Edward Rolle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edward Rolle
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Arms of Rolle: Or, on a fesse dancetté between three billets azure each charged with a lion rampant of the first three bezants
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| Born | 27 April 1703 Meeth, Devon, England
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| Died | 30 June 1791 (aged 88) Meeth, Devon, England
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| Resting place | Berwick Saint John, Hampshire, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | Winchester College |
| Alma mater | New College, Oxford |
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| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Eyre |
| Relatives | George Rolle (great-great-great grandfather) |
Edward Rolle (born April 27, 1703 – died June 30, 1791) was an English writer, poet, and a priest in the Church of England. People often called him 'the Captain' because they admired him.
He was part of a small group of friends from New College, Oxford who wrote poems. Their poems were sometimes published in collections. Edward Rolle was good friends with other students from Winchester College and New College. These friends included Christopher Pitt and Edward Young. He was also friends with Joseph Spence from Magdalen College, Oxford.
Early Life and School
Edward Rolle was born on April 27, 1703. He was baptized on May 7, 1703, in Meeth, Devon, England. He was the youngest child of Robert Rolle and Margaret Rolle. His family was already well-known in Devon. They would later become the biggest landowners in the West Country region.
Rolle went to Winchester College for his early education. Then, on July 10, 1723, he started at New College, Oxford. He was a fellow (like a senior student or teacher) at New College from 1723 to 1755. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Arts, in 1727. He then got his Master of Arts in 1730. Later, in 1758, he earned his Bachelor of Divinity.
While at New College, he gave a sermon (a religious speech) in the college chapel. This sermon was about 'The Rights of Primogeniture', which means the rights of the firstborn child.
Edward Rolle also helped his friend Joseph Spence. He sometimes filled in for Spence as the Poetry Professor at Oxford.
Exciting Travels Abroad
Edward Rolle and his friends from New College, Oxford loved to travel. They wrote letters about their journeys. These letters were later published and saved.
Many letters between Edward Rolle and Joseph Spence are kept in the Egerton Collection. These letters show their conversations during Spence's trips abroad. Spence traveled from December 1730 to July 1733, and again from May 1737 to November 1741.
In one letter from November 16, 1732, Spence wrote to his mother. He mentioned that Rolle had found "a pretty little living." This was a church position in Devon, close to where Rolle was born. It also had a "pretty little newfashion'd house."
Before getting his Bachelor of Divinity degree, Rolle himself traveled abroad. In the summer of 1753, he visited cities like Venice, Padua, and Florence. He crossed the Alps mountains and arrived in Mainz, Germany. From there, he planned to travel down the Rhine river to Spa and Amsterdam. He also wanted to visit Brussels and Calais in Holland. A friend, Mr. W., paid for his travel costs.
Rolle described these travels in a letter to Spence. This letter can be found in Spence's book, Observations, Anecdotes, and Characters, of Books and Men. Two other letters from Rolle, written from his home in Devon, are also in the same book.
Rolle and Spence were also friends with the Reverend Christopher Pitt. Pitt was famous for translating the works of the Roman poet Virgil. They often visited Pitt at his home in Pimperne, near Blandford, in Dorset. In a letter from January 4, 1736, Pitt mentioned his poems that were like those of Horace. One of these poems was even written for Rolle.
Church Career
In 1755, Edward Rolle was chosen by Oxford's New College for a church position. He became the rector of Berwick Saint John in Wiltshire. He accepted this role. In 1758, he was also appointed to be the vicar of Moorlinch in Somerset. Then, on May 9, 1771, he was given another important position at Yetminster Secunda in Salisbury Cathedral. He held all three of these church jobs until he passed away.
In 1761, Rolle was offered another church position in Sarsden, Oxfordshire. This would have meant swapping his job at Berwick Saint John for a different one. However, this idea did not happen. Rolle stayed at Berwick Saint John for the rest of his long life.
For thirty years, Rolle managed all the duties of his parish by himself. He rarely took long holidays. After his wife died in 1788, his assistants (curates) started helping him. A special book kept by a future rector shows that Rolle was a very dedicated clergyman. It notes his services to the church and how he helped educate the village children.
Personal Life
On September 22, 1755, when he was 52 years old, Edward Rolle married Elizabeth Eyre. They were married in Wootton Saint Lawrence. Elizabeth passed away on November 21, 1788, at the age of 68. She was buried at Berwick Saint John on November 28.
Edward Rolle himself died on June 30, 1791, at the age of 88. He was buried there on July 7. A large stone tombstone near the north door of the church shows their names. In 1789, Rolle built a special memorial (a cenotaph) for his wife and himself inside the church.
He also had the church bells recast (reshaped) in 1767. After his death, a new house for the priest was built. Some of the money for this house came from Rolle's own estate.
Edward Rolle was also one of the three people chosen to carry out Joseph Spence's wishes after Spence died in 1768.
His Writings
Edward Rolle wrote several poems. Here are some of them:
- The Duty of Employing one's Self. An EPISTLE.
- LIFE burthensome, because we know not how to use it. An EPISTLE.
- On SCRIBLING against GENIUS. An EPISTLE.
- The POWER of POETRY.
- To a Young Lady with FONTENELLE'S Plurality of Worlds.
Some poems that were thought to be by Joseph Spence were actually written by Rolle. These poems were reprinted in a collection by Nichols.
