Descended From Magna Carta Barons — Anne Derehaugh

B. about 1584 in Badingham, England
M. about 1603 in (probably) Suffolk, England
Husband: John Stratton
D. after 1642 in (probably) Massachusetts

A minority of people who migrated to colonial New England had connections to royalty, but some of Anne Derehaugh’s ancestors were also involved in the creation of the Magna Carta. Her pedigree included 8 of the 25 barons who were behind the historic document, and 5 other barons were first cousins of her ancestors. And Anne was a direct descendant of the other significant Magna Carta figure — King John.

Anne was born in about 1584 in Badingham, England, a village in Suffolk. Her parents were William Derehaugh and Mary Wright, and she was one of ten children. When Anne was around age 19 in about 1603, she married John Stratton, who was of a similar upper-class background, and they had nine children together. As oldest surviving son, Anne’s husband had inherited most of the property of the Stratton family, which passed to Anne and their children after his death in May 1627. This included a house called Kirton Hall, which had been in the Stratton family for over 250 years, as well as another called Thurkalton. 

The area where Anne lived had a high concentration of followers of Puritanism, including some people of wealth. Her family must have been among them, because in about 1630, she and oldest son John sold Kirton Hall and made plans to migrate to New England. The following year, John sailed to the Massachusetts Bay colony, where he had been granted 2,000 acres. A few years later, Anne also came over with daughters Elizabeth and Dorothy, arriving on April 15, 1635 aboard the ship Increase. 

Anne and her family settled in Salem. In 1641, she hired a lawyer in Boston to recover the inheritance of her children from her mother's will of 20 years earlier back in England. The implication is that the grandchildren needed to reach a certain age before receiving the bequests. Anne was recorded in 1642 as being a plaintiff in a suit against “William Pester at Ipswich." This was the last mention of Anne and her date of death is unknown.

Anne’s Historic Ancestors
Anne’s claim to fame comes in her pedigree chart, and her connections to the people behind the Magna Carta were through her mother. The document was written in 1215 after 25 members of the English nobility (the barons) overpowered King John, and forced him to make political concessions. The Magna Carta was the first document to suggest that imprisonment without a fair trial should be illegal, and it has been credited as being the seed of many of the civil liberties that we enjoy today.

The signing of the Magna Carta in 1215.

The Magna Carta barons on Anne’s pedigree are John de Lacy, Richard de Clare, Gilbert de Clare, Roger le Bigod, Hugh le Bigod, William d’Aubeney, Robert de Ros and Saher de Quincy. In addition, she has first cousin relationships to William de Lanvallay, Robert FitzWalter, Henry de Bohun, William de Huntingfield, and Robert de Vere. And Anne’s descent from King John also adds his pedigree to hers, which includes kings Henry II, Henry I, William the Conqueror, most of the Saxon kings of England, and Charlemagne.

Anne's connection to King John.

Of course any pedigree that strays this far back into antiquity is far from being proven because any link in the chain that’s incorrect erases that entire line of people. The odds are, though, that at least Anne’s connection to some of the Magna Carta barons are likely accurate.

For all of her notable ancestors, Anne has only one significant direct descendant, John Kerry, who was a 9G grandson.

Children:
1. John Stratton – B. about 1604, (probably) Shotley, England; D. after 8 Jul 1643, (probably) Massachusetts

2. Thomas Stratton – B. about 1606, (probably) Shotley, England

3. William Stratton – B. about 1607, (probably) Shotley, England; D. before Dec 1631, England

4. Margaret Stratton – D. May 1617, Shotley, England

5. Anne Stratton – B. about 1612, (probably) Shotley, England

6. Elizabeth Stratton – B. about 1614, Ardleigh, England; D. before Jul 1668, Beverly, Massachusetts; M. John Thorndike (1603-1668), 1636, Salem, Massachusetts

7. Anthony Stratton – B. about 1615, Badingham, England

8. Dorothy Stratton — B. (probably) Shotley, England

9. Mary Stratton — B. (probably) Shotley, England

Sources:
"The English Ancestry of Anne (Derehaugh) Stratton," Robert Battle, New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol. 155 & 156, 2001-2002
"Notes on Stratton of Salem," E. W. Leavitt, Putnam's Monthly Historical Magazine, 1896
A Book of Strattons, Harriet Russell Stratton, 1908
WikiTree
Magna Carta (Wikipedia article)
Famous Kin (website)