Denys III Rolle (1725–1797)

Portrait of Denys Rolle (1725-1797) by Thomas Hudson (1701-79). Collection of Great Torrington Almshouse, Town Lands and Poors Charities, formerly the property of Hon. Mark Rolle (d. 1907) of Stevenstone and donated by his heir Lord Clinton[1]
Arms of Rolle: Or, on a fesse dancetté between three billets azure each charged with a lion rampant of the first three bezants

Denys III Rolle (1725-1797) of Hudscott, Beam, Stevenstone and Bicton in Devon and East Tytherley in Hampshire, was an independent[2] Member of Parliament for Barnstaple, Devon, between 1761 and 1774. He was the largest landowner in Devon, with a rent-roll of £40,000 per annum.[3] He was a philanthropist and generous benefactor to charities and religious societies.[4] He was a modest man, considered eccentric, whose favourite pastime was to perform the work of a common farm-labourer.[5] He was puritanical in morals, opposing ale-houses, cock-fighting and bear-baiting.[6] He was humane and tender towards animals and claimed a special kinship with wildlife.[7] He spent much of his life attempting to establish an "ideal society", a Utopian colony of poor, homeless or criminal English persons on about 80,000 acres in Florida named Rollestown or Charlotta. On the failure of that venture he turned to slave labour, and on the loss of Florida as a British possession moved his colony to a smaller site on Exuma in the Bahama Islands. He was deemed by many to be stubborn, high-handed, irascible, litigious, and a megalomaniac, even stupid, and lacking diplomatic skills.[8]

Origins

Denys Rolle was baptised on 19 July 1725 in St Giles's Church,[9] St Giles in the Wood, the parish church of Stevenstone. He was the youngest of four sons of John Rolle (1679–1730), of Bicton and Stevenstone, Member of Parliament for Devon, 1710–1712, and Exeter, 1713–1715 and 1722–1727, by his wife Isabella Charlotte Walter (d.1734), daughter of Sir William Walter, 2nd Baronet (c. 1635-1694) of Sarsden, Oxfordshire. He was named after his cousin Denys I Rolle (1614–38), of Stevenstone, who had inherited Bicton and other lands from his mother Ann Denys, a co-heiress of the ancient Devon family of Denys of Holcombe Burnell. Denys III Rolle's family was descended from George II Rolle (d.1573), the 2nd son of the patriarch George I Rolle (d.1552), MP, who purchased Stevenstone. George II Rolle's family were seated at "Marrys", i.e. Marhayes Manor, Week St Mary, Cornwall, but eventually in 1647 his great-grandfather Sir John Rolle (1626-1706) inherited the estates of Stevenstone and Bicton from the senior line when it died out in the male line. The Rolle family was one of the richest and most powerful in Devon and owned several dozen manors, their most ancient holding being Stevenstone near Great Torrington in the north of the county, whilst Bicton in the south-east was the centre of another large block of territory. His eldest brother was Henry Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle (d.1759) of Stevenstone, whose heir was his next younger brother John Rolle Walter (c.1714–1779), Tory MP for Exeter 1754-1776 and for Devon 1776-1779.

Education

On 19 January 1742, at the age of 16, he matriculated at New College, Oxford.[10]

