John ESTRIDGE of Ye Windward Side [12699]

  General Notes:

The following account was presented to their Lordships in 1675, having been drawn up and signed by the principal inhabitants and planters of St. Christopher's.
St Xp'hs land. Aprill 29th 1675. Narrative of the first settlement of St Xp'rs. How was ye Island of St Xp'hs first Inhabted by ye English & by the french, & how it was shared betweene both nations? The Island of S' Xp'hs was first settled by ye worthy & renowned Capt. Thomas Warner (afterwards Knighted by King Charles ye first) with seaventeene other persons Gentleman adventurers with him in ye yeare 1623, who when they came to Settle found a french man upon it amongst ye Indians & went naked as they did named Peter Cotty putt on Shoare out of a Shipp for recovery of his health, in a Short time after came a french Gentleman with a certaine number of french men with him named Mon De Numbec betwixt whom & S't Thomas Warner ye Island was devided & one halfe for the English & ye other halfe for ye french from white flag bay being ye westerly p'te & friggett Bay being ye Easterly p'te of ye Island ye midle of both which sides fell to ye English nacons lott which said Settle't Continued in peace & good amitie, untill ye yeare 1629 theire being certaine Articles made betweene ye said governor to assist one ye other against any enemy ye should oppose or invade ye, all w above declaracon ye declarants affirm & ye they have from time to time received from Coll John Bedingfeilde some time governor of ye said Island for ye English nacon, & ye aforesaid Peter Cotte of ye french nacon, ye aforesaid Coll Bedingfeild, being one of ye first seaventeene English Settlers ; & in ye yeare 1629 one of ye s'd declarants by name Leiu Coll William ffreeman now here resident came to this Island St Xp'hs ; from Lond. in ye good Shipp called ye Carlisle Com'and in cheife Capt. Henry Hawly & one Geo. Deinnis master, & ye s'd declarant further Sheweth ye after a moneth or there abouts came a powerfull fleete of Spaniards of about 37 Sailes who surprized & tooke most of of Shipping & came to an anchor at Shambers roade in ye french quart & ye next landed most p'te of theire forces, Sir Thomas Warner beinge then in England, had left his Sonn Edward Warner to be his deputie governo' who ac- cording to Articles caused all his able men to be drawne up in armes, & com'anded them to march to Basseterre to assist ye french, who being theire ready in armes to resist their enemy desired to have ye van w was granted ye, ye Capt. or Com'and of the said Company leading on Couragiously upon ye enemy, It was his fortune to be ye first shott & died, ye Company seeing him fall fled p'sently away to sandy point as fast as they could throwing away their armes along ye way as they went, & ye English re- treated in order to theire owne quart ; The next day following were Gentl Com'ission sent from ye English on board to treat of peace & ye treaty was concluded ye english were all to goe of ye Island & were to surrend up ye Island, Artillery armes, Amunicon & all merchandize, only excepting all sorts of apparell linin & woollen, & ye Spaniards to furnish ye shipping for ye transporte of their people for England. There was att ye time a privateere of ffrance named Geeroon, w two or three Shipps, who tooke on board his Vessells all ye french ye were upon ye Island att Sandy point & carried ye away from ye Island untill ye Shipping were all gone. There was one of ye eighteene of ye first english Settlers named Morris Gardner who fled into ye woods, w severall others & stayed upon ye Island untill as well ye Spanish Shipps as those ye were to transport ye english were all gone, after w those ye fled into ye woods assembled togeather, & made choise of said Gardner to be theire governo in a short time aftere ye said Geroon returned to ye Island w his shipping & all ye men he had carried off & by a wilde forceably landed ye againe. Before ye prission gott home for england, Sir Thomas Warner returned againe & Settled ye Island in ye yeare 1630 ye aforesaid Leiu Collonell ffreeman returned again & did continue an Inhab't upon ye Island from ye time till ye fatall yeare 1666 in all w time ye two nac'ons continued in good Ametie. And in the yeare 163.. there was a Settlement made by one of ye english att ye great salt pan, by name William Sumers, but their being noe water to be had w out much labour & toyle ye Settlers left ye s'd land & went to ye Tartoodes to Settle there ; In ye time of Coir Clement Everards governm the great Salt pan was devided betwixt ye english & ye french, but noe parting of any of said land betwixt frigott bay & St Xp'hs point to this day. In testimonie whereof wee have hereunto Subscribed our names being thereunto Called this 29th April 1675. William ffreeman. John Estridge. Rob't Cave. Charles Morris and others.
Ref: History of Antigua Vol 1 Chap II 1894. V L Oliver

1681, April 15. At a meeting of the General Council & Assembly of the Leeward Islands there were present : Gent' of the Councill. Cap' Chas. Pym, Nich. Raynsford, Esq., L' Col. Jn Estridge,
Ref: History of Antigua Vol 1 1894. V L Oliver

John married Elizabeth PHIPPS [12700] [MRIN: 4274], daughter of Col Francis PHIPPS Esq. [12701] and Mary CRISP [24841], on 13 May 1731 in St Thomas Basseterre St Kitts.