Edmund Freeman

In Sussex and London

Of Pulborough and Billingshurst, Sussex: at Pulborough 1617-19, Billingshurst c. 1619/20 to c. 1627, Pulborough again 1627-30. His first wife died in April 1630, seven months after the burial of their infant son Nathaniel. In January 1633/4 he sued his brother William and John Gratwicke in Chancery on behalf of his five living children over the lands of his late father-in-law John Hodsoll; the depositions are the only surviving record of four of the children’s baptisms, and (as Dawes-Gates paraphrases them) called him “a man of good credit and repute” (DG 2:350). In February 1634 a surveyor’s plan of about 148 acres in West Grinstead, Steyning and Pulborough was headed “parcell of the possessions of Edmund Freeman of London Merchant” (WSRO Add Mss 28,786). In February 1634/5 he put his Sussex purchase, Long Dowsetts and Northovers, bought for £626, in the hands of four London citizens. His sister Alice’s husband, John Beauchamp, was one of the London partners who financed Plymouth Colony.

The voyage, Lynn and the founding of Sandwich

He sailed from London on the Abigail in 1635 with John Winthrop Jr. as a fellow passenger. The ship arrived in October after ten weeks at sea, “infected also with the small pox” (Winthrop’s Journal). On 5 Nov 1635 he wrote to Winthrop Jr. about the supplies left from the voyage: “retaine for us mr. Geeres part and my part of the provicions left of the vndertaker … Oure part is the eight part” (WP 3:214). He settled briefly at Lynn (Saugus), where he “presented to the Colony twenty corslets, or pieces of plate armor” (Lewis, History of Lynn). On 6 Sept 1640 Hugh Peter wrote to John Winthrop for William Paddy, who asked for “what is due from the Country to his father Freeman for his Armes they had in the Pekot seruice for which hee might haue had 40li, and now desires but 15l” (WP 4:285-286).

On 3 Apr 1637 the court gave “those tenn men of Saugust, vizt, Edmond Freeman, … Thomas Tupper & George Knott” liberty “to view a place to sitt downe & haue sufficient lands for three score famylies” (PCR 1:57); he is named first. When it was complained that the committees would “monopolize the cheife places of conveniency for lands, woods, meadowes,” the court answered on 5 June 1638 that “if the committees be faythfull and able of estate, their paynes will not be small … their paynes will require more then ordinary accomodacon” (PCR 1:88-89). On 3 Sept 1639 it found that “diuers of the committees of Sandwich haue not faythfully discharged that trust … by receiueing into the said towne diuers psons vnfitt for church societie,” and had “disposed the greatest pt of the lands there already, and to very few that are in church societie” (PCR 1:131). In the division of Sandwich meadow of 16 Apr 1640, “Mr Ed Freeman” received 42 acres, the largest share of the 58 named (PCR 1:149-150, image checked). In 1644, when townsmen pledged corn to Thomas Tupper “for as many bolts as would shingle the old meeting-house,” he pledged 10s (HCC 2).

He was in London in the summer of 1639, as “Edmund Freeman of London, gent.,” selling Sussex land, and bought “a pcell of hatts” from Arthur Mansfield, haberdasher, to be “put … abord into the Planter.” Mansfield’s letter of 17 Apr 1640 is addressed to “Mr ffreeman in New England passenger the last yeare in the Champion,” and mentions “the beauers & hatts you bought of me a little before your going hence” (PCR 12:120-125); so he probably came back that year on the Champion.

Friends and business

On 25 Feb 1639/40 he wrote to John Winthrop about a cow meant for Roger Williams: “A Cow appointed by Mr. Andrewes for Mr. Williames of Providens … that Mr. Williames may haue a Cow to keepe her for haulfe the Calfe … Mr. Williames hath sentt to me often tymes abought yt” (WP 4:202). On 10 Mar 1642/3, as his brother-in-law Beauchamp’s attorney, he sold Beauchamp’s Scituate land for £40, quoting Beauchamp’s instruction, “ffor my ground at Scittuate sell it if you can although it be neuer so little,” signed “Yor loueing brother JOHN BEAUCHAMP” (PCR 12:90). On 7 Apr 1643 Richard Andrews, another of the London partners, wrote to “Mr. Freeman” that he found “Mr. Beachamp and Mr. Sherley, in their perticuler demands … according to mens principles, of getting what they could; allthough the one will not shew any accounte, and the other a very unfaire and unjust one” (Bradford 2:337-340). In the settlement of Beauchamp’s claim against Bradford and his partners, 17 Mar 1645/6, Edmund took over the houses and lands of Plymouth’s leaders, among them Winslow’s house in Plymouth “wth … Wainscote bedstead in the parlor … a chaire in the studdy” (PCR 12:128-132).

Magistrate, and dropped

Assistant of Plymouth Colony for six terms, 1640-1646. On 1 Mar 1641/2, while an Assistant: “Wee psent Mr Edmond Freeman, of Sandwich, for lending a gun to an Indian.” The margin notes against the three men presented read “Discharged,” “Discharged,” “Remitted the same Court” (PCR 2:36, image checked). The colony law of 4 June 1639 forbade lending “any kynd of guns peeces or pistolls” to an Indian (PCR 11:31-32). The same court presented Thomas Tupper of Sandwich for “lacivious & vncleane carriages.”

After the election of 1646 Edward Winslow wrote to John Winthrop (4 June): “mr. Thomas insteed of mr. Freeman whom I suppose the Countrey left out in regard of his professed Anabaptistry and separacion from the Churches” (WP 5:80-81). A month later, on 7 July 1646, he sat as a Sandwich deputy and was fined 18 pence for absence (PCR 2:104, 106, image checked).

