Parker Wickham (February 28, 1727–May 22, 1785) was a

Loyalist Loyalism, in the United Kingdom, its overseas territories and its former colonies, refers to the allegiance to the British crown or the United Kingdom. In North America, the most common usage of the term refers to loyalty to the British Cro ...

politician who was banished from the State of New York under dubious circumstances. Wickham was the oldest son of Joseph Wickham and Abigail Parker of

Cutchogue Cutchogue ( ) is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, New York (state), New York, United States, on the North Fork (Long Island), North Fork of Long Island's East End (Long Isla ...

, Long Island, New York. Wickham inherited nearly all of his father's large estate at age 22, including

Robins Island Robins Island is a island in Peconic Bay by the eastern end of Long Island off the coast of New Suffolk, New York. The island is privately owned and not accessible to the public and is within the jurisdiction of the Town of Southold in Suff ...

. He lived in the Old House in Cutchogue, which was built in 1699. Currently a museum, it is said to be one of the oldest English-style houses still in existence in the USA. Wickham married Mary Goldsmith and had several children. He was the brother (and rival) of Patriot leader Thomas Wickham and the uncle of Federalist attorney John Wickham. In 1751, Wickham was elected as

Fence Viewer A fence viewer is a town or city official who administers fence laws by inspecting new fences and settles disputes arising from trespass by livestock that have escaped enclosure. The office of fence viewer is one of the oldest appointments in New E ...

. He was elected in both 1754 and 1755 as

Overseer of the Poor An overseer of the poor was an official who administered poor relief such as money, food, and clothing in England and various other countries which derived their law from England such as the United States. England In England, overseers of the poo ...

, and in 1763, he received an appointment as

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

for the

County of Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowestof ...

. He was elected town assessor in 1765 and 1766, then elected nine times to the highest post of local government,

town supervisor The administrative divisions of New York are the various units of government that provide local services in the State of New York. The state is divided into boroughs, counties, cities, townships called "towns", and villages. (The only borou ...

of the Town of Southold. In addition, he served as a major in the local militia. During the American Revolution, Wickham was known for his pro-Loyalist views. He was kidnapped by Connecticut rebels on December 13, 1777, and placed on parole soon after. He was required to forfeit his property without compensation on October 22, 1779, after a

bill of attainder A bill of attainder (also known as an act of attainder or writ of attainder or bill of penalties) is an act of a legislature declaring a person, or a group of people, guilty of some crime, and punishing them, often without a trial. As with attai ...

was passed by New York's legislature. He was also banished from the state under threat of death. Wickham was forced to move to Connecticut, where he died. He insisted he was innocent of the charges, but he was never granted a trial. Acts of attainder were banned under the

U.S. Constitution The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It superseded the Articles of Confederation, the nation's first constitution, in 1789. Originally comprising seven articles, it delineates the natio ...

, adopted a few years after Wickham's death. Shortly before his death in exile, Wickham wrote:

I have acted consistently and consciously throughout my whole conduct, with a firm belief there is a future existence, and defy the state to produce one instance wherein I have acted rigidly, defrauded, or abused one member of it, although it was in my power.

In 1989, several of Wickham's heirs filed a lawsuit to try to regain ownership of

. Though the lawsuit failed, it discouraged development, and most of the island is now protected by an easement to

The Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Natu ...

. Wickham was buried in the Raymond Cemetery in

Waterford, Connecticut Waterford is a town in New London County, Connecticut, United States. It is named after Waterford, Ireland. The population was 19,571 at the 2020 census. The town center is listed as a census-designated place (CDP) and had a population of 3,074 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wickham, Parker People of the Province of New York Loyalists in the American Revolution from New York (state) 1727 births 1785 deaths People from Cutchogue, New York Burials in Connecticut People convicted under a bill of attainder