Roger Delk (also spelled Dilke, Delke, or Dilk) (died before 1635) was a representative for Stanley's Hundred in the
House of Burgesses.
Born in England, Delk married his first wife Sarah there shortly before setting out for the
Virginia Colony. Delk's wife bore a daughter, Elizabeth born April 1622 in
Middlesex, London. Delk traveled from England to Virginia aboard the ship "Southampton" in 1624. This ship had been one of Sir
Walter Raleigh's ships used on his last expedition to South America. It is likely that his wife was to follow him later, but most likely died before. In any case, shortly after his arrival in the colony, he married Alice Davenport who had arrived on the same boat as he did.
Roger was
indenture
An indenture is a legal contract that reflects or covers a debt or purchase obligation. It specifically refers to two types of practices: in historical usage, an indentured servant status, and in modern usage, it is an instrument used for commercia ...
d to John Chew and employed in 1624 on his
plantation on
Hog Island. He worked out his indenture by 1626, for he had relocated Jamestown by 18 September 1626, and in 1628
Francis West, "Governor and Captaine Generall", granted him 1,000 acres (4 km
2) on Lawne's Creek which flows into the
James River
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia that begins in the Appalachian Mountains and flows U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map , accessed April 1, 2011 to Chesapea ...
just below Hog Island. The size of this patent suggests the possibility of some influence having been exerted in his behalf.
In a court session held at James Citye (
Jamestown on 7 May 1627, it was ruled that Roger Dilk (by his own confession) had absented himself from his plantation without the knowledge or leave of his commander contrary to an order of Court for the space of 8 days complete, and he was fined to pay 25 pounds of tobacco for every 24 hours he was absent, totaling the sum of 200 pounds of tobacco.
Despite this he rose rapidly in esteem and was chosen to represent "Stanley Hundred" (Warwick) in the February 1633 session of the
House of Burgesses, the first legislative assembly in North America.
He served during the 1 February 1632 – 1633 session and may have lived too high above his means in Jamestown, while attending the assembly in 1634 for he was outlawed for
debts and a
capias was issued against him.
He appears to have died before 1635 as Alice his wife patented land in that year on Lawnes Creek in her own name. He had two children, a son Roger II (born 1634), and a daughter Alice (born 1630).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Delk, Roger
House of Burgesses members