Blake's Taunton Regiment
Parliamentary Forces ("Roundheads")
English Civil War
Thomas Trowbridge
Born: Feb. 8, 1598 Taunton, Exeter, England
Died: Feb. 7, 1673, Taunton, Exeter, England
Parents: JohnTrowbridge & Agnes Prowse
Occupations: wool mercer (merchant), merchant, West Indies trade routes(Trinidad)
Military Service: Captain, Blake's Taunton Regiment,"Roundheads"
Parliamentary Forces, (anti-royalistarmy under Cromwell), English CivilWar
First Marriage: Mar. 26, 1627, Taunton, Exeter, England
First Wife: Elizabeth Marshall
Born: 1603, London, England
Died: 1640, New Haven, New Haven Co., Connecticut
Parents: JohnMarshall & Alice Bevys
Second Marriage: Feb. 10, 1641, St. David's Church, Taunton, Exeter,England
Second Wife: Francis Godsall (cousin)
Born: 1619, Taunton, Somersetshire, England
Died: after 1673, England
Parents: RobertGodsall & Dorothy Trowbridge
First Marriage (Francis Godsall): unknown, Taunton, England
First Husband (Francis Godsall): Mr. Shattuck
Born: unknown, England
Died: before 1640, England
Children:
(Thomas Trowbridge and Elizabeth Marshall)Elizabeth Trowbridge
Born: 1627, Taunton, Somersetshire, England
Died: May, 1630, Taunton, Somersetshire, England
Baptism: Mar. 6, 1627, Taunton, Somersetshire, England
Buried: St. Petrock's, Exeter, England
John Trowbridge
Thomas Trowbridge II
William Trowbridge
James Trowbridge In the list of marriage licenses issued for the diocese of Exeter it isrecorded that on March 24, 1627, Thomas Trowbridge of the parish of St.Petrock was licensed to marry Elizabeth Marshall of the parish of St.Mary Arches. In the parish register of St. Mary Arches appears thefollowing entry: "26 March 1627 Mr. Thomas Trobrige and Elizabethdaughter of Mrs. Alice Marshall widoe married, Jeremy Short parson."
FROM THE TROWBRIDGE GENEALOGY BY FRANCIS B. TROWBRIDGE
Both the Trowbridge and Marshall families were prominentand well to do families in Taunton, England. The Trowbridges wereidentified with woolen trade and manufacturing. Thomas Trowbridge lefthis son John in England and the rest of the family came to Dorchester,Mass. sometime about 1636. It is believed his wife died in New Haven,Conn. about 1641.He returned to England to settle his affairs, leaving his sons with aservant. The Civil War in England it is believed kept him fromreturning to America.
THOMAS TROWBRIDGE, THE FIRST TO COME TO AMERICA, CIRCA1636
Written by unknown descendant
From the webpage of Sylvie HigginsPaine"For what reason did Thomas Trowbridge cometo America? First let me go over some oral history passed down over theyears in our branch of the Trowbridge family. Thomas Trowbridge came tothis country to start a trade route, it was a business reason only. Heplanned to return to England after his business was fully established.The reason he brought his family was he would be here for a few years.Note, he left his oldest son John in England under the care of hisfather, why? When Thomas Trowbridge's wife died in America, it wasbelieved that the reason he left his sons here under the care of aformer servant, was that he planned to return. Our oral history hasThomas returningto England to settle the estate of his late wife. Why did he remain inEngland, and leave his sons in America? Or why didn't he send for hissons and have them return to England? This was a mystery for our branchof family. Note, on Jan. 19, 1663-4, Thomas Trowbridge executed andsent to his three sons a power of attorney, making over to them jointlyand severally his property in New England wherever found, to beretained and equally divided between them."
"In 1991 I wrote to the Somerset County Council, Taunton, England. Iwas sent a packet of material from which I found the following onThomas Trowbridge, which gives a clue to his return from America, circa1641. It states, Thomas Trowbridge served as a Captain in theParliamentary Army during the English Civil War. This suggests that hisreasons for leaving England in 1636 were religious and that he returnedto England to take part in the resistance to King Charles I. Thedocument is clearthat he served directly under the Roundhead leader, Robert Blake,commander of the besieged garrison of Taunton in 1645, and probablyremained in England to enjoy the more liberal regime of Cromwell'sCommonwealth. By the time the restoration of Charles II took place in1660 he would have been at least 60 years of age and probably too oldtoremove himself to America."
"In the Quarter Sessions records for Somerset (Somerset Record Office)are a number of petitions, mostly undated but of about 1650, addressedto the Justices of the Peace from Parliamentary supporters of KingCharles I. Among them is that of Emanuell Butler of Taunton, cordwainer(shoemaker) part of which reads as follows:
'That Emanuell Butler during the several sieges of Taunton was afaithfull souldier in the States service under the command of CaptainThomas Trubbridge in the regiment of Collonel Robert Blake in whichservice he received a shott from the enemy through the bodie and stoodin great hazard of his life. By the meanes he is in a great measuredisenabled to gett maintainance for himselfe and his wife and child andhe hath lost three sonnes in the States service' - The petition issupported and signed: Thos. Trowbridge."
