Person:Percival Levett (2)

Percival Levett, Jr.
bur.16 Sep 1654 York, Yorkshire, England
m. Est 1577
  1. Anne Levett1578 - 1653
  2. Mercy Levett1579 -
  3. Mary Levett1581 - 1639
  4. Rutherforth Levett1582 - 1584
  5. Grace Levett1584 - 1631
  6. Captain Christopher Levett1586 - 1630/31
  7. Percival Levett, Jr.Abt 1590 - 1654
m. Bef 1614
  1. Abigail Levett1614 -
  2. Maria Levett1615 -
  3. Sara Levett1616 -
  4. Anna Leavitt1624 -
  5. John Leavitt1625 -
  6. Joseph Leavitt1628 -
  7. Martha Levett1630 -
  8. Benjamin Levett1632 -
  9. William Levett1634 - 1634/35
  10. Grace Levett1640 - 1640
m. Bef 26 Apr 1648
  1. Samuel Levett1649/50 - 1651
Facts and Events
Name[3][4] Percival Levett, Jr.
Alt Name Percival Leavit
Alt Name Percival Leavitt
Gender Male
Alt Birth? Bet 1580 and 1590 York, Yorkshire, England
Birth? Abt 1590 York, Yorkshire, England
Marriage Bef 1614 Beverley, East Riding of Yorkshire, England?
to Mary Unknown
Marriage Bef 26 Apr 1648 to Jane Unknown
Residence 1648 York, Yorkshire, Englandwith Jane Unknown
Occupation? Merchant in Beverley and City of York
Burial[1] 16 Sep 1654 York, Yorkshire, EnglandSt. Michael le Belfry

Percival Levett was born about 1590, based on the date he became a Freeman of the City of York, in 1611. His older siblings had all been baptized in York, so it would seem likely that he too was born and or baptized there. His father was Percival Levett and his mother is said to be Elizabeth Rotherford. Percival, the father, had risen from the rank of yeoman to that of a gentleman. Percival (2) and his brother Christoper were both Mercers by trade. Percival is said to have married Margaret Linkley; I have not found a source for this marriage or her name.

The commonly accepted children and birthdates comes from Emily Leavett Noyes. She does not give any clue to where she got the information. A search of the parish registers in York reveal a different list of children, (most of the same names but different birth dates). Here is a comparison of the two lists.
Noyes: John - 1608; Joseph 1609; Sara 1611; Elizabeth 1612; Benjamin 1614; Samuel 1615; Abigail 1616; Martha 1620.

New research:
Abigail 1614; Maria 1615; Sara 1616; Anna 1624; John 1625; Joseph 1628; Martha 1630; Benjamin 1631; William 1634; Grace 1640; Samuel 1649. All of these baptisms are easily found and each one is said to be the child of Percival Levett. The spacing of the births between Sara and Anna seem to indicate two wives if not three.

Freemanship gave a man the right to work at his trade. An apprentice became a Freeman on completion of his apprenticeship. If Percival was 21 in 1611, would he be married and having children without having completed an apprenticeship or without "coming of age". In 1608 he would have been 18. The other obstacle here is a son, born in 1625 named John. Would Percival have two sons named John ?

Emily Noyes, admits in her book that there is no proof that John was the son of Percival. I think these new finds go along way to proving that he was not.

In 1648 Percival and his second, possibly third wife, Jane ( ) Wade were granted administrative rights to her deceased husband's [Christopher Wade] estate. Percival Levett, Jr. did not immigrate to Massachusetts, he died in York in 1654 and was interred in St. Michael le Belfry in York.

References
  1. 12/2015 percival-levett-of-york-england, in Roberts, Jeanie. Jeanieology Blog.

    Article on Levetts of York with list of additional sources.

  2.   Church of England. St. Michael-le-Belfrey Church (York, Yorkshire), and Francis Collins. The registers of St. Michael le Belfrey, York, part II: marriages, 1653-1772, baptisms and burials, 1653-1778. (Leeds: Privately printed for the Yorkshire Parish Register Society, 1901)
    p. 36.

    BURIALLS, Anno Dni. 1654.
    Mr. Percivall Levett in Lendall streete *, the 16th of September

    * Lendall Street is within 2 blocks of St. Helen Stonegate, 6 or 7 blocks from St. Michael le Belfry, both on the northern side of River Ouse. All Saints Pavement & St. Martin are also within a 10-15 minute walk of Lendall Street. The Taylors Guild Hall, established in the 13th century is also in this neighborhood (Stonegate).

  3. Sanborn, V. C. (Victor Channing). Notes on the English ancestry of the following American families: Samborne or Sanborn ... Bachiler or Batcheller ... Blake ... Levet, Lovet, Leavitt ... Kirtland or Kirkland ... (Boston, Massachusetts: David Clapp & Sons, 1894)
    p. 13.

    PERCIVAL LEVETT, merchant, married ___ _____, and had:
    i. ABIGAIL, b. Sept. 27, 1614.
    ii. MARY, b. Sept. 26, 1615.
    iii. SARAH, b. Sept. 29, 1616.
    iv. MARTHA, buried Nov. 2, 1611.
    v. SAMUEL, free of citv as a merchant by inheritance, 1686.
    vi. JOSEPH, free of city as a merchant by inheritance, 1651.
    vii. BENJAMIN.
    viii. JOHN.
    ix. ELIZABETH.
    [Note: This family group is partially correct, but includes an Elizabeth, not found in York records, a different Samuel living in 1686 and a Martha buried in 1611, typo ? for 1671 ?]
    [Author claims that Percival descended from Levets of Melton, but provides an impossible descendancy from William & Joan (Ingland) Levett]

  4. So far no birth/baptism in Beverley found for Percival Jr., most of which are held by Ancestry. Also no evidence that Percival Sr. ever resided in Beverley, pointing to the questionable birthplace of son, Percival, Jr.