Stephen Lyde

1714-1716 Essex County, Virginia Deed & Will Book 14, Part 2; [Virginia Colonial Abstracts Vol 9, Beverley Fleet]; editor note after page 404

LYDE Loyde

There never was any question in my mind until I same upon this record. Lyde not Loyde.

"Mt. Airy" the colonial estate of the Tayloe family is across the Rappahannock River from Tappahannock. Over the entrance door in the dining room there hangs a portrait of a lady. The Tayloes, and everyone else who knows this stately room, have always understood that this picture is that of Mrs. Elizabeth Lyde, widow of Stephen Lyde, who married secondly John Tayloe. Between the long windows overlooking the numerous terraces, gardens and fields to the Rappahannock River and beyond, in this same rooms hangs a remarkably quaint portrait of a child, her son David Lyde. Here also portraits of Henry Corbin in his official robes, that of Katherine Griffin wearing a high lace headdress, a Governor of Maryland, Hon. John Tayloe of horse racing fame and other members of the family.

The Tayloe family bible and various original records at"Mt. Airy", all carefully examined the day of my last visit, November 3rd 1940, show this name as Lyde. Not Loyde. And Lyde it shall be so far as I am concerned. I might remark, that even if Miss Estelle Tayloe had not actually shown me the records, I still would believe anything she had to say about the family regardless of any written record.

The Essex County records have the name as Loyde. There is no doubt about that, for I examined them again this day, November 6th 1940. There is no loop in the small 'o'.

Now there was a young gentleman who had a country place at Lloyd's in Maryland. Friends would ask him where it was and he would say at 'Lieds'. They would laugh and say he has 'lied' again. So the old joke went threadbare. Evidently that explains it. The early pronunciation of Lloyd was 'Lyde'. Phonetics again, to the confusion of us moderns.

Beverley Fleet.

References

• https://www.colonial-settlers-md-va.us/getperson.php?personID=I1293...
• Magazine of Virginia Genealogy Vol 14 1976, 5.
• https://colonialvirginiaportraits.org/portrait/david-lyde-1713-1729/