Roger (Owfield) Owfeild (abt. 1555 - bef. 1608)

Born about 1555 in Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England [uncertain]

Descendants

Died before 1608 before about age 53 in London, England

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Biography

Roger (Owfield) Owfeild was born in England.

The surname of Owfield has had several spellings including Owefield, Oldfield, Owfeilde, Owffeld.

Family

Roger was a fishmonger in London and a Merchant. His family hailed from Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England. He was originally ascribed a baptismal of 02 Jan 1577/7, the son of John Owfeild baptized in Ashbourne, Derbyshire. However, that has been shown to be a generational conflation, with the baptismal belonging to his nephew Roger, son of his brother John Owfeild. Roger's baptismal has not been located, nor has the name of his father been conclusively identified.

He was one of four siblings identified through his will dated November 1608:^[1], and are annotated:

1. John Owfeild, born c. 1540. Listed in the will of Roger.
2. William Owfieild, born c. 1550. Listed in the will of Roger as deceased.
3. Roger Owfeild, born c. 1555.
4. Dorothy Owfeild, born c. 1560. Listed in the will of Roger as deceased.

Marriage & Issue

He married Thomasine Moore, the daughter and co-heir of John Moore, a Mercer from Ipswich, Suffolk, c. 1585, and had nine known children together. These children are identified through paternal, maternal, and fraternal probate references as, with one exception, their baptismals have yet to surface: They had seven daughters and two sons, of whom eight survived to adulthood:

1. Martha Owfield, born c. 1585.
2. Elizabeth Owfield, baptized 11 June 1587 at St Benet Gracechurch, London.^[2]
3. Mary Owfield, born c. 1592.
4. Abigail Owfield, born c. 1595.
5. Samuel Owfield, born c. 1595.
6. Thomasine Owfield, born c. 1596.
7. Joseph Owfield, born c. 1596.
8. Sarah Owfield, born c. 1598.
9. Rebecca Owfield, born c. 1599.

Note: His daughter Mary married John Shortt (John Shorte) ^[3]

Public Life

"There was, however, among the members of the Barbary Company a group of considerable merchants whose main trade, though not their sole trade, was with Morocco. The most outstanding of these was probably Roger Owfield. Owfield was importing madder from Middelburg and linen from Stade in 1588; twelve years later he was a member of the Levant and the East India Companies, but most of his free trade seems to have been with Morocco. He was exporting canvas to Morocco in 1583 and woolen cloth the following year; in both cases some of his trade was done in partnership with others. … In the nineties Owfield combined his Moroccan trade with privateering, as did other merchants. He was still exporting to Morocco in 1606, two years before his death. … More than a third of the members of the Barbary Company can be classified as big merchants because of their considerable trade with Morocco itself or because of their extensive trading activities elsewhere. … Among those medium sized merchants was Robert Washborne who married Roger Owfield’s sister Dorothy. In 1584 Washborne was exporting cloth to Morocco in partnership with Owfield, and later the two men may have been associated together in privateering. … in 1590 Robert Washborne and company were exporting sugar from London to Bordeaux. Washborne’s re-export trade was not confined to sugar; in 1598-9 he was re-exporting continental linen and canvas to Morocco. … Of the biggest importers in 1587-8, Roger Owfield and Anne Walkeden, the former rarely and the latter never seems to have belonged to any partnership."^[4]

Bequests

A will of a Mr Gardner of 1601 makes mention that Roger is his cousin. It makes mention of other family names and is an area for further research. ^[5] The Gardner connection is quite possibly on his wife's side of the family.

Death and Probate

Roger's will was included in Volume 1 of Genealogical Gleanings in England, published by the NEHGS, and is available to download in its original from both Ancestry.com and the National Archives.uk.^[1]

He left a portion of his estate for the building of 8 almhouses for the poor families of Ashbourne, Derbyshire, England. Considering these Owfield Almhouses were built in the 1600s they are in remarkable condition. (see profile photograph) ^[6]

"Roger Owfield, Fishmonger, gave the Sum of 100l. towards the Maintenance of poor Scholars that studied Divinity in the Universities of Oxenford and Cambridge, or elsewhere. And his Desire was, that some of them might be of the Town of Ashborn, if any such could there be found fit for it. Otherewise he appointed the Money to be employed in Scholarships, in Sidney or Emanuel College in Cambridge."^[7]

His will refers to his brother in law Robert Washeborne. "To my brother in law Robert Washebourne, five pounds." Robert's marriage (transcribed as Washborne) to Dorothy Owfield (transcribed as Offeild) was in St Benet Gracechurch City of London, London, England in February, 1583. ^[8] Roger's will also refers to Dorothy as deceased, and her five children: "Daniel, Elizabeth, Mary, Anne and Docas, ten pounds apiece, to twenty or days of marriage."

In a codicil of same date Roger bequeaths his messuage and Inn called "the Spread Eagle in Gracious Street als Grace Church Street, London to his son Joseph Owfield."

Roger's will also mentions his mother in law. "To my mother in law Joan Moore (transcribed as Jone) fifty shillings, to make her a ring."

Roger's will mentions his brother John Owfield. "I remit and forgive my brother John Owfield (transcribed as Owfeilde) of Ashborne in the County of Derby all such debts an sums of money as he oweth me." Roger's will refers to purchase of lands in Asheborne and to John Owfeild's wife and sons, John, Roger and William and Anne.

Roger's will refers to a deceased brother William Owfield. "To Richard Owfeilde and Elizabeth Temple, daughter of my said brother William Owfeilde, thirty pounds."

Vis. 1569 shows Roger as brother to Robert Washbornes' 1st wife (Dorothy).

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Waters, Henry Fitz-Gilbert. Genealogical Gleanings in England. Vol. 1. Boston, MA: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1901. Digitized by Boston Public Library, published online 09 January 2008 at Archive.org. Citing p. 730-731, containing the will of Roger Owfield. Accessed 07 March 2022. Original copy of will available for download at NationalArchives.gov.uk.
2. ↑ Church of England Parish Registers, 1538-1812. London, England: London Metropolitan Archives. Original image available online via sharelink at Ancestry.com. Citing Elizabeth Ofeild, 11 June 1587. Accessed 2022MAR102030CST.
3. ↑ Visitation of London, The Publications of the Harleian Society, Volume 17 Shorte Pg 237
4. ↑ Tudor Foreign Trade: Thomas Stuart Willan, Studies in Elizabethan Foreign Trade (Manchester University Press, 1959)
5. ↑ Genealogical Gleanings in England Pg 729
6. ↑ Church Street, Derbyshire information, http://www.andrewsgen.com/photo/derbyshire/ashbourne_church_street_almshouses.htm
7. ↑ John Strype's Survey of London and Westminster, https://www.dhi.ac.uk/strype/TransformServlet?page=book1_269
8. ↑ London, England, Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812

• The Visitation of the county of Worcester 1569 Visitation 1569