John Rolle (1522–1570)
John Rolle (1522–1570) of Stevenstone, in the parish of St Giles in the Wood, near Great Torrington, Devon, was the eldest son and heir of George Rolle (died 1552), MP, founder of the great Rolle family of Stevenstone, by his second wife Eleanor Dacres. Three monuments survive in memory of his immediate family in the churches of St Giles in the Wood and Chittlehampton. Marriage and children. He married Margaret Ford, daughter of John Ford (died 1538) of Ashburton, the son and heir of William Ford of Chagford. John Ford purchased the estate of Bagtor in the  parish of Ilsington, which his male heirs successively made their seat. Margaret's great nephew was John Ford (1586-c.1639) the dramatist, who was baptised at Ilsington, and her great-great-nephew was Sir Henry Ford (1617-1684), MP for Tiverton and Secretary of State for Ireland. By his wife he had eight sons and two daughters: Monumental brasses in St Giles in the Wood Church. A small monumental brass to John Rolle survives in the floor of the south aisle of St Giles in the Wood parish church, beneath the separate brass figure of his wife Margaret Ford, but  formerly affixed to his two and a half foot high chest tomb situated in the chancel of the church as recorded by Prince in his 1710 work "Worthies of Devon". It shows the arms of Rolle impaling Ford. The monumental brass of his wife Margaret is affixed to the wall. To the left is a brass plaque depicting her two daughters (see above) and to the left a plaque showing her eight sons (see above).