Inheritances

As the 4th son Denys Rolle had been born with no expectation of inheriting the vast Rolle estates of his father. He had been provided for his residence with the Rolle manor of Beam near Great Torrington.[11] However he received a three-fold inheritance which, together with his own land purchases around Otterton in South Devon, meant that on his death he was the largest land owner in the county of Devon, the second largest county in England. His eldest brother Henry Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle (d.1759) had inherited his paternal estates in 1730 but had died without progeny in 1759 when his heir was his younger brother John Rolle Walter (c.1714–1779), who in 1731 at the age of 17 had inherited the Oxfordshire lands of his childless uncle Sir Robert Walter, 4th Baronet (1680–1731), of Sarsden in Oxfordshire and had changed his name to Walter, as required by the bequest. The 3rd brother William Rolle (1720-c.1747) of Beam had died without progeny after 1747[12] which left Denys III Rolle as the heir to the Rolle and Walter lands. However Denys had also inherited the estate of Hudscott in the parish of Chittlehampton, Devon, from his distant childless cousin Samuel Rolle (1704-1747) son and heir of Samuel Rolle (1669-1735) of Hudscott, MP for Barnstaple. This inheritance included a moiety of the manor of Countisbury in North Devon.[13] He also inherited the manors of East Tytherley in Somerset and Shapwick in Somerset, which had been acquired by his cousin Henry Rolle (1589–1656),[14] Chief Justice of the King’s Bench, descended from the most junior Rolle line. Thus at the age of about 21 Denys Rolle had inherited Hudscott, where he lived during most of his life and where several of his children were baptised. In 1779 at the age 54, following the death of his brother John Rolle Walter, he inherited the paternal Rolle estates of Stevenstone and Bicton.

Philanthropy

Rolle established several charity schools on different parishes and allocated to each a plot of land for the employment of the children.[15] In 1790 he rebuilt part of St Giles's Church, the parish church of Stevenstone, which is commemorated by a stone heraldic escutcheon above the north transept door inscribed "DR 1790".[16]

Land purchases

Florida

In May 1764 he obtained a grant from the crown of 20,000 acres of land for a plantation in St Mark's in the Bay of Apalatchi in East Florida, which area had recently been ceded by Spain to Great Britain following the Seven Years' War. One of the numerous conditions was that he should settle it with white Protestants.[17] He embarked for America on 10 June 1764 and arrived at Charleston on 12 August 1764[18] and was in St Augustine, capital of East Florida, by September 1764[19] He soon discovered that this land was unsuitable and instead, with the permission of the Governor of East Florida James Grant (1720-1806), settled with 14 settlers[20] on the east bank of the St Johns River, above today's East Palatka, which site he named Charlotta in honour of the Queen, later Charlotia, later Rollestown, thought to be on the site of today's San Mateo.[21] Having quarrelled with Governor Grant and been refused further grants of land, he returned to England in October 1765. There he addressed his long and detailed "Humble Petition" to the Board of Trade complaining of his treatment. He returned to Florida however in September 1766 with a further 50 settlers.[22] He returned to England again in January 1768, soon after which he was elected MP for Barnstaple, and stayed to pursue his political career.[23] Rolle's settlers were in the opinion of observers deemed low quality, of poor morality, indisciplined and not capable of hard work. Soon due to Rolle's harsh management style and their own unsuitability his colonists rebelled and deserted to Georgia or South Carolina, whereupon Rolle gave up his Utopian ideals and employed African slave labour. The plantation produced among other crops rice, corn and turpentine tar from pine trees for naval use. He acquired a further 20,000 acres from William Elliot and 20,000 from John Grayhurst, 10,000 from William Penrice and 3,000 from James Cusack, all on the eastern side iof the St Johns River. He acquired a further 1,500 acres on the west side from Joseph Gray.[24] Rollestown was visited in December 1765 by the naturalists John Bartram and his son William Bartram, and again in 1778, the latter who recorded his observations in a journal which survives.[25] Rolle's activities were also recorded in the diary, correspondence and official reports of the Governor of Florida James Grant, who became increasingly infuriated by Rolle's constant demands, complaints and disputes[26]

Bahamas

Following the Treaty of Versailles in 1783 Florida was ceded by the British government to Spain, and Rolle abandoned his colony, claiming substantial compensation from the British government, and took what he was able to transport, to establish a new much smaller colony on the British island of Exuma in the Bahama Islands. Rolle's slaves adopted the surname Rolle, which is still in the 21st century a common name in the Bahamas, for example the actress Esther Rolle, born in Pompano Beach, Florida, of Bahamian parents; Myron Rolle, the Bahamian National Football League player, team member of the Tennessee Titans, and Rhodes Scholar and Magnum Rolle, a professional basketball player born in Freeport, Bahamas, in 1986. Lord Rolle later freed his slaves and donated his Exuma estate to them, and the land is still today held by their descendants as common property, "generation land", controlled by locally elected officials.[27]

