- Loyalist whose tea was stolen and dumped at the Boston Tea Party
Biography
Richard Clark was born 1 May 1711 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States to William Clarke (1670-) and Hannah Appleton (1684-1766) and died 27 February 1795 Home of son-in-law John Singleton Copley, London, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom of unspecified causes. He married Elizabeth Winslow (1707-1765) 3 May 1733 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
Richard Clarke Boston merchant and Loyalist, was the son of William and Hannah (Appleton) Clarke of Boston, where he was born.
Boston Tea Party
Richard had graduated from Harvard College in 1729 and became one of the most prominent merchants in Boston, his firm at the time of the American Revolution including his two sons, Jonathan and Isaac, under the name of Richard Clarke & Sons. Jonathan was in London in 1773 and Richard Clarke & Sons were named as factors for the Honourable East India Company and were among the consignees of the tea which was thrown into Boston Harbor in December of that year, in the Boston Tea Party. On November 2, they had received a letter signed "O. C.," ordering them to appear at the Liberty Tree the following Wednesday at noon to make a public resignation of their commission as factors.
On Wednesday morning some of the other consignees, including Thomas Hutchinson Jr. (son of the governor), Benjamin Faneuil, and Joshua Winslow, met the Clarkes at their warehouse on King Street. A mob of about five hundred had gathered at the Liberty Tree and, as the merchants did not appear, a considerable number gathered in front of the warehouse. Nine of them went in as emissaries to induce the merchants to yield, and, when they refused to do so, the mob attempted to storm the building but was repulsed. When Jonathan arrived from England there was a gathering of friends at the Clarkes' house in School Street to welcome him, which led to another attack by the mob. The Clarke firm at first refused to sign the Non-Importation Agreement, but afterward consented. Richard Clarke was also one of the signers of the Address to Gen. Gage.
Move to England
The family had become extremely unpopular with the Whigs, and when, on one occasion, Isaac went to Plymouth, Massachusetts to collect some debts, he was attacked and forced to make a midnight escape. Susannah Farnum Clarke, one of Richard's four daughters, had married the artist John Singleton Copley in 1769 and had gone to live with him in London. In view of the growing difficulties in Boston, Clarke decided to go to England also, and after a remarkable voyage of only twenty-one days landed there on December 24, 1775, and lived at Copley's house until his death. With one of his sons he joined the Loyalist Club of London. The family was on the American proscription lists, but in his will Clarke disposed of considerable property, including Bank of England stock and American securities.
Marriage and Family
On May 3, 1733 he married Elizabeth Winslow (1707-1765), who has been variously said to be the daughter of Edmund, Isaac, and Col. Edward Winslow. It is probable that she was the Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Winslow and Elizabeth his wife, whose birth of February 16, 1712 is recorded in the Boston records. Both Richard Clarke and his wife were of distinguished ancestry and occupied a high social position.
- Hannah Clarke (1724-1761)
- William Clarke (1734-1761)
- Elizabeth Clarke (1735-)
- Edward Clark (1737-1770)
- Mary Clarke (1740-1761)
- Joseph Lee Clark (1740-)
- Jonathan Clark (1744-) - in business with his father during Boston Tea Party
- Susanna Farnham Clark (1745-1836) - had married the artist John Singleton Copley in 1769 and had gone to live with him in London.
- Isaac Winslow Clark (1746-1822) - in business with his father during Boston Tea Party
- Sarah Clark (1750-)
- Lucy Clark (1752-1847)
- Richard Clark (1756-1767)
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Hannah Clarke (1724-1761) | |||
| William Clarke (1734-1761) | |||
| Elizabeth Clarke (1735-) | |||
| Edward Clark (1737-1770) | |||
| Mary Clarke (1740-1761) | 1740 Massachusetts, United States | 25 August 1761 Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States | Samuel Barrett (1738-1798) |
| Joseph Lee Clark (1740-) | |||
| Jonathan Clark (1744-) | |||
| Susanna Farnham Clark (1745-1836) | |||
| Isaac Winslow Clark (1746-1822) | |||
| Sarah Clark (1750-) | |||
| Lucy Clark (1752-1847) | |||
| Richard Clark (1756-1767) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| William Clark (1709-) | 1709 Northampton, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States | Westfield, Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States | Abigail Bush (1705-1727) |
| Richard Clark (1711-1795) | 1 May 1711 Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States | 27 February 1795 Home of son-in-law John Singleton Copley, London, Middlesex, England, United Kingdom | Elizabeth Winslow (1707-1765) |
| Mary Clark (1713-) | |||
| Elizabeth Clarke (1716-1785) | |||
Residences
References
- Winslow Memorial, Vol. 1 : Family Records of Winslows and Their Descendants in America, With the English Ancestry as Far as Known; Winslow Family(Classic Reprint) - Tracing family roots of the descendants these early Plymouth Colony settlers back to England.
- Clark in Suffolk County, Massachusetts - first families history
- Richard Clark- disambiguation