General Notes

Steven Batchelder was born June 23, 1561, attended Saint John's College in Oxford, England in November 17, 1581 graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree. On February 1586-7, was vicar at Wherwell, Hants, England. From July 17, 1587 until deposed in 1605, but lived their until 1614. Of Stoneham, Hants in 1631, he was licensed to visit his children in Holland, but having taken up with the company of merchant adventurers called the "Plough Company", he came to New England, arriving at Cambridge in the "William and Francis" on June 5, 1632, his age reputed to be 71. He preached at Lynn, Massachusetts. the first year and was made a freeman there in 1635, he was found in Ipswich in 1636 and Yarmouth in 1637, failing settlement at both, then to Newbury in 1638. In 1638-39 he was the leader in the settlement of Hampton and is said to have named the town, excommunicated there but restored.
In 1641 he was umpire in an important reference case in Maine. In 1644, he was called to Exeter but was prohibited from preaching there by the General Court on April 20, 1647, he was 'late of Hampton now Strawberry Bank' (Lists 391a, 392b). His first wife may have been a Bate, a relation to Reverend John Bate vicar at Wherwell, who called Stephen Jr. 'Cousin. His second marriage at Abbots-Ann in March 1623-4, Christian Weare, widow; his third at Abbots-Ann on March 26, 1627, Helena Mason, widow Abt 48 in 1631, who died before May 3, 1647, when in Portsmouth, as he wrote, assigned 'an honest neighbor (a widow)' to help care for his family. His fourth, unhappily the widow Mary Beedle (4) of Kittery, with whom in 1650 he was ordered to live. The same year he was charged with marrying without bans. In October 16, 1651, she and George Rogers were convicted; October 14, 1652 she was presented for entertaining idle people on the Sabbath. She asked for divorce on October 18, 1656, alleging Stephen had gone to England many years since and married again, herself and two invalid children destitute on her hands. Lists 282, 284, 298. The date of his return to England is    , his P.A. to Christopher Hussey was approved by Hampton court in November 1654. He died at Hackney near London about 1660. Child by 1st wife Theodate, born 1588, married Christopher Hussey. Nathaniel born 1590, merchant of Southampton, England died 1645. By wife Hester (Mercer) had five children, Stephen, Anna, Francis, Nathaniel, Benjamin. Deborah, born 1592, married Reverand John Wing, Stephen, born 1594, lived with father at Wherwell in 1614, having been expelled from Magdalen College as the author of libelous verses. Samuel, born 1597, a minister, late of Gorcum, Holland in 1640. Ann born 1600, married on Sanborn 2nd before 1640 Henry Atkinson of London. Mary Batchelder, child of his fourth wife who was 21 in 1671, had married by March 26, 1673 William Richards, whom the court on his petition after deliberation approved administration of Stephen Batchelder's estate.