Four Lords:
Not Enough Sons

By Warren Culpepper

A discussion of the widespread belief that some American
Culpeppers are descended from Lord Culpeper of Virginia.

Introduction

From childhood, I heard from my father that we were descended from Lord Culpeper of Virginia. He had determined this by retaining a professional genealogist to trace our family's roots. I never saw the document that was produced, and don't know the identity of the genealogist, However, until I started a serious pursuit of genealogy, I never had any reason to doubt the claim.

In discussions with other Culpepper descendants that I've met as a result of creating this web site, I have discovered that quite a few other Culpepper families have held the belief that they were descended from Lord Culpeper. However, a review of very well-documented research indicates that any Culpepper claim of Lord Culpeper ancestry is a myth.

There were actually four Lord Culpepers, but only one of them, Thomas, Lord Culpeper, Second Baron of Thoresway, ever lived in America.

Modern-day Culpeppers should be heartened by the fact that they are not descended from a man whose character was viewed so poorly by both his peers and historians:

Hartwell, Chilton and Blair (1696) 'one of the most cunning and covetous men in England.'

Beverley (1705, i, 80) 'he had the art of mixing the good of the Country with his own particular Interest.'

Bishop Burnet (1723, i, 798) 'A vicious and corrupt man, but made a figure in the debates.'

Chalmers (1782) 'having shown by his conduct that they who act under independent authority will seldom obey even reasonable commands, no more governors were appointed for life.'

Bancroft (1837, ii, 246) 'He had no high-minded regard for Virginia: he valued his office and his patents only as property... yet Culpeper was not singularly avaricious. His conduct was in harmony with the principles which prevailed in England. As the British merchant claimed the monopoly of colonial commerce, as the British manufacturer valued Virginia only as a market for his goods, so the British Courtiers looked to appointments in America as a means of enlarging their own revenues or providing for their dependants. Nothing but Lord Culpeper's avarice gives him a place in American history.'

Lodge (1881, p., 23) 'Culpeper's sole object was extortion, which he freely practised... Culpeper's administration was, as a whole, one of simple greed and violent exaction, varied by an extensive swindle in raising and lowering the value of the coin.'

Doyle (1882, i, 259) 'His worst fault was rapacity, of which he stands convicted both by general tradition and certain specific actions.'

Wertenbaker (1914, p. 239) 'Few British colonial Governors are less deserving of respect than Thomas, Lord Culpeper.'

In addition, his personal life was equally flawed, having spent most of his adult years with his mistress Susanna Willis, in spite of his marriage to Marguerite Van Hesse.

The four Lord Culpepers are identified below. The links associated with each name are to detailed narratives written by Fairfax Harrison in The Proprietors of the Northern Neck. A study of these narratives should help remove any lingering doubts as to the possibility of any modern-day Culpepper being a descendant of any of the four Lord Culpepers.

1st Baron of Thoresway: Sir John Culpeper (1600-1660) of Wigsell and Hollingbourne. (Portrait)

John inherited his father's share of ownership in the Virginia Company in 1617, and at the age of 21, was knighted by King James I (which gave him the title of "Sir").  In 1644, he was raised to the peerage, becoming the First Baron of Thoresway (which gave him the title of "Lord"). He became one-seventh proprietor of the Northern Neck of Virginia under the charter of 1649. He never lived in the colonies. and had seven children that survived him: Thomas (2nd Lord Culpeper), John (3rd Lord Culpeper), Cheney (4th Lord Culpeper), Frances, Elizabeth, Judith, and Philippa.

2nd Baron of Thoresway: Thomas Culpeper  (1635-1689) of Leeds Castle.

Thomas succeeded upon his father's death in 1660 as the second Lord Culpeper. He was a Member of the Council for Foreign Plantations, 1671-1674. Governor of Virginia, 1677-1683; Proprietor of the Northern Neck under charters of 1669 and 1688; viz: one-sixth until 1681, and thereafter, five-sixths. Proprietor of all Virginia under the Arlington charter of 1673; viz. one-third, 1673-1681, and the whole, 1681-1684, when he surrendered to the Crown. He was, however, in the colony only during two brief tours, from May to August, 1680, and from December, 1682, to May, 1683. He had three daughters and no sons. The only child from his marriage was, Catherine, who married Thomas, Lord Fairfax. His other two daughters, Susanna and Charlotte, were by his mistress Susanna Wills.

3rd Baron of Thoresway: John Culpeper (1641-1719).

John succeeded upon his brother's death in 1689 as the third Lord Culpeper. He married his cousin Frances (1664-1740) daughter of Sir Thomas Culpeper the younger, of Hollingbourne. He never lived in the colonies, and he died childless.

4th Baron of Thoresway: Cheney Culpeper (1642-1725).

Cheney gained notoriety in the roaring days of the Restoration when he killed an officer of the guards with a blunderbuss and was pardoned only because he was brother to a peer. He succeeded upon his brother's death in 1719 as Fourth Lord Culpeper. He never lived in the colonies. There is no record of a marriage, and when he died without a surviving son, the Culpeper peerage became extinct.

And with Cheney, Lord Culpeper's death, so dies the possibility of any  further Culpepper descendants of any Lord Culpeper.