Merriott Families Genealogy
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Merriott Families Genealogy
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The Rousell Family of MerriottEarliest Mentions 18th Century 19th Century Baptisms 19th Century Marriages 19th Century Burials Censuses Earliest Mentions in the RecordsIn the early records, the surname spelling was quite variable, with Rousell, Rowsell, Rowswell and Rowsewell all being recorded. Eventually Rousell became the only spelling used in Merriott. The surname was right there at the beginning of the Merriott Parish Records, with a baptism in 1651: Baptism 8 February 1651 Henry of Richard & An Rowswell Other baptisms mentioned in the early register:
Burial in Woollen 1 October 1682 Jane Rowsewell MARRIAGE: 15 December 1690 Joane Rowsell m Robert Bost The 18th CenturyMARRIAGES
I do not know why some marriages occurred at All Saints, Merriott, when both parties lived elsewhere.
I am afraid all the Robert Rousells have defeated me - I cannot place them
all with any certainty. There are not enough Roberts being baptised in the
first half of the 18th century to account for the four Roberts baptising
children in the late part of the century. Of the four, at least
three are quite definitely different people (bigamy being illegal!); the
Robert married to Mary may be a duplicate if Mary died early & Robert
remarried. The lack of detail in the marriage register at this point (as
well as the lack of marriages) makes it very difficult. I would be pleased
to hear from anyone who has worked them all out! As you will see, more
Robert Rousells started new families in the early 1800s, just to add to the
confusion. The baptism of Thomas Rowsell in 1793, son of Robert & Elizabeth Rousell, bears the notation "Pauper". At this time, a fee was charged for Church services, with the waivering of the fee in the case of Paupers. Whether or not Robert was a Pauper all his life or only for a short period I don't know. When John Rousel died in 1809, the notation in the register says: "A Good Clerk of this Parish". John , Robert, Thomas and William Rousel were sometimes found as witnesses in the register in the late 1700s, early 1800s, suggesting they were all Clerks of the Parish at some stage. Thomas Rousell continued as a regular witness to marriages until about 1830 ; and another Robert Rousell began witnessing marriages around 1820. After the mid 1830s, witnesses in the marriage register tended to be brothers or sisters, parents or friends of the couple being married. The 19th CenturyBy the time of the censuses in the 19th century, the surname ROUSELL was the tenth most common surname in Merriott, with just under two and a half percent of the population bearing the name.
MARRIAGES post 1837 (extra detail)
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