Otterton & East Budleigh

In 1786 he purchased for the huge sum of £72,000 the manors of Otterton and East Budleigh, situated adjacent to Bicton in south-east Devon from the heirs of the Duke family, descendants of Richard Duke (d.1572) who in 1540 had purchased the former lands of Otterton Priory following the Dissolution of the Monasteries. The properties acquired included:[28]

"Capital messuage, barton farm and demesne lands of Otterton and the manors and lordships of Otterton, Little Otterton, Budleigh Poleslow (otherwise Higher Budleigh), Budleigh Syon (otherwise Lower Budleigh), Collaton Rawleigh (otherwise the Lower Manor), Dukes-Collaton, (otherwise Collaton Abbott otherwise The Higher Manor), Dotton (otherwise Docton) and Hays (otherwise Powershays otherwise Dukes Hayes); 4 water grist mills in Otterton and the advowsons of the churches of Otterton, Budleigh and Harpford with the free chapels of Withecombe, Fen Ottery, Rectory and Sheaf of Otterton and a fee farm rent of £13. 10s., payable out of the sheaf of Sidmouth, etc."

Land sales

Shapwick

Rolle sold his Somerset estate of Shapwick in 1786/7.[29]

Marriage & progeny

Anne Chichester (d.1781), wife of Dennis III Rolle. Portrait by Thomas Hudson (1701-79).Collection of Great Torrington Almshouse, Town Lands and Poors Charities, formerly the property of Hon. Mark Rolle (d. 1907) of Stevenstone and donated by his heir Lord Clinton[30]

On 22 May 1750 in East Down, Devon,[31] Denys III Rolle married Anne Chichester (1721-1781),[32] a daughter (by his second wife) of Arthur Chichester (1670-1737/8) of Hall, Bishop's Tawton, Devon,[33] a junior line of the ancient and prominent Chichester family of Raleigh. By Anne he had the following progeny:[34]

Death

Rolle died on 26 June 1797, aged 72, of angina during one of his habitual long walks between his manors of Hudscott and Stevenstone,[45] and was buried in St Giles's Church on 1 July 1797[46]

Monument in St Giles Church

Mural monument in St Giles Church, St Giles in the Wood, erected by order of Anne Rolle (d.1842) of Hudscott, daughter of Denys Rolle

The text of the Mural monument in St Giles Church, St Giles in the Wood is as follows:

"This monument by the directions of the undermentioned ANNE ROLLE of Hudscott is erected in the memory of DENYS ROLLE of Stevenstone in this parish, Esquire who died the 24th of June 1797 Aged 72 and ANNE, his wife daughter of ARTHUR CHICHESTER of Hall in this County, Esquire who died the 24th May 1781 Aged 64. ISABELLA HENRIETTA CHARLOTTA ROLLE their eldest daughter died in the lifetime of her parents aged 16. ANNE ROLLE above mentioned, their second daughter, died the 16th of June 1842 Aged 87. CHRISTIANA PHILIPPA MARIA ROLLE the youngest daughter, died the 3rd of February 1831 aged 72. Lucilla ROLLE died the 24th of July 1851 aged 94. The Remains of the above lie interred in the Family Vault in this Church. JOHN, BARON ROLLE, of Stevenstone son of the said DENYS and ANNE ROLLE, and the last male descendant of the family died without issue the 3rd of April 1842, Aged 92, and was buried in the Family Vault in Bicton Church in the County. LOUISA LADY ROLLE, second wife of the above, died Nov 20th 1885, Aged 91, and was buried in Bicton Church Yard".