Religion and the Quakers

On 7 Oct 1651 “Edmond Freeman, Senir, and his wife” were presented with ten others “for not frequenting the publick worship of God”; the margin reads “These were refered to conferance and further consideracon” (PCR 2:173, image checked). On 5 Mar 1655/6 Sarah Kerby was “found faulty” for “diuers suspisious speeches by her vttered against Richard Bourne and Mr Edmond Freeman, of Sandwidge” (PCR 3:96). On 22 Oct 1656 Thomas Tupper the elder released “Edmond Freeman the elder” from “all manor of accoumpts, specialities, and demaunds, from the begining of the world to this present day” (PCR 5:121).

On 6 Dec 1659 Thomas Greenfield, jailed as “a foraigne Quaker” for bringing Mary Dyer from Rhode Island, was released when “Mr Edmond Freeman, Senir, of Sandwich, appeering in Court and affeirming that the said Greenfeild hath house and land in the liberties of Sandwich” (PCR 3:178). The well-known fine of 3 Oct 1659 for refusing to help Marshal Barlow against the Quakers was laid on his son, “Mr Edmond Freeman, Junir” (PCR 3:173), not on him.

About 1722 Rev. Benjamin Fessenden told Thomas Prince that Freeman joined the Quakers but “afterwards left them … upon a detection of some falsehood and villany among them, but never returned to special communion with the church” (HCC 2:56-57n). This is tradition.

The Wampanoag

On 4 Oct 1655, “In answare vnto two notes receiued from Mr Freeman concerning spoyle done in the Indians corn by horses att Mannomett,” the court asked him to share out the five bushels’ damage among the Sandwich horse owners and to pay his own part to the Indians (PCR 3:89-90). On 1 Jan 1663/4, “We Quechatasett Sachem of Monamett & Nanummett,” for “eight pound in hand paid by Edmond Freeman Senr of Sandwich,” sold him land by the ponds “bounded upon ye Salt water taking in all ye necke of land,” with “Lybert[y] of Commonage in ye woods for any sort of Cattle” (Plymouth County deeds, a later copy; FamilySearch 3:1:3QSQ-G9Z7-5HFQ, machine reading). On 11 June 1664 the court ordered him, Bourne, Dexter, Skiffe and Bassett to act after Nanquatnumacke “hath complained of wrong done to him in his corne by horses of Sandwich … take some serious and effectuall course that the poor man may haue his corne preserued … or otherwise wee shalbee in some straight what to doe in the case” (PCR 4:68). On 27 Oct 1674 he, Ensign Thomas Dexter and Edmond Perry, as Sandwich’s agents, sued Samuel Fuller Sr. of Barnstable, who at Scorton Neck had “forcibly cutt downe a certaine young tree, in defiance of theire title”; they were non-suited (PCR 7:192).

Old age, death and burial

His wife Elizabeth died on 14 Feb 1675/6 (Freeman Genealogy p. 19). By the family tradition told in Freeman Genealogy (pp. 18-20), he chose a pillion-shaped stone for her grave, which “by oxen driven by Ellis, was hauled to the recent grave,” and a saddle-shaped stone beside it for his own; Otis gives a version with a speech to his sons and grandsons. The Saddle and Pillion stones are still on the homestead. On 22 Aug 1910 descendants placed bronze tablets on them; his reads “Born in England 1590,” a date the Pulborough register corrects to 1596 (HMdb 120748).

On 24 Feb 1678/9 he gave his house to his grandson Matthias Ellis “for and in consideration of the natural love and affection which I bear to the said Matthias Ellis, being my kinsman in blood, that is to say my grandson; and for diverse other good causes and considerations, as living with me until he the above said Matthias came unto man’s estate, being a support unto me in my old age and weakness.” The land was bounded in part by “a Ditch called the Divell’s Ditch,” and lay “under Sagamore Hill near and unto which Hill there is a great Rock like the ridge of a house” (Old Colony Deeds 5:169-170).

His will (21 June 1682) begins “I Edmond Freeman, the eldest of the name in Sandwich, being in a good measure in health of body,” and names “my three Sons, namely, my son Edmond Freeman, and my son John Freeman, and Edward Perry,” and “my Daughter Elizabeth Ellis, executrix.” The inventory taken “at New Oxford” on 4 Oct 1682, “the estate that was sett forth by Elizabeth Ellis of her father,” lists a silver basin (£8), a silver tankard (£4), a silver spoon, a silk cushion, a desk, “One dixionary & gt. Bible,” a great wainscot chest and old Holland sheets. A second inventory, at Sandwich, lists “one gun” and a double silver salt cellar (Freeman Genealogy pp. 21-22).

Family tradition that “he came from Devonshire” probably comes from Samuel Freeman of Watertown; the Sussex baptism replaces it.

Open questions

• Was the Elizabeth he married at Shipley in 1632 (“Elisabetha Raymer”) his second wife? Brainard and Dawes-Gates proposed a widow Perry instead.
• The 1633/4 Chancery suit: which of the TNA references (C 2/ChasI/F43/29, F52/112, F42/34; C 21/F14/17) holds the depositions?
• A son John baptised at Pulborough 25 June 1633 and buried at Billingshurst 2 Oct 1634 (WikiTree notes) conflicts with this family. Unresolved.
• “New Oxford,” where one inventory was taken in 1682, is unidentified.
• His first marriage: 16 or 26 June 1617? Check the Cowfold register.