Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue
  • Reference
    X311
  • Title
    Rugeley Papers
  • Date free text
    1740-1907
  • Production date
    From: 1740 To: 1907
  • Admin/biog history
    The Rugeley family were established on the borders of Bedfordshire and Huntingdonshire in the 17th century. Rowland Rugeley was buried at Potton 21 December 1666. In the late 18th century Rowland Rugeley, linen draper had his headquarters at St Ives, but also Potton connections (see X311/74 and the 1785 directory). Of the four sons of Rowland Rugeley of St Ives, Rowland went to South Carolina about 1765, apparently encouraged by the hope of the governor's favour, Lord Charles Montague (X311/73). He was joined in 1769 by Henry, but died in 1776. William, who seems to have been older than Henry (2) was originally destined for the St Ives shop (93), but his restless temperament (74, 80, 94, 96) made it difficult for him to settle, and he joined his brothers, thus leaving at home the fourth brother, Matthew. The brothers carried on trade from Charleston, but unsettled conditions and the onset of war made things difficult (75, 79, 98, 108, 112). Henry served as Colonel on the loyalist side in the local militia (56). He was taken prisoner to Virginia (109). Later he made his way to Jamaica and took a plantation there (121). This was damaged by a hurricane, and in 1784 he was again in Charleston (127). He had married Elizabeth Cooke and had 3 sons and 1 daughter. In 1796 he came on a visit to England and there died. His widow was in some difficulty, and eventually married Starke, who had helped her with the plantation. William meanwhile had returned to England, and died there in 1789. The letters throw light on settlement in Carolina, especially the long letter from Rowland jr in 1766 (75), and on the characters of the individuals (especially the dry comments of the shrewd old father). The cause of their preservation, however, was trouble about property. The full history is given in a printed statement (10). It seems to have arisen, partly through the failure of Rowland and Henry Rugeley in allowing over-generous credit in anxious times; and partly through the difficulty of securing payment from the sale of Henry's land for building plots (arising from the war period and his death in England). It was not settled until 1848 (45, 233). Some work on Henry Rugeley has been done by Mr O N Tapper of London who gives the following references:- National Archives (UK) Audit Office 13/87, 132, 135. South Carolina Historical Society Archives Ac No 58-26. South Carolina: Camden land rolls: Book H, 280, Book I, 67, 284, 292, Book K, 519, Roll 699, 28. Printed works: E McCrady, History of S Carolina in the Revolution, 1775-80, p617. Ramsay, Revolution of S Carolina II pp187-8. Tarleton, Campaigns, p205. S Carolina Hist. & Gen. Mag XVIII p43. The battle of Camden (published by U S Senate) Arda Talbot Allen, Twentyone sons for Texas (1959). R W Gibbes, ed Documentary history, 1776-82 (Reminiscences of Dr Wm Read p 274, Henry as a prisoner) A S Salley ed Jhal. of House of Representatives of S Carolina, 8 Jan - 26 Feb 1782 (sequestration of Henry's property). R G Thwaites ed [Faux's journal} in Early Western Travels, pp 67, 76, 82. Mr Tapper gives the following extract from McCrady: "Greene's first hours of command were brightened by the news of a bloodless success by Col Washington. Col. Henry Rugeley, at whose house it will be recollected, Governor Rutledge had been nearly overtaken by Tarleton when escaping in May, had since been commissioned in the British Militia, and was just about to be appointed a Brigadier General in that service. A stockade had been made around his house, and in it he had collected 112 men under his command. Against this post, Morgan sent Col. Washington, repeating Gillespie's device in the capture of Mill's militia at Hunts Bluff in August. Washington threw up a few feet of earth in the form of an earthwork, and, mounting behind it some logs with the appearance of field guns, demanded an immediate surrender. Rugeley, deceived and frightened by the appearance of artillery, obeyed the summons, and surrendered with the whole party. "Rugeley will nto be made a brigadier", wrote Cornwallis to Tarleton, "he surrendered without firiting a shot himself and 103 rank and file to the cavalry only. A deserter of Morgan assures us that the infantry men never came within 3 miles of the house."" The depositor writes (6 December 1963) that there are in the National Maritime Museum naval papers of the brother of Anna Maria Houghton (Lieut Jn Lionel Houghton) and of her uncle (Capt Stephenson). He also writes that Rowland Rugeley senr wrote 'Miscellaneous poems & translations from La Fontaine & others', Cambridge, Fletcher & Hodson, 1763.
  • Deposited in January 1964 by a decendant of the Rugeley family in England, Mr C R Bury.
  • External document

    X311 family tree.pdf

  • Level of description
    fonds
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