Sources

Further reading

References

  1. ↑ Collection of Great Torrington Almshouse, Town Lands and Poors Charities, Rolle/Clinton Art Collection
  2. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, July 1797, p.617, Obituary of Denys Rolle
  3. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, July 1797, p.617, Obituary of Denys Rolle
  4. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, July 1797, p.617, Obituary of Denys Rolle
  5. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, July 1797, p.617, Obituary of Denys Rolle
  6. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, July 1797, p.617, Obituary of Denys Rolle
  7. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, July 1797, p.617, Obituary of Denys Rolle
  8. ↑ White
  9. ↑ St Giles in the Wood Monumental Inscriptions
  10. ↑ Drummond
  11. ↑ Per National Archives C11/569/28 Court of Chancery, document dated 1747: "Denys Rolle Esquire late of Beam and now of Hudscott
  12. ↑ Will of William Rolle of Beam dated 1747 (National Archives)
  13. ↑ Chanter, Rev. J.F., The Parishes of Lynton & Countisbury, published in Report & Transaction of the Devonshire Association for the Advancement of Science, Literature & Art, Vol.38, Lynton, 1906, p.166
  14. ↑ Hunneyball, Paul, Biography of Henry Rolle published in in History of Parliament: House of Commons 1604-1629 ed. Andrew Thrush and John P. Ferris, 2010
  15. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, July 1797, p.617, Obituary of Denys Rolle
  16. ↑ St Giles's Church, Information Leaflet, p.3
  17. ↑ Terms of grant quoted in Observations of Denys Rolle
  18. ↑ Drummond
  19. ↑ Drummond, quoting letter from Governor Grant
  20. ↑ Drummond
  21. ↑ White
  22. ↑ observations of Denys Rolle
  23. ↑ Drummond
  24. ↑ Florida History Online: Denys Rolle and Rollestown
  25. ↑ See: Bartram, William, Travels in North and South Carolina, Georgia, East and West Florida, Penguin Books, 1988
  26. ↑
  27. ↑ http://www.seaworthy.com
  28. ↑ Devon Record Office 48/22/1/2 Conveyance dated 25 March 1786
  29. ↑ Dunning, Robert, History of the County of Somerset, Vol.8, 2004, pp.160-179
  30. ↑
  31. ↑ St Giles in the Wood Monumental Inscriptions
  32. ↑ Vivian, p.177, pedigree of Chichester of Hall, Anne was baptised 11 October 1721 at Bishops Tawton; Per her husband's monument in St Giles's Church, St Giles-in-the-Wood, Devon, she died 24 May 1781 "aged 64"(sic)
  33. ↑ Vivian, Heralds' Visitations of Devon, 1895, p.177, pedigree of Chichester of Hall
  34. ↑ Vivian, p.656
  35. ↑ Vivian, p.656
  36. ↑ Vivian, p.656
  37. ↑ Vivian, p.656
  38. ↑ Monument in St Giles's Church, St Giles-in-the-Wood, Devon: St Giles in the Wood Monumental Inscriptions
  39. ↑ Vivian, p.656
  40. ↑ Monument in St Giles's Church, St Giles-in-the-Wood, Devon: St Giles in the Wood Monumental Inscriptions
  41. ↑ Monument in St Giles's Church, St Giles-in-the-Wood, Devon: St Giles in the Wood Monumental Inscriptions
  42. ↑ Lucilla Rolle, spinster of Hudscott, Devon: commission and inquisition of lunacy, into her state of mind and her property, female lunatic, 1846 Sept 17. National Archives C 211/22/R134
  43. ↑ Monument in St Giles's Church, St Giles-in-the-Wood, Devon: St Giles in the Wood Monumental Inscriptions
  44. ↑ Vivian, p.656
  45. ↑ Gentleman's Magazine, July 1797, p.617, Obituary of Denys Rolle
  46. ↑ Monument in St Giles's Church, St Giles-in-the-Wood, Devon: St Giles in the Wood Monumental Inscriptions