Thomas Rodbard

Thomas Rodbard

Thomas Rodbard
Person	Thomas Rodbard
Title
First name	Thomas
Middle name(s)
Last name	Rodbard
Suffix
Spouse of
Widow of
Occupation	Cheesemonger
Secondary shorebased occupation
Mariner occupation
Associated with ship(s)
Training	Not apprentice
Is apprentice of
Was apprentice of
Had apprentice(s)
Citizen	Unknown
Literacy	Signature
Has opening text
Has signoff text	Tho: Rodbard?t
Signoff image	{{{Transcription image}}}
Language skills	English language
Has interpreter
Birth street
Birth parish
Birth town
Birth county
Birth province
Birth country
Res street
Res parish	Saint Botolph Billingsgate
Res town	London
Res county
Res province
Res country	England
Birth year	1609
Marriage year
Death year
Probate date
First deposition age
Primary sources
Act book start page(s)
Personal answer start page(s)
Allegation start page(s)
Interrogatories page(s)
Deposition start page(s)	HCA 13/72 f.57v Annotate
Chancery start page(s)
Letter start page(s)
Miscellaneous start page(s)
Act book date(s)
Personal answer date(s)
Allegation date(s)
Interrogatories date(s)
Deposition date(s)	Jun 12 1657
How complete is this biography?
Has infobox completed	Yes
Has synthesis completed	Yes
Has HCA evidence completed	Yes
Has source comment completed	Yes
Ship classification
Type of ship
Silver Ship litigation in 1650s
Role in Silver Ship litigation

Biographical synthesis

Thomas Rodbard (alt. Rodberd) (b.ca.1609; d.?1657). Cheesemonger.

Thomas signed his deposition as "Tho: Rodbard", but his last name was rendered by the notary in the High Court of Admiralty as "Rodberd".

It is possible that the Thomas Rodbard, cheesemonger, who deposed in the High Court of Admiralty in June 1657 is the Thomas Rodbard, Fishmonger, who wrote his will on August 26th 1657, the will being proven on September 24th of the same year. The will mentions a son, Thomas Rodbard, and a shop, which was to be kept in business. A Thomas Rodbard (b.?; d.ca.1713), fishmonger, is identified by J.R.Woodhead (1966) as the apprentice in 1653 to a Thomas Rodbard. But Woodhead identifies this later Thomas Rodbard as the son of William Rodbard of Norton under Hampton, Somerset, yeoman. Woodhead also states that this later Thomas Rodbard was in business as a cheese-monger.

Evidence from High Court of Admiralty

Thomas Rodbard, a forty-eight year old cheesemonger of the parish of Saint Botolphs Billingsgate, deposed in the High Court of Admiralty on June 12th 1657. He was examined as a witness in "A busines of examination of witnesses on the behalfe of Roger Phillips against one two and thirtieth part of the Dover Marchant and against Peter Bultele."

Rodbard stated that he knew Roger Phillips well, and that he was the commander the ship the Dover Merchant, having been appointed by her owners, including Peter Bultele. Rodbard himself was one of the owners of the ship. The ship was fitted out at the expense of Roger Phillips in the year 1654 for a planned voyage to the Mediterranean ("the streights") and submitted a set of accounts to a meeting of the owners, by which it was documented that each one thirty-second part owner of the ship owed £32-11-9d. All other owners paid up, but according to Rodbard, Peter Bultele failed to pay and was still indebted for this sum.

The London merchant Richard Batson deposed immediately after Rodbard and confirmed that Rodbard, whom he described as "Mr. Rodberd" was and is a part owner of the ship, as was Batson himself.

Comment on sources

Possible will

PROB 11/267/550 Will of Thomas Rodbard, Fishmonger of London 24 September 1657
- Possible will, but states occupation as fishmonger, not cheesemonger. Probate date is three months after Thomas Rodbard's (alt. Rodberd) deposition in High Court of Admiralty
- The will makes reference to sons, Thomas and John, and to a cousin, Thomas. Thomas, the cousin, was to "continue with my sonne Thomas in my shopp". Rodbard does not identify the London parish in which he was living at the time of making the will on August 26th 1657, but gives money to "the porre of the parishes Stoake and Norton where I was borne and bredd upp."

Possible relative

"XXX 13 Aug. Abraham Dolins to Thomas Rodberd, 2,050 l.
13 Aug Thomas Shatterden to Thomas Rodberd X00 l."

How to create or edit a biography

1. Take a look at some of the witnesses in the High Court of Admiralty whose witness statement are transcribed in our wiki
2. Chose someone who interests you
3. Type his or her name into the box below
4. If there is an existing biography, you will go to a form to edit that biography
5. If there is no biography, you will go to an empty form which you can use to create a new biography
6. Contact us to get a Username and Password, which you will need to fill in and save the form
7. Contact us at any time by email using our contact form, Twitter or Skype to ask a question, whether about content or formatting

Click on the following names for sample biographies - a forty-eight year old cheesemonger Thomas Rodbard of Saint Botolphs Billingsgate, the twenty year old scrivener's apprentice, and Samuell Haughton, and a twenty-nine year old porter named Thomas Roots, who worked in the Stillyard on the north bank of the Thames.