Adam de Barthelot

 

As an only grandchild I survived the doting of my father’s mother who more than anything else gave me an appreciation for New England.  No, not the Boston Red Sox, baked beans, lobster or even fall foliage, but an appreciation for the history and tradition that is foundational to this country.   When I attended Deerfield Academy, it occurred to me that the school motto: “Be worthy of your heritage”, could not have been more fitting. After all, my father and two uncles had also gone to Deerfield and my grandmother had been in the same class at Smith College as Mrs. Boyden, wife of the legendary Frank Boyden, headmaster at Deerfield for 66 years.  Furthermore, the family homestead in Webster, MA dated to around 1790 when the first Bates showed up in the area, having migrated from Hingham,MA which is now just a short drive away.  As a youngster, I recall being fascinated with the original beehive oven in the old farm wondering what life like was like for the earliest occupants. It was  where Andrew Jackson Bates a pioneer in the wholesale shoe business was born and in 1887 married my great grandmother, Hattie, daughter of Asa Bartlett. Her line of the Bartlett family descended from the prolific Richard Bartlett the shoemaker who came to Newbury, Massachusetts in 1634 from Wiltshire, West Sussex, England. He brought a "Geneva Bible" with him, supposedly the first in America.  Illustrious descendants include Dr. Josiah Bartlett, one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and later Governor of New Hampshire. In the mid-19th century descendants included Samuel Bartlett, who was for many years President of Dartmouth College.  Although the Bartletts clustered initially in Massachusetts, over the years they spread through New England.  Hattie's relatives were Quaker and migrated to where their religion was tolerated in what is now Rhode Island , but that is another story.

The main line of the Bartlett Family in England originated in Stopham, Sussex. The family had lived there since the days of William the Conqueror and his supporter Adam de Berthelot, a minor nobleman who lived in the country around Liseux along the River Tougues in Normandy.  When the Normans landed on the beaches of Pevensey near Hastings in Sussex on September 19, 1066 Adam de Berthelot was what could now be termed William the Conqueror’s Executive Assistant. As part of the spoils of war, the record shows that Adam de Berthelot was amongst the first to be given land, receiving 6000 acres along the River Arun in Sussex including, the hamlet of Stopham after which the estate was named. That he was not retained for military service and got the grant so soon and able to take up residence not long after, point to him having received injuries in the battle severe enough to incapacitate him. When Adam de Berthelot came ashore at Hastings he had with him a coat-of-arms commemorating a legendary event of two hundred years earlier.

Adam de Berthelot was a descendant of Berthelot, a nephew of Charlemagne, named after his mother and grandmother, Queen Bertha. Charlemagne took a special interest in his nephew who was of delicate health and for that reason grew-up preferring studious pursuits in preference to more boisterous activities. Berthelot married, had children and became a prominent member of Charlemagne’s court, notably for his chess prowess. A certain Raynard, the son of the Duke of Aymon, was angry at Charlemagne blaming him for the death of his uncle Bevis and  Raynard demanded compensation in gold. Charlemagne who had earlier made Raynard a knight was so enraged by the insolence, he removed the glove from his left hand and threw it into Raynards face,  creating a challenge to which Raynard chose to withdraw. History says that courtesans mischievously encouraged Barthelot to challenge Raynard in a game of chess.  The match took place during the Festival of Pentecost at the Great Court and Tournament, whereat after six games of chess between Raynard and Berthelot tempers rose and the match erupted with words and blows, Raynard picking up the heavy gold chess board and bringing it down on the head of Berthelot killing him. Charlemagne hearing of the death of his nephew decreed that the Berthelot family would be recognized by a Coat-of-Arms emblazoned with three left-handed gloves having gold tassels.   Following their father's death, the sons of Berthelot and those descended from them, made their homes in many parts of France and elsewhere. Raynard and his brothers fled to the Forest of Ardennes, to dwell in safety at the Castle of Mountayneford. Significantly the Raynard incident brought about the accepted way of challenge to combat by striking the cheek with a glove.

The Berthelots spent several hundred years at the family home in Stopham before Richard Bartlett was inclined to come to New England  on the good ship John and Mary. The name was changed to Bartlett at this time.