Person:Christopher Batt (1)

"Christopher Batt … was baptized at St. Edmund's, Salisbury, on July 6, 1601. … Batt died in Boston, Massachusetts, on August 10, 1661, having been accidentally shot by his son who was shooting at a mark in his orchard. … In May, 1638, Christopher Batt, of Salisbury, tanner, aged 37, Anne Batt, his wife aged 37, their children Anne aged 7, Jane aged 6, Christopher aged 5, Thomas aged 3, and Elizabeth aged 2, accompanied by Christopher's sister Dorothy Batt, embarked on the Bevis of Southampton, 150 tons, Robert Batten master. Also on board were Christopher's cousins Henry Biley, aged 26, a Salisbury tanner, and Henry's sister Mary Biley, aged. 22. … Batt and Biley must have gone almost at once to Newbury where Batt was sworn Freeman on March 13, 1639, and very soon thereafter they crossed the Merrimac river to the new town, first called Colchester but promptly renamed Salisbury, possibly because of their influence. They were two of the twelve original proprietors of the town, and Batt had town grants in 1639, 1640 and 1642. He represented Salisbury in the General Court at Boston in 1640, 1641, 1643 and 1650. About 1651 he left Salisbury and became a merchant in Boston.

Christopher Batt made his will on November 19, 1656, 'being now enforced for the better providing for my family to goe a voyage to Virginia.' 'Having so long & large experience of the faithfull love of my deare wife Anne Batt both to me and my children' he appoints her sole executrix and leaves to her, during widowhood, his whole estate to improve the same for the best good of herself and the children, and to bestow portions on them as the estate will bear and they need. If she marry again his desire is that she dispose of at least two-thirds of the estate to his children 'somewhat to an equallitie my eldest son excepted.' Witnesses: Edward Rawson, Rachel Rawson, Anthony Checkley. The voyage to Virginia was a safe one and the will was not proved until September 19,1661."

"Batt, Christopher, Newbury, tanner, came from the city of Salisbury, Co. Wilts, in the Bevis, emb. at Southampton, 1638, aged 37, with w. Ann, 32 [37]; sis. Dorothy, 20; and five ch. under 10 yrs. freem. 13 Mar. 1639, rem. to Salisbury, of wh. he was rep. 1640, 1, 3, and 50, rem. to Boston, and there was casu. k. 10 Aug. 1661 by a s. firing at a mark in the orchard. His wid. made her will 14 Mar. 1679, call. hers. 76. We kn. not the names of those ch. he brot. from Eng. but one was prob. Thomas, for he carr. on the business of his f. at B. Eight or more were b. in this country, for Coffin ment. thirteen, yet gives dates of only three, John, b. at S. 4 Mar. 1641; Paul, and Barnabas, tw. 18 Feb. 1643. Others (part b. in Eng.) were Christopher, Ann, Samuel, Jane, Sarah, Abigail, Timothy, Ebenezer, and Eliz. This last d. 6 July 1652, perhaps young; Ann m. 12 June 1657, Edmund Angier; Jane m. 3 Apr. 1661, Dr. Peter Toppan, and may therefore be supposed to have been b. on our side of the water, while the other side must be thot. birthplace of Ann, as she was sec. w. of Angier. Christopher was of Dover in 1662; Paul was a glazier, and Timothy a tailor, both freem. 1673, at Boston, and both prob. certain one of them interest. in the tannery; and of Samuel it is said that he was a min. in Eng. and infer. that he never came back to this ld. if he was, as is prob. b. here."