Thomas Rogers 1653-1708 Innkeeper

[snowgarth]

Does anyone know anything about Thomas Rogers, father of Rev Benjamin Rogers who wrote the Diary of Benjamin Rogers about life as Rector of Carlton, Bedfordshire, 1720-1771? Also interested in any information on his wife Sarah, possibly nee Gurrey or Gurney.

[davidcarca]

A quick look at the IGI shows a load of member submissions which fully meet my expectations - they're pretty bad! I'll take a closer look in the morning and see what I can work put. Benjamin appears to have been in Bedford where he and Jane baptised a number of children, before moving to Carlton

David

[Waitabit]

Have you had a look here for earlly BMDs?

Or The Bedfordshire FAmily History group?

https://www.
bfhs.org.uk/

[davidcarca]

It’s taken me longer than I thought, sorting the wheat from the chaff on the IGI.

Going back to basics, we know from his diaries published by Beds HRS that Benjamin Rogers was Rector of Carlton from 1720-1771. Does he mention in the diaries that his father was Thomas, an innkeeper, 1653-1708? If not where does this information come from? (later - see below for documents held at Bedford Archives)

Benjamin and Jane baptised a number of children in Carlton between 1721 and 1728. A Jane Rogers was buried at Carlton on 27 Aug 1742 and Benjamin on 15 Sep 1771

Before taking up his post in Carlton, Benjamin appears to have lived in Bedford St Paul, where there are three baptisms of children of Benjamin and Jane between 1712 and 1718.

Despite what member submissions show on the IGI it doesn’t appear as though Benjamin and Jane married in Carlton, but rather at Shillington, 13 miles from Bedford in the opposite direction from Carlton, on 13 Nov 1709, where she is shown as Jane Hothers(h)all in an entry extracted from the parish register. You need to check Shillington parish register to see if the marriage entry contains any additional information – pre 1754 you’re unlikely to get anything more than the two names, but you might get lucky and the entry says Benjamin of Bedford St Paul.

On the assumption that Benjamin’s father really was Thomas, there’s a baptism at Bedford St Paul of Benjamin Rogers, son of Thomas Rogers, on 17 Oct 1686, which fits.

We run into problems with Thomas though, as there were two who were buried at around the right time: on 6 Apr 1706 at Keysoe, and on 18 Aug 1708 at Bedford St Paul. If the dates in your subject line are correct then the St Paul burial looks to be the right one.

A Thomas Rogers married Sarah Gerree at Keysoe on 25 Sept 1679. Is this the Thomas who was buried in Keysoe? If so it doesn’t seem as though they were the parents of Benjamin. But there was an earlier marriage in Keysoe, of Thomas Rogers and Hannah Cannon, on 26 Sept 1669. Could Thomas have been a widower in the 1679 marriage. Or were these two separate Thomas’s? There’s only one burial of a Thomas in Keysoe – the one inn 1706, and the only Hannah was in 1727. And there’s no Sarah burial at all in Keysoe, nor in any of the Bedford parishes. So all very inconclusive. (later - if they were two distinct couples the Keysoe Thomas burial might have been the 1669 marriage, with the Hannah 1727 burial his widow, and the 1679 marriage being Thomas from Bedford St Paul, where they lived subsequent to their marriage. All speculation! Needs reference to Keysoe parish register)

There are baptisms of Thomas Rogers:
18 Oct 1662 at Carlton, son of Thomas
15 Jul 1653 at Bedford St Paul, son of Benjamin. This fits with the date you have for his birth, but it depends on the source of that date. And naming his son Benjamin is also circumstantial evidence.

Bedford Archives holds administration documents for Benjamin Rogers, innholder, ref AR1688:1/31d, and the will of Thomas Rogers, yeoman, ref 1708/17. I would be tempted to purchase copies of both of these. When you’re stuck wills can often be invaluable.

In fact there’s a précis of Thomas Rogers’ will on the BLARS website at https://apps.bedscc.gov.uk/bedsccis3/...iref=110232242
Ref BorBE11/2/3 dated 10 Aug 1708, proved 20 Oct 1708
Will with probate annexed of Thomas Rogers of Bedford, yeoman. To wife Sarah for life, messuage or tenement called the Black Spread Eagle in Bedford St Paul, in my own occupation; and my messuage or tenement in Bedford St Cuthbert now in occupation of Samuel Lane, pipemaker. After death of wife, both to go to son Benjamin Rogers. To wife and to daughter Sarah Rogers, all goods and personal estate to be divided between them after payment of debts. Wife executrix.

