Robert Rolle (c. 1622 – 1660) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

at various times between 1654 and 1660.

Origins

Rolle was the son of Sir Samuel Rolle of Heanton Satchville,

Petrockstowe Petrockstowe (or Petrockstow) is a small village and civil parish in the district of Torridge in Northern Devon, England. Its population in 2001 was 379, hardly different from the figure of 385 recorded in 1901. The southern boundary of the pa ...

, Devon, and his wife Margaret Wise daughter of Sir Thomas Wise.

Career

He was admitted for his legal training at 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 Wal ...

in 1640. He was appointed

High 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 ...

for 1649–50. In 1654 he was elected

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 of ...

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. Devon is ...

in the

First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the Hou ...

and was re-elected MP for Devon in 1656 for the

Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons. In its first session, the House of Commons was its only chamber; in t ...

and in 1659 for the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a powe ...

. In January 1660 he was appointed a member of the Rump Parliament's final Council of State but does not appear to have attended any meetings, likely due to the Council enforcing an oath abjuring the Stuart family and any Single Person or House of Lords. He was elected MP for the family's

pocket borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act 1832, which had a very small electorat ...

Callington Callington ( kw, Kelliwik) is a civil parish and town in east Cornwall, England, United Kingdom about north of Saltash and south of Launceston. Callington parish had a population of 4,783 in 2001, according to the 2001 census. This had inc ...

in the Convention Parliament in 1660, but died in the same year.

Marriage and children

Rolle married Lady Arabella Clinton, the younger daughter of

Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln Theophilus Clinton, 4th Earl of Lincoln, KB (1599 – 21 May 1667), styled Lord Clinton until 1619, was an opponent of Charles I during and preceding the English Civil War. Family The eldest son of the 3rd Earl of Lincoln and Elizabeth Knyve ...

and 12th Baron Clinton (d.1667) and had a son and a daughter: * Samuel Rolle (d.1719) who married Margaret Tuckfield and had issue: **

Margaret Rolle, 15th Baroness Clinton Margaret Rolle, 15th Baroness Clinton ''suo jure'' (17 January 1709 – 13 January 1781), was a wealthy aristocratic Devonshire heiress, known both for eccentricity and her extramarital affairs. By her first husband Robert, 1st Baron Walpole ...

(d.1781). Margaret inherited the title Baroness Clinton from her cousin

Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Clinton Hugh Fortescue, 1st Earl Clinton ( – 3 May 1751) was an English peer and landowner. He built the Palladian English country house of Castle Hill, which survives to this day. Origins He was the eldest surviving son and heir of Hugh Fortescu ...

, 1st Baron Fortescue and 14th Baron Clinton (d.1751). She married firstly

Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford, KB (1701 – 31 March 1751), was a British peer and politician, styled Lord Walpole from 1723 to 1745. Origins He was the eldest son of Sir Robert Walpole (1676–1745), the King's First Minister, now re ...

(d.1751), by whom she had issue, and secondly

Sewallis Shirley Sewallis Shirley may refer to: * Sewallis Edward Shirley, 10th Earl Ferrers (1847–1912), British peer *Sewallis Shirley (MP) (1844–1904), British politician *Sewallis Shirley (1709–1765) Sewallis Shirley (19 October 1709 – 31 October 1765 ...

, son of

Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers PC (20 October 1650 – 25 December 1717)—known as Sir Robert Shirley, 7th Baronet, from 1669 to 1677 and Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, from 1677 to 1711—was an English peer and courtier. Sh ...

. Eveline Cruickshanks, Stuart Handley ''The House of Commons: 1690-1715''
/ref> * Bridget Rolle (1648–1721) who married Francis Trefusis and had a son, Samuel Trefusis (1677–1722). After the death of

George Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford George Walpole, 3rd Earl of Orford (2 April 1730 – 5 December 1791) was a British administrator, politician, and peer. Life Lord Orford was the only child of the 2nd Earl of Orford and his wife Margaret Rolle, Baroness Clinton in her own rig ...

in 1791, Samuel's great-grandson Robert Trefusis (1764–1797) established his claim to the Barony of Clinton in 1794.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rolle, Robert 1622 births 1660 deaths People from Torridge District

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

High Sheriffs of Devon English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660 Members of the Parliament of England for Callington Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Devon