Roose Free chr 17 Aug 1561 Dallinghoo

[esdel]

William and Catherine had three known children - Elizabeth baptised 1778, Richard baptised 1783 and Letitia baptised 1787, all at Westleton.

The mystery deepens.
Lets hope it is the darkening before the storm that clears the air!!! Have faith!
Your "3 known children" I know NOTHING of!
BUT
I DO HAVE
1. Richard Rous married Susanna Biddell only thing known is they had children:
Thomas Rous b 2 Nov 1812 Therefore COULD have been born 1783. He was chr at Bradfield St George Suffolk and died 13 March 1814
His brother was Thomas Biddell Rous b 1816 died 1917
2. Elizabeth Rous. My only Elizabeth Rous was chr 15 Feb 1778 at Covehithe and dau of James Rouse and Susanna Wright.
James was born 1741 at Covehithe and Susanna also b 1741. They had 10 children (1765 to 1789) in addition to Elizabeth - no Thomas

So I am still at a loss where to put your Lettice.
I agree with you a William Rous married a Catherine, so have entered a NEW William Rous who married Catherine Calver on 16 Aug 1774 and produced a Lettice chr 1774 at Westleton
Under that NEW entry I have put all your notes and comments because I find them convincing

I note you are calling Lettice by the name Letitia and I DO HAVE a Lettitia - but she was dau of Sir John of Henham Hall wth her sisters Hannah b 1705 Wangford Leiston and Madam Mary also Wangham 1710

If you are serching for a William to marry in 1774, how about Wiliam Rous son of John Rous and Sarah Martin. He was born Dec 1755 at Covehithe, Leiston and seems to be a bachelor.

[Suffolk Sue B]

Having worked on the Theberton/Westleton and latterly the Benhall Rous family for almost 20 years my faith is faltering ;-) There are so many Rouses at Westleton that I can't place, and yet their ancestors must belong together at some point in history. I've also tried putting a tree together for the Rouses living at Westleton in the 1600's and just can't make it work how you'd think it should............eventually I have to give up for another few months as it drives me mad!

Now, the Covehithe family..............the only one of 'our' Rouses I know of who lived at Covehithe was a Benjamin Rouse born to Sarah Rous about 1813, Sarah was the daughter of William Rouse and Sarah Wink & baptised 1796 she died soon after Benjamin was born aged 18. It would seem natural for Benjamin to move somewhere where he had relations,  therefore I've studied the PR for Covehithe very carefully, but I've never been able to tie the Rouses there with our Rouses at Westleton etc. That's not to say they aren't connected in some way, just that there doesn't seem to be an obvious link.

As I'm convinced that Lettice Rous, baptised at Benhall and who married Thomas in 1809 was the daughter of John Rous and Mary Crowe I've been able to add her to my Rous tree through her husband Thomas. Letitia daughter of William Rous and Catherine Calver is another story - I think it would help to make a 'mini tree' so perhaps some of my Rous 'spares' will fit in there and hopefully some time someone will discover who this William belongs to.

On one level I feel perhaps our Rouses did come from Henham, but so far I've not found a thing to support this, so if it was the case it was obviously earlier than 1600.

By the way - Lettice was the one baptised at Benhall and Letitia was baptised at Westleton (to William and Catherine). To confuse things I've also found our Lettice of Benhall being called Letta - no wonder they give me a headache!

The wills - the earliest I have is that of Thomas Rous dated 1728 who mentions his son Thomas and grandchildren by him and daughter Ann Paul. I also have an inventory that goes with this will listing the property in his house, this inventory was carried out by a Mr Woods and John Rous - it would seem that John Rous was his grandson and probably the father of Thomas who married Hannah and his brother John who died young. I also have one of John Rous who was definitely the father of Thomas and John, also Thomas's will and a couple of others from Westleon. plus of course that of John Rous of Benhall (Lettice's father). So far I've not found any information to back up my theory that Thomas Rous of the 1728 will was the grandfather of John (father of Thomas and John).

Where does Thomas Rous and Susannah fit in? I haven't come across them before.

[Suffolk Mawther]

Regarding the Rous family of Henham Hall, you will find a little bit of their history on the Henham Hall website.

http://www.henhampark.com/history

Pat ...

[esdel]

Regarding the Rous family of Henham Hall, you will find a little bit of their history on the Henham Hall website.

http://www.henhampark.com/history

Pat ...

What a GREAT find and contribution, Pat!
Many thanks!

[esdel]

Now, the Covehithe family..............the only one of 'our' Rouses I know of who lived at Covehithe was a Benjamin Rouse born to Sarah Rous about 1813, Sarah was the daughter of William Rouse and Sarah Wink & baptised 1796 she died soon after Benjamin was born aged 18. It would seem natural for Benjamin to move somewhere where he had relations,  therefore I've studied the PR for Covehithe very carefully, but I've never been able to tie the Rouses there with our Rouses at Westleton etc. That's not to say they aren't connected in some way, just that there doesn't seem to be an obvious link.

