George Clarke (1676-1760)

George Clarke was born into the English landowning class at the Clarke family manor house in Swainswick, Somerset. Through the influence of William Blathwayt, Clarke was appointed Secretary of the Province of New York in 1703. He was an able administrator and an adept politician during a turbulent period in New York, serving under three monarchs and six colonial governors. Clarke was eventually promoted to Lieutenant Governor. During his time in New York, he acquired a fortune through payments of fees, charges, and gifts. He also speculated on land and amassed 120,000 acres in various land patents throughout the colony. Clarke resigned from colonial service and returned to Great Britain in 1745.

He settled at Hyde Hall, the ancestral home of his wife, Ann Hyde (1693-1740), in Cheshire, England. His eldest son, George Clarke, Jr. (1715-1777) inherited the Hyde manor in Cheshire; the Houghton manor in Lancashire, and the Clarke family’s Swainswick Manor in Somerset, along with all the American lands upon his death in 1760.