ground is an early colonial cemetery located in Newport, Rhode Island. It is a Quaker cemetery, and has the graves of four Rhode Island colonial governors.- Description :...
, and is where a number of prominent Quakers were buried, including his son, Walter Clarke
Walter Clarke (governor)
Walter Clarke was an early Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the first native-born governor of the colony. The son of colonial President Jeremy Clarke, he was a Quaker like his father. While in his late 20s, he was elected as a Deputy from Newport, and in 1673...
. His widow later married William Vaughan, dying early in September 1677 "in the 67th year of her age. She was buried in Newport Cemetery, with the inscription on her marker reading, "Here lyeth ye body of Mrs. Frances Vaughan, Alius Clarke, ye mother of ye only children of Capt'n Jeremiah Clarke."
Family
Clarke and his wife Frances had seven children together, the oldest of whom was Walter ClarkeWalter Clarke (governor)
Walter Clarke was an early Governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations and the first native-born governor of the colony. The son of colonial President Jeremy Clarke, he was a Quaker like his father. While in his late 20s, he was elected as a Deputy from Newport, and in 1673...
, a future colonial governor of Rhode Island. Their oldest daughter, Mary, married John Cranston, another future governor of the colony, and their son Weston married Mary Easton who was a granddaughter of two other governors, John Coggeshall
John Coggeshall
John Coggeshall was one of the founders of Rhode Island and the first President of all four towns in the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations. Coming from Essex, England as a successful merchant in the silk trade, Coggeshall arrived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1632 and quickly...
and Nicholas Easton
Nicholas Easton
Nicholas Easton was an early colonial President and Governor of Rhode Island. Born in Hampshire, England, he lived in the towns of Lymington and Romsey before immigrating to New England with his two sons in 1634. Once in the New World, he lived in the Massachusetts Bay Colony towns of Ipswich,...
. Their youngest child, Sarah, married the future colonial governor Caleb Carr
Caleb Carr (Governor)
Caleb Carr was a governor of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, serving a very short term prior to his death by drowning. In 1635, at the age of 11, he sailed from England on the ship Elizabeth and Ann with his older brother Robert...
as her second husband.
See also
- List of colonial governors of Rhode Island
- List of early settlers of Rhode Island
- Colony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsColony of Rhode Island and Providence PlantationsThe Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations was one of the original English Thirteen Colonies established on the east coast of North America that, after the American Revolution, became the modern U.S...