Henry Rosewell

Henry Rosewell was born on 1 November, 1590 at Forde Abbey in Devon (Forde Abbey is in the parish of Thorncombe which was transferred from Devon to Dorset in 1842). Henry was the only son of William Rosewell (1561-1593) and Ann Walkeden who were married at St Martins, London on 20 June 1588. William Rosewell purchased Forde Abbey from Sir Amias Poulet about 1581. Henry’s grandfather was William Rosewell (c. 1535-1566) who was Solicitor-General to Queen Elizabeth from 1559-1566 and owned a number of estates in Somerset and Devon.

Henry Rosewell was knighted by James I on 19 February 1618/19 at Theobalds in Hertfordshire. About this time Sir Henry married Mary Drake (1594-1643) the daughter of John Drake and Dorothy Button. Dame Mary Drake died and was buried in Musbury Church, Dorset in 1643. Sir Henry Rosewell remarried Dorothy Brown (a widow). Sir Henry had no known children by either wife.

Sir Henry Rosewell was a Member (1624-1629) of the Dorchester Company which established the settlement at Cape Ann in Massachusetts. He was Sheriff of Devon in 1629-30 and Justice of the Peace (listed 1630, 1647 and 1653).

He was evidently a Puritan and was brought before the Court of High Commission in 1634 for holding a private chapel at Ford Abbey. He was the subject of a series of Chancery suits over the estate of Sir John Drake, his brother-in-law, from 1641 until his death and subsequently left as a legacy to his widow. He sold Forde Abbey in 1649 to Edmund Prideaux and for a time at least, Sir Henry had his residence at Limington, Somerset.

Sir Henry Rosewell died at Greenway House, Churston Ferrers, Devon and was buried in the churchyard of Brixham, Devon on 3 April 1656.

References

James, Frances B (1888), 'Sir Henry Rosewell – A Devon Worthy', Transactions of the Devonshire Association, 20, 113-122.