Whether his wife Sarah is Sarah Gerree remains to be proved. There’s the baptism of a Sarah Rogers on 29 May 1694 at Bedford St Paul, daughter of Thomas and Sarah. You need to check Keysoe parish register to see if the entries contain any further detail.

Another document at https://apps.bedscc.gov.uk/bedsccis3/...iref=110232250
Assignment of mortgage: (1) John Faldo of Bedford St Mary, tanner (2) Robert Negus, late of Biddenham now of Bedford, yeoman, and wife Sarah, late wife of Thomas Rogers, then of Bedford St Paul's, victualler, deceased. Only son and heir of Benjamin Rogers, late of Bedford, innholder, deceased. Benjamin Rogers, only son and heir and devisee in reversion of Thomas Rogers. (3) Nicholas Aspinal of Bedford, clerk. Reciting mortgage [BorBE 11/2/2] and that neither capital nor interest has been paid. Assignment by (1) to (3) of mortgaged premises for remainder of term in consideration of £60 from (3) and the interest from (2). Witnesses: Thomas Chaplin, Benjamin Chesterton, Philip Gains
Date 25 March 1710/11

So after the 1708 death of Thomas Rogers, his widow Sarah remarried Robert Negus (which might explain why above I couldn't find the burial of a Sarah Rogers), and to definitively provide the link to Benjamin rector of Carlton is
https://apps.bedscc.gov.uk/bedsccis3/...iref=110232269
Bond of Sarah Negus of Bedford, widow, and Benjamin Rogers of Carlton, clerk, to Randall Tayler of Bedford, gentleman, in penal sum of £120 to keep covenants in deed of same date between: (1) Priscilla Whaley of Wood Pumton, Lancester (2) Sarah Negus and Benjamin Rogers (3) Randall Taylor. Witnesses: Peter Haselwood, John Peplatt
Date 10 April 1729

There are numerous documents about this family, held at Bedford Archives, listed at https://apps.bedscc.gov.uk/bedsccis3/...spx?gotopage=3

Hope this helps

David

Sorry, the links don't work. Go to https://apps.bedscc.gov.uk/bedsccis3/search.aspx and in the Name line put in Rogers, Benjamin (the comma is important!)

[JPBeds]

from Carlton PR burials
27 Aug 1742 Jane, wife of Ben Rogers, rector of this parish
15 Sep 1771 The Rev Mr Ben Rogers late rector of this parish

there is no 1709 marriage in Carlton

[JPBeds]

Keysoe PR burials,
6 Apr 1706 Thos Rogers , labourer

Feb 1726 Hannah Rogers, widow
** this entry is the 2nd within a group of 4 burials that have no specific date, just month & year, under the heading
" Dissenters buried as appears by affidavit"

[JPBeds]

According to the Beds Magazine of Spring 1951 when they reviewed the pulication of Benj Rogers diary, it says he came from an old Bedford family, born in 1686 & went to Bedford Free school 1693 - 1702. Now the only Benj Rogers batised in Beford was on 17 Oct 1686 at Bedford St Cuthbert, son of Thomas Rogers. Other IGI entries are best guess, not based on fact, say he was born Carlton.

[olliecat]

Here is his entry from the Cambridge University Alumni...

Name: Benjamin Rogers
College: SIDNEY
Entered: 1704
Born: 1686
Died: 12 Sep 1771
Adm. sizar (age 16) at SIDNEY, July 5, 1702. S. of Thomas, vintner, of Bedfordshire. B. at Bedford, 1686. School, Houghton Conquest, Beds. (Mr Wentworth). Matric. 1704. Ord. priest (Ely) Dec. 21, 1712. V. of Stagsden, Beds., 1712-20. C. of Goldington and under-master of Bedford School, 1716. R. of Carlton, 1720-71. Died Sept. 12, 1771, aged 85. M.I. at Carlton. Father of Samuel (1749). See Al. Oxon. for a contemporary namesake with whom he is apparently confused. (Harvey, Willey Hundred, Beds., 132.)

[davidcarca]

John, does the 1679 Keysoe marriage entry contain anything other than the names of the two parties? It begins to seem likely that that marriage was the couple who lived in Bedford, but it would be useful if the entry actually said Thomas was of Bedford. I know, I'm wishing for a lot from a 1679 entry!

David

[JPBeds]

David, From memory as I don't have the PR to hand at moment; there was no other info with that 1679 marriage entry. Perhaps, also hopefully, if Thomas was from Bedford, there may be banns logged at a Bedford parish for this marriage that says Sarah was from Keysoe.