Sir Richard ROGERS

Abt 1527 - Bef 1605  (~ 78 years)

• Name	Richard ROGERS
  Prefix	Sir
  Born	Abt 1527	Bryanston, Dorsetshire, England
  Gender	Male
  Noteworthy	Pirate
  Occupation	Sheriff of Dorset, pirate
  Died	Bef 26 Mar 1605	England
  Person ID	I46978	Main
  Last Modified	20 May 2023

  
  

  Family	Cecilia LUTTREL,   b. 1523, Dunster, Somerset, England ,   d. 10 Mar 1566, Dunster, Somerset, England  (Age 43 years)
  Married	Abt 1542	England
  Children	+ 1. Sarah ROGERS,   b. 16 Feb 1560, Bryanston, Dorsetshire, England ,   d. 1585, Bradford, Yorkshire, England  (Age 24 years)   2. Honora ROGERS,   b. 1545, Bryanston, Dorsetshire, England ,   d. Aft 28 Feb 1608, England  (Age > 63 years)
  Last Modified	20 May 2023
  Family ID	F32550	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Event Map		Married - Abt 1542 - England Died - Bef 26 Mar 1605 - England  = Link to Google Earth
  Pin Legend	: Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  
  

• Notes

  m1 Cecilia LUTTRELL m2 Mary WEST His inherited the manor of Bryanston, near Blandford. Land at West Lulworth acquired through his second marriage to Mary West,widow of Adrian Poynings , made him a wealthy and powerful landlord. He was a Justice of the Peace, an MP in the parliament that ran from 1572 and High Sheriff of Dorset in 1573/4. His promotion of piracy was revealed in a commission of 1577 into the aid given to the pirate Captain Courte Higgenbert whose man-of-war was stranded at Mupe Rocks near Lulworth. Locals who hurried to the scene found Sir Rogers already aboard with the intention of setting the ship afloat and taking charge of the cargo. His aim was not to preserve the ship for the Crown but to save the ship and it's cargo for the pirate Sir Richard set the ship afloat using tenants from his West Lulworth estate but before this goods were removed from the ship. His brother Francis, Sir Richard's agent at West Lulworth removed ten tons of wine and some honey to be stored in cellars on the quay. Francis himself dabbled in piracy with his own pinnace that had recently robbed a Bark from Alderney. On this night Francis Rogers entertained Captain Courte whilst the ship was made seaworthy. Eleven puncheons of wine were delivered to Sir Richard's house in Blandford, together with a personal gift from Captain Courte of a ton of wine and a gross of sugar. The details of the night come from a commission held at Wareham in 1577. Many other local dignitaries were implicated. The crown appointed deputy-searcher told of his failed efforts to collect duty for the crown. He claimed that another of Sir Richard's brothers Strangways Rogers had landed two puncheons of wine and that he was 'constantly snubbed' by Sir Richard and his family. Andrew Rogers, Sir Richards son outwardly conformed with his duty and arrested Courte but also sent a message to the Captain's crew. They rescued Courte and took him back to his ship. The ship remained in harbour for another eight days, with victuals provided by Francis Rogers. The poor deputy-searcher was asked who were the pirate's friends in Dorset he replied that Francis Rogers was his friend and that sometimes the pirate would dine with Sir Richard at Bryanston, afterwards sleeping at the Vicar of Blandford's house. The commission fined Sir Richard £100 forcing him to enter into a bond to repay the value of the goods to the original owners. His brother Francis was commited to the Marshalsea prison until he made a humble submission and agreed to his good behaviour for a year. This was a relatively large punishment and there is no more evidence of his involvement on the sides of the pirates. Just four years later he was appointed to the commission for the reformation of piracy in the county.aptly described by Lloyd as 'poacher turned gamekeeper'[4] Sir Richard's knowledge of the area proved invaluable as tensions with Spain increased. He was employed to inspect the adequacies of Dorset's coastal defences, writing a detailed report of the condition of the county's forts and castles.He commanded one of the defence divisions within the county. Bryanston estate was used for militia training.If the Spanish invaded and the beacons were lit, Bryanston was designated as a place of assembly. Ten years later at the time of another invasion scare, he was still a Colonel,his two captains were his son Richard Rogers and his nephew Robert Coker of Mapowder[5] [6][7] [1]

  
  

• Sources

  [S151] WikiTree, https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Rogers-1598.