"There can be little doubt that the Captain under whom Butler servedwas our ancestor after his return from America and before his death in1672.There can be little doubt, having this evidence, that it was theoppressive regime of Charles I that decided ThomasTrowbridge to emigrate to the New World circa 1636 and that he returnedto England to fight as a 'Roundhead' officer in the Parliamentary army.Robert Blake was one of the most famous Parliamentary leaders and underCromwell's Commonwealth became Admiral of the English navy. Despiteappalling siege conditions he held Taunton against superiorforces which destroyed at least a third of its houses, until its reliefin 1645. The inference of the above petition is that Thomas Trowbridgewas present in Taunton throughout the siege."
TAUNTON DEANE EXTRACTS, RECORDS FROM TAUNTON, ENGLAND
From the webpage of SylvieHiggins Paine
"April 3, 1652, Thomas Trowbridge of Taunton, gent., was admitted to aparcel of land late of the waste of the lord, lying behind the stableof the castle of Taunton and near the west gate of the said castle,containing three daynes of land and one little parcel of land lyingnear the river of Tone and the pond of the castle called the Mote,extending from the water gate to the said parcel of land behind thestable, containing four daynes of land in the tithing of Hull, sometimethe land of William Hill and late of John Trowbridge, deceased, bysurrender of John Lane. (the surrender to Lane, made by John Trowbridgein 1649, was a mortgage to secure 43 pounds 4s)" "This is the onlyfound information that Thomas Trowbridge held land in Taunton after hisreturn from America, and the only information relating to hisinheriting land from his father, John Trowbridge."
RECORDS FROM TAUNTON, THOMAS TROWBRIDGE, OUR FOUNDER
From the webpage of SylvieHiggins Paine
"A subsidy roll (taxation list) for Taunton Borough, dated 15812,heldat the Somerset Record Office, shows Thomas Trobrydge as paying 6poundsin respect of goods. Only seven others were paying more than thisand eleven further men were also assessed at 6 pounds. This shows thatThomas was a man of wealth"
"The Taunton Deane manor records show the gradual build-up of theestate of Thomas Trowbridge, date 1620. The commercial importance ofThomas Trowbridge within the borough is shown by the number of licenceswhichhe purchased to prosecute tenants of Taunton Deane (mainly fordebt) beyond the jurisdiction of the manor court." "Extract from thefine books of Taunton Deane manor. Records of absolute and conditionalsurrenders, 1630-1649. 'Jan. 9, 16323. Thomas Trowbridge surrendered acottage with curtilage of 3 daynes of land in Millane, a cottage in thesame tithing, a messuage and 5 acres of bondland in the said tithing,and another messuage and 5 acres of bondland there, late of ThomasTrowbridge his grandfather, to use of Francis Ancketill of Yard, esq."
THE MARSHALL FAMILY
TROWBRIDGE, Thomas, the first of his family to come toAmerica, was the son of John Trowbridge, a wealthy merchant andprominent citizen of Taunton, Somersetshire. His father had long beenidentified with the woolen trade in Taunton, which was noted for itsmanufacture of that staple, and it was natural that the son when hegrew up should turn hisattention to some branch of that industry, and he is found in earlymanhood established in business as a mercer in the neighboring city ofExeter in Devonshire At the time when he took up his residence therehe found that the name Trowbridge was a well-known and respected one inExeter, with which members of the family had beer long identifiedthrough business and residence, and there also his sister Prudence wentto live after her marriage in 1621 to William Mace, a leading merchantof the city. In the pedigree of the Marshall family of Exeter was foundthe name of "Thomas Trobridge of Taunton." This reference was the cluethat led to the finding of the record of the marriage of ThomasTrowbridge. In the list of marriage licenses issued for the diocese ofExeter-it is recorded that on March24, 1627, Thomas Trowbridge of the parish of St. Petrock was licensedto marry Elizabeth Marshall of the parish of St. Mary Arches. In theparish register of St. Mary Arches appears the following entry; "26March 1627 Mr. Thomas Trobrige and Elizabeth daughter of Mre AlecMarshall widow, married, Jeremy Short parson." In the parish registerof St.Petrocks, Exeter, are recorded the following:
BAPTISMS
1627
Elizabeth the daughter of Thomas Trubbrudge
6 Mare-h 1627-8
1629
John the son of Thomas Trubbridge
5 November 1631
Thomas the sonne of Thomas Troubridge
the 11 December.
1633
William the sonne of Thomas and Elizabeth Trawbridge
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