Edward Pye was b. c 1647. He was the son of John and Blanche
Lingen Pye. John was the 7th
son of Sir Walter and Joane Rudhall Pye of the Mynde, Much Dewchurch, Herefordshire , England Newfoundland . John graduated from Exeter in 1637, possibly as an attorney. He
married Blanche Lingen soon after and they had a very large family of 23
children, Edward being one of the older ones.
Edward’s mother, Blanche Lingen, came from a fairly well
known family. Her brother, Sir Henry, served in the English Civil War against
Parliament. He was greatly distinguished for his attachment to King Charles I,
in whose service he maintained a regiment of horse. He was a MP (Member of
Parliament) in his later years. Interestingly, he married Alice Pye, sister of
John Pye. So in this instance, a Lingen brother and sister, married a Pye
brother and sister.
Blanche’s mother was a Bodenham and her maternal grandmother
was a Baskerville. All these families had long, deep roots in Herefordshire.
Henry Lingen and Alice Pye
There is a report in the Maryland Bulldog that Edward Pye
was from Dymock, in Gloucestershire. However, going through various Visitation
and genealogical accounts for several counties, there seems to be no other
reference to Dymock or that any member of the Pye family resided there or
leased it out to anyone.
It is possible it was a land holding of Sir Walter Pye, but
there’s nothing that indicates Edward Pye was born there. As one document
cautions, tracing the owners and titles to land in England especially in the early
years, is usually difficult. This is probably because they owned properties in
many counties but resided most frequently in just one or two places.
There is also a report that states Edward Pye was in Barbados
representing his cousin’s properties. Sir Robert Pye, the son of Sir Robert
Pye, had sugar plantations there along with his in-laws the Drax (Drakes)
family. Apparently he never lived in Barbados but had trusted family and
friends to oversee the plantation’s operations. However, it has been discovered
that the Edward mentioned in Barbados records was a full grown man in the
1640’s, while our Col. Edward Pye wasn’t born until 1647. This Edward, a man
who never married, would probably be Sir Robert’s brother (the older one), and
would also be a brother of John Pye, Col. Edward’s father.
Although Col. Edward came from such a large family, to date
I’ve only been able to discover the names of six of them. Nothing is known
about Col. Edward’s childhood, whether it was spent in England , Barbados ,
Jamaica (where some Pye’s
also had sugar plantations), Newfoundland , or
the Colonies, before he settled in Maryland .
Edward was well established in Maryland by c. 1682 when he married Anne Sewell
(Sewall) Rozer, a widow with one son, Notley Rozer. Ann’s ancestor’s included
Lowe’s, Cavendish, Harpur and Dugdale. Her mother, Jane Lowe Sewell, became a
widow in 1665 and then remarried Charles Calvert, making Anne and Edward
in-laws to the Calvert family. Jane Lowe is also a proven descendant of King
Edward III, through John of Gaunt. Edward served on the Board of Deputy
Governors of Maryland
from 1684-1686. As such, he was one of 16 men who were appointed to this
political body and served simultaneously. He was also a member of the Upper
House, the Governor’s Council, was Secretary to Charles Calvert and served in
the army as a Colonel.
Various records show that Edward Pye had a tobacco
plantation in the area that was known as Port Tobacco and was a slave
owner. Edward and Anne had children:
Charles (c.1682-1758) m. c. 1720 Mary Elizabeth Booth (1701-?)
Henry (c 1683-1716)
Walter (c. 1685 -1749) m. 1703 Margaret Tant (1690-1752)
Anne (c.1689-1720) m. 1704 Robert Needham (?-1720)
Visitation of Herefordshire
Mynde Estate Records
The National Archives Records, Kew ,
surrey
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