John Rolle (1679 – 1730) of

Stevenstone Stevenstone is a former manor within the parish of St Giles in the Wood, near Great Torrington, North Devon. It was the chief seat of the Rolle family, one of the most influential and wealthy of Devon families, from c. 1524 until 1907. The ...

and Bicton in Devon, was a British landowner and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

politician who sat in the

English House of Commons The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

from 1703 to 1705 and in the British House of Commons from 1710-1730. He declined the offer of an earldom by Queen Anne, but 18 years after his death his eldest son was raised to the peerage in 1748 by King George II as

Baron Rolle Baron Rolle was a title created twice in the Peerage of Great Britain for members of the Rolle family, related as uncle and nephew. History This family was established at the manor of Stevenstone in Devon in the 16th century. In the 17th centu ...

Bicton House over the lake in Bicton Park - geograph

Origins

Rolle was the second son of John Rolle (died 1689) by his wife Lady Christiana Bruce, daughter of Robert Bruce, 1st Earl of Ailesbury and 2nd Earl of Elgin (c. 1626–1685). His elder brother was Robert Rolle (died 1710), MP.

Education

Rolle attended Queens' College, Cambridge in 1696 and entered the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...

in 1697 for his training as a lawyer. He was called to the bar in 1705.

Inheritance

As Rolle's father had predeceased his own father Sir John Rolle (1626–1706), KB, of

(

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

in 1682 Vivian, p.656; Risdon, Tristram, Survey of Devon, 1810 edition, list of sheriffs, p.14 and MP for Barnstaple (1660) and for

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

(1661–1679)), Sir John's heir was his eldest grandson Robert Rolle, MP, of Stevenstone. When Robert died childless in 1710, John Rolle succeeded his elder brother, inheriting his estates at

and Bicton.

Career

As a younger son Rolle was destined for a career as a lawyer. He first entered Parliament as MP for

Saltash Saltash (Cornish: Essa) is a town and civil parish in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It had a population of 16,184 in 2011 census. Saltash faces the city of Plymouth over the River Tamar and is popularly known as "the Gateway to Corn ...

(1703–1705). At the age of 31 in 1710 he succeeded unexpectedly to the vast estates of his elder brother Robert Rolle, the patrimony of their grandfather, and became a man of great substance and influence. He was next elected MP for

in 1710 and arrived ostentatiously in London on 22 November 1710 with two six-horse coaches attended by 12 men in livery and was met by about 100 gentlemen on horseback. He held the seat until 1713, when he was elected MP for Exeter (1713–1715). Next he sat for Barnstaple (1715–1722), then a second time for Exeter (1722–1727) and finally a second time for Devon from 1727 until his death in 1730.

Marriage and children

In August 1706 Rolle married Isabella Charlotta Walter, daughter of

Sir William Walter, 2nd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

, of Saresden, Oxfordshire. She brought with her a

dowry A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

of £1,500. His children was as follows: * Henry Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle (1708–1750), eldest son, MP, died childless. *

John Rolle Walter John Rolle Walter (c. 1714 – 30 November 1779) (born John Rolle) was Tory MP for Exeter in 1754–1776 and for Devon in 1776–1779. He held the honorary position of Town Recorder of Great Torrington in 1739–1779, due to his family's ...

(c.1714–1779), 2nd son, Tory MP for Exeter 1754–1776 and for Devon 1776–1779. He assumed the surname of Walter on succeeding to the estates of his maternal uncle.Burke, John. ''Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire'', page 888. London: Henry Colburn, 1839.
/ref> *William Rolle (1720-post 1747), 3rd son, of

Beam, Great Torrington Beam is an historic estate in the parish of Great Torrington, Devon, England. Beam House is situated about 1 1/2 miles north-west and downstream of that town, on the right-bank of the River Torridge. Both the Rolle Canal and the railway crossed ...

, whose will was dated 1747. * Denys Rolle (1725–1797), 4th son and eventual heir, of

Hudscott Hudscott is a historic estate within the parish and former manor of Chittlehampton, Devon. From 1700 it became a seat of a junior branch of the influential Rolle family of Heanton Satchville, Petrockstowe and in 1779 became a secondary seat ...

and Bicton in Devon and

East Tytherley East Tytherley is a small village in Hampshire, England. The name Tytherley comes from Old English and means ''thin or tender wood''. The village was given to Queen Philippa by her husband Edward III in 1335. When the Black Death spread through ...

in Hampshire, an independent

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Barnstaple, Devon, between 1761 and 1774. He was the largest landowner in Devon, with a rent-roll of £40,000 ''per annum''. His eldest son was

John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle John Rolle, 1st Baron Rolle (1750 – 3 April 1842) was a British peer who served as a Member of Parliament in general support of William Pitt the Younger and was later an active member of the House of Lords. His violent attacks on Edmun ...

(1751–1842). *Christiana Maria Rolle, eldest daughter, who married Henry Stevens of Winscott, Peters Marland, Devon. *Isabella Charlotte Rolle, 2nd daughter, wife of Robert Duke (d.pre-1785), the last male of the Duke family,

lords of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seigno ...

Otterton Otterton is a village and civil parish in East Devon, England. The parish lies on the English Channel and is surrounded clockwise from the south by the parishes of East Budleigh, Bicton, Colaton Raleigh, Newton Poppleford and Harpford and Sidmou ...

in Devon. The extensive lands of the Dukes, which adjoined the Rolle seat of Bicton in South Devon, were purchased in 1786 by Isabella's brother Denys. John's elder brother Robert Rolle (d.1726) had married Elizabeth Duke (born 1679), a daughter of Richard Duke (born 1653) of Otterton, Robert Duke's grandfather. *Letitia Rolle, 3rd daughter *Lucy Rolle (1715–1741) *Lucilla Rolle (1717–1741) *Anne Rolle (1721–1721), died an infant *Maria Philippa (1729–1730), died an infant

Death and burial

Rolle died on 6 May 1730 and was buried at St Giles in the Wood, the parish church of Stevenstone. His obituary praised him as "a gentleman of great candour and honour".London Evening Post 12 May 1730, quoted by Cruickshanks

Sources

*Cruickshanks, Eveline, biography of John Rolle (1679–1730) published in History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1690–1715, ed. D. Hayton, E. Cruickshanks, S. Handley, 200

*Vivian, Lt.Col. J.L., The Visitations of the County of Devon, Exeter, 1895, pp. 652–656, Rolle of Stevenstone

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolle, John 1679 births 1730 deaths

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

English MPs 1702–1705 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Exeter British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Barnstaple Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Devon