Richard Garner - Witchcraft trials

Richard Garner was reportedly born about 1606 and was living after 1637. Family-tree notes identify him as a son of John Garner of Solihull, Warwickshire, and describe his marriage to Katharn. The notes further state that, after Katharn’s death in a reported 1636 witchcraft ordeal, Richard emigrated to Virginia with their young son John. Later accounts in the same material associate him with Farrar’s Island and a 1643 Henrico County record concerning funds for an orphan named John Garner.

Richard Garner was reportedly born about 1606. Family-tree notes name him as one of three sons of John Garner, born in 1578 at Solihull, Warwickshire, England, and Joan Underwood. His brothers were Thomas and John. According to these notes, the three brothers each inherited a one-third interest in the Lion Inn at Shrewsbury through their mother’s dowry about 1631.

Richard married a woman identified in the notes as Katharn. The account states that Katharn, described there as a Welshwoman, was accused of witchcraft in Shropshire in 1636 and underwent a water ordeal. It says she died during the ordeal and was found innocent, with “2 pounds” allowed for burial in Christian ground. These details are presented in the family material as reported events and have not been independently documented here.

The same notes state that Richard left England for Virginia in 1637 with a young son, John Garner. John is said to have been baptized at St. Chad’s Church on 2 September 1633. They reportedly first arrived at Farrar’s Island on the James River, near present-day Richmond. The notes say that Richard gave his interest in the Lion Inn to his brother John before leaving England, although this rests on a later statement attributed to John.

Family material attributes to Richard interests in a sawmill at Dorrington, a farm at Action Scott, land on Wenlock Edge, and a one-third interest in the Lion Inn. It also suggests that his brother John sold some of these holdings. The notes offer several possible explanations for the family’s property arrangements and the accusations against Richard’s wife, but these are speculation rather than established conclusions.

A Henrico County court record dated 1643–1644 is quoted in the notes as a payment by “Jno. Garner” to William Farrar for the education and inheritance of “my cousin John Garner, orphan,” who was described as the ward of William Farrar. The quoted record refers to 500 pounds, including 400 pounds said to be owed to Richard Garner for a mill, land on Wenlock Edge, and a farm at Action Scott, as well as 100 pounds connected with title to the Lion Inn. The notes interpret this as evidence that Richard had died by 1643 and that his son John became William Farrar’s ward. However, the record’s use of “cousin” and the presence of another young John Garner in the family create uncertainty about which child was intended. Richard’s reported death in 1643 is therefore not certain from the material provided.

Richard Garner is identified in the family-tree notes as an ancestor of Faye.

Historical context

The family material describes seventeenth-century accusations of witchcraft and a reported water ordeal in Shropshire. It explains that, in the account given, a person who drowned during such an ordeal was considered innocent and could receive Christian burial. The notes also portray early Virginia settlement as difficult and sparsely inhabited, with continuing conflict involving the Powhattan tribe. These descriptions are retained as context from the supplied notes and are not independently verified here.

Sources & research

Original Family Tree Maker notes, stated to be from Ancestry.com.
“Early Virginia Families along the James River,” Foley, vol. 1, p. 6.
Henrico County Order Book, 1643–1644, p. 23, cited in the notes as “Hen. C.O.B. 1643-1644, page 23.”
http://shrewsburyforum.co.uk/ar/t844.htm
http://www.thelionhotelshrewsbury.co.uk