Today is brick wall number 8

Brick wall number 8: Parents of Andrew Rowcliffe

I do have the parish registers for Merton where the Rowcliffe family lived.I know that Andrew was buried 3 Feb 1687 at Merton and that his wife was Mary. Their possible son Andrew was born in 1687 or earlier and he married Joan Harvey 8 Jun 1720 at Merton.I do know my ancestry coming down from Andrew Rowcliffe and Joan Harvey.

The St Paul's brief for its rebuilding from 1678 at Merton only lists an Andrew Routly, a Prissila Routly and a Sameull Routlife at Merton in this time period. This is possibly the Andrew that I have suggested as the father of my Andrew married to Joan Harvey. There is some controversy as trees exist naming a William Rowcliffe as the father of Andrew married to Joan Harvey but no William at Merton in 1678.

The Rowcliffe family can be found in the visitation of Devon in 1620:

This perhaps explains having William named as the father of Andrew.

William Rockley of Yearnscomb in the hundred of Hartland married Jone daughter of Bagbeare of Bagbeare in the county of Devon. Their children 1. Thomas Rocliff of Yearnscomb b 1554 married to Christian daughter of John Horne of High Bickington, 2. George b 1555, living 1620, 3. John, 4. Aldered ob s p, 1. Emma.

The children of Thomas and Christian: 1. Arthur ob s p, 2. Francis ob s p, 3. George Rockliffe son and heir, aet 22, 1620, 4. William aet 18, 1. Elizabeth aet 24 and 2. Avis aet 21. This was signed by Thomas Rowclieffe.

Yarnscombe is 8 miles from Merton.

Rowcliffe is largely a North Devon/Somerset name although it is most frequently found in the London area on the 1881 census.

Finding records prior to the late 1600s and after the visitation of 1620 for this family at Merton is a high priority and I need to pursue that so this brick wall may fall down easily or with difficulty!