John Rolle (1522–1570)

John Rolle (1522–1570) of Stevenstone, in the parish of St Giles in the Wood, near Great Torrington, Devon, was the eldest son and heir of George Rolle (died 1552),[1] MP, founder of the great Rolle family of Stevenstone, by his second wife Eleanor Dacres. Three monuments survive in memory of his immediate family in the churches of St Giles in the Wood and Chittlehampton.

Arms of Rolle

Marriage and children

He married Margaret Ford, daughter of John Ford (died 1538) of Ashburton,[1] the son and heir of William Ford of Chagford.[2] John Ford purchased the estate of Bagtor in the parish of Ilsington, which his male heirs successively made their seat.[3] Margaret's great nephew was John Ford (1586-c.1639) the dramatist, who was baptised at Ilsington, and her great-great-nephew was Sir Henry Ford (1617-1684), MP for Tiverton and Secretary of State for Ireland.[4] By his wife he had eight sons[5] and two daughters:

Rolle's eight sons: Henrye R, Rychard R,[6] Valentyne R, Alexander R, George R, Joachyme R, Robert R, John R. Monumental brass in St Giles in the Wood Church

Sons
  • Sir Henry Rolle (1545[7]–1625) of Stevenstone, eldest son and heir, who married twice:
    • Firstly to Elizabeth Watts, daughter and heiress of Roger Watts of Somerset, from which marriage were descended his heir to Stevenstone, namely his grandson Denys Rolle (1614–1638), son of Sir Henry Rolle (d.1617) who predeceased his father.[8]
    • Secondly, without issue, to Joan Fortescue, daughter of John Fortescue of Fallapit[8] in the parish of East Allington[9]
  • Richard Rolle.[5]
  • Valentine Rolle (1545-1624),[10] of Torrington, died childless.
  • Alexander Rolle, who married Frances Lippingcott, daughter of John Lippingcott of Webbery.[11] Alverdiscott[12][13]
  • George Rolle who died childless.
  • Joachim Rolle who died childless in 1638. He married Mary Venner (1579-1651),[14] a daughter of William[15] Venner of Hudscott, Chittlehampton. A mural monument to Joachim survives in Chittlehampton Church.
  • Robert Rolle (1559-1628)
  • John Rolle (born 1563), who in 1603 married Phillipa Halse (d.1655), daughter of Richard Halse of Kenedon. Their eldest son Henry Rolle (1605-1647) of Beam eventually succeeded to the vast Stevenstone estates of his cousin Denys Rolle (1614–1638)
Rolle's daughters: "Margerye R" and "Honor R". St Giles in the Wood Church

Daughters

Monumental brasses in St Giles in the Wood Church

A small monumental brass to John Rolle survives in the floor of the south aisle of St Giles in the Wood parish church, beneath the separate brass figure of his wife Margaret Ford, but formerly affixed to his two and a half foot high chest tomb situated in the chancel of the church as recorded by Prince in his 1710 work "Worthies of Devon". It shows the arms of Rolle impaling Ford.

The monumental brass of his wife Margaret is affixed to the wall. To the left is a brass plaque depicting her two daughters (see above) and to the left a plaque showing her eight sons (see above).

  • Small monumental brass of John Rolle
    Small monumental brass of John Rolle
  • Detail from Margaret Ford's monumental brass
    Detail from Margaret Ford's monumental brass

References
  1. Vivian, p.652, pedigree of Rolle
  2. Vivian, p.349, pedigree of Ford
  3. Risdon, Tristram (d.1640), Survey of Devon, 1810 edition, London, 1810, p.135
  4. Hoskins, p.282; Vivian, p.350
  5. Eight sons as shown and named on the monumental brass in St Giles's Church, of whom only seven (excluding Richard) were listed by Vivian, p.653
  6. Richard Rolle not listed in Vivian, Rolle pedigree
  7. Vivian, p.653 "aged 25 years & more in 1570; aet(atis suo) 75 a(nn)o 1620 ("of his age 75 in the year 1620")
  8. Vivian, p.653
  9. Pevsner, p.346
  10. Vivian, p.653: "Liveinge 1620 aet 75"
  11. Vivian, p.531, pedigree of Lippingcott of "Wibbery/Wybbery"
  12. Webbery, Alverdiscott, alias "Wybbebeyre", Thorn, Caroline & Frank, (eds.) Domesday Book, (Morris, John, gen.ed.) Vol. 9, Devon, Parts 1 & 2, Phillimore Press, Chichester, 1985, part 2, 48,1
  13. "In the 17th Century (Webbery, Alverdiscott) passed by marriage to the Lippincott (or Luppincott) family. A Lippincott was, we believe, on the Mayflower or certainly one of the other ships taking the first settlers to Virginia. Descendants of the Lippincotts from the USA are fairly frequent visitors to Webbery"
  14. Vivian pp.653, 746
  15. "William Venner" per Vivian, p.746, pedigree of Venner; "Humphry Venner" p.653, pedigree of Rolle
  16. Byrne, Muriel St. Clare, (ed.) The Lisle Letters, 6 vols, University of Chicago Press, Chicago & London, 1981, vol.2, p.212
  17. Beenleigh Manor, Harberton Ford, Harberton, Totnes, per [www.geocities.ws/pomerytwig/beenleigh.html]
  18. Vivian, p.607, pedigree of Pomeroy

Sources
Wikimedia Commons has media related to John Rolle (1522–1570).
  • Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., (Ed.) The Visitations of the County of Devon: Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564 & 1620, Exeter, 1895, pedigree of Rolle, pp. 652–653.
  • Lauder, Rosemary, Devon Families, Tiverton, 2002, pp. 67–68, Rolle Family.
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