Sue, your points are so interesting I have to take them one at a time
So this is about Covehithe

I am not sure what you mean by obvious link, for my Covehithes are connected:-

Thomas Rous b Westleton 1638 married Martha b there abt 1630

Their son Thomas b there 1656
married Anne b there abt 1656

Their son Thomas b there 1686
married Sarah of Covehithe

They had 7 children including
John who married Sarah Martin of Covehithe

John and Sarah had 6 children :-
John chr 24 Aug 1744 Covehithe
Sarah chr 25 Dec 1750 Covehithe
Elizabeth chr 7 May 1753 Covehithe
Esther chr same day and place
William chr 29  Dec 1755 Covehithe
James chr Dec 1741 Covehithe who married Susanna Wright

That James + Susanna had 11 children all Covehithe


Yes I have a Benjamin:-
Mine was born at Theberton 1813 and married Mary Ann Eves at Rushmore Parish Church 4 Oct 1845
He is son of Sarah Rouse (dau b 22 Oct 1796
to William Rouse and Sarah Wink)
This Benjamin and wife Mary Eves had 5 children all born in Covehithe


As for Lettice in her various guises, you have straightened me out completely and I am so grateful (and only hope I might in the end say something that helps you as much as you have me)
I will study your wills and reply to that later.

[Suffolk Sue B]

By obvious link I meant that I found nothing that led me back to the known Rouses at Westleton. It looks as though I need to get to the RO and have another look at the PR's for Covehithe. Could you tell me how they fit into the Westleton family so I can check it out. My late mother in law talked about the Covehithe Rouses, but can't remember what she said or meant, although she also told me when I first started researching her family that 'there were Rouses at Middleton, but they were nothing to do with us'. Even when I'd proved they were I'm sure she never quite believed me. 

It's the same Benjamin, that's good.................you probably already know that his wife Mary Ann born Southwold, married at  Rushmere,St Michael, Suffolk 1845 and died at Holbrook, Suffolk 11 March 1868. Benjamin then married Emma Wright in 1872 and Bessie born 1874 and James born 1882 were added to his family. Benjamin and Emma are found in later census' living Horseheath, Cambridgeshire.

So pleased I was able to explain about Lettice and Letitia clearly - it's not easy without repeating youself all the time.

All for now
Sue

[esdel]

Sue, the Westletons married into the Covehithes and several of them then established a Rouse branch at Covehithe like this:

Thomas Rous b Westleton 1638 married Martha b there abt 1630

Their son Thomas b Westleton 1656
married Anne b there abt 1656

Their son Thomas b Westleton 1686
married Sarah of Covehithe

They had 7 children including
John who married Sarah Martin of Covehithe

John and Sarah had 6 children :-
John chr 24 Aug 1744 Covehithe
Sarah chr 25 Dec 1750 Covehithe
Elizabeth chr 7 May 1753 Covehithe
Esther chr same day and place
William chr 29  Dec 1755 Covehithe
James chr Dec 1741 Covehithe who married Susanna Wright

That James + Susanna had 11 children all Covehithe

So the shift to Covehithe was when Thomas b Westleton 1686
married Sarah of Covehithe
Their first child, Robert, was born in 1711 so we can guess about when this marriage was.
A thatched church was built at Covehithe in 1672 within the ruins of St Andrews, so they MIGHT have married there.
Covehithe, formerly called North Hales, is in the parish of Blything

[Suffolk Sue B]

Thank you, I think I'm getting my head around it. Thomas born Westleton 1638 (my records say 1632?) then Thomas born 1656 (whose will I have) and Thomas born 1686 who married Sarah at Covehithe.
Does Thomas born 1686 connect back to Westleton? Also how does John Rous, the father of Thomas who married Hannah connect to the family?
I've booked a seat at the RO on Saturday - and can't wait to see what I may find.

[esdel]

Sue, all I know of
Thomas born 1656 who with Anne were parents of Thomas born 1686 who married Sarah at Covehithe
is that all these people except Sarah were born at Westleton

As the Parents (Thomas and Martha) of the Thomas b 1656 who married Anne were also both born in Westleton this seems to establish a Westleton family of Rous.

As for
How does John Rous, the father of Thomas who married Hannah connect to the family?
My notes say he was born 1700 at a place called Westlet (which I imagine must be a lazy way of writinmg Westleton). His wife, Mary, was born at Westleton

Good luck at the record office!
Your wills would be a great help if only we could somehow more specifically identify who was who.