In 1870 William Vilett Rolleston inherited an estate worth an estimated £20,000 (today approximately £2.3 million). By 1874 he was declared bankrupt and you have to ask the question – where did it all go wrong?
The Vilett presence in Swindon is believed to date back to the sixteenth century when the family were among those who snapped up local properties during that great land dispersal event at the dissolution of the monasteries. But where did William's Vilett connection come from?
Only two of the daughters married, Harriet and Catherine Mary, and neither of these had children. Their only surviving brother Thomas Vilett died unmarried and childless in 1846 and left his sizeable estate to be shared between his two sisters and upon the death of them, to his Godson William Vilett Rolleston.
So, William was definitely in the right place at the right time born into a family with few surviving children.
William had an impressive list of military credentials. He was Hon. Colonel of the 5th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, and Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, formerly of the 17thRegiment and 2nd West India Regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding 5th Battalion Middlesex Regiment.
He married Martha Florence Morris on November 30, 1864 and the couple had five children, two sons and three daughters. At the time of the 1871 census they were living at 2 Market Place, Swindon, home of the Vilett family. However, at the time of the Colonel's bankruptcy three years later he was described as being 'late of Swindon, but now residing out of England.'
The bankruptcy was eventually discharged in December 1880, but the Rolleston Estate continued to be held in chancery with huge implications for the growing housing demands of developing Swindon.
William died in November 1921 at his home Saltford House near Bath and was buried in Blunsdon St Andrew. He must have eventually made a small fortune from the sale of the Rolleston Estate to the New Swindon Local Board, but I bet there was a time in 1874 when he was probably also asking himself, where did it all go wrong?
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Built in around 1729 and once the home of Thomas Vilett and his wife, the former Mary Goddard.
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All that remains of Holy Rood, the original Swindon parish church.
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The churchyard at Holy Rood.
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The memorial to the Vilett family and the Rolleston connection.
The Vilett presence in Swindon is believed to date back to the sixteenth century when the family were among those who snapped up local properties during that great land dispersal event at the dissolution of the monasteries. But where did William's Vilett connection come from?
The eldest son of George and Mary Augusta Rolleston, William Vilett Rolleston was born in Leamington Priors, Warwickshire in 1842.
William's father George was the child of Samuel Rolleston and his first wife Elizabeth Herring. In 1827 the widowed Samuel married Harriet Vilett but there were no children from this second marriage. When Harriet died in 1870 William Vilett Rolleston inherited the estate left to her by her brother Thomas Vilett.
William's father George was the child of Samuel Rolleston and his first wife Elizabeth Herring. In 1827 the widowed Samuel married Harriet Vilett but there were no children from this second marriage. When Harriet died in 1870 William Vilett Rolleston inherited the estate left to her by her brother Thomas Vilett.
What became known thereafter as the Rolleston Estate should probably be called the Vilett estate.
Thomas and Harriet Vilett were the children of the Vicar of Swindon, Rev Thomas Goddard Vilett and his wife Harriet. A plaque in the Holy Rood chancel, the only surviving part of the old parish church in the Lawn, helpfully gives us a run down of this branch of the Vilett family.
Thomas and Harriet Vilett were the children of the Vicar of Swindon, Rev Thomas Goddard Vilett and his wife Harriet. A plaque in the Holy Rood chancel, the only surviving part of the old parish church in the Lawn, helpfully gives us a run down of this branch of the Vilett family.
Only two of the daughters married, Harriet and Catherine Mary, and neither of these had children. Their only surviving brother Thomas Vilett died unmarried and childless in 1846 and left his sizeable estate to be shared between his two sisters and upon the death of them, to his Godson William Vilett Rolleston.
So, William was definitely in the right place at the right time born into a family with few surviving children.
William had an impressive list of military credentials. He was Hon. Colonel of the 5th Battalion Middlesex Regiment, and Hon. Lieutenant-Colonel in the Army, formerly of the 17thRegiment and 2nd West India Regiment, and Lieutenant-Colonel Commanding 5th Battalion Middlesex Regiment.
He married Martha Florence Morris on November 30, 1864 and the couple had five children, two sons and three daughters. At the time of the 1871 census they were living at 2 Market Place, Swindon, home of the Vilett family. However, at the time of the Colonel's bankruptcy three years later he was described as being 'late of Swindon, but now residing out of England.'
The bankruptcy was eventually discharged in December 1880, but the Rolleston Estate continued to be held in chancery with huge implications for the growing housing demands of developing Swindon.
William died in November 1921 at his home Saltford House near Bath and was buried in Blunsdon St Andrew. He must have eventually made a small fortune from the sale of the Rolleston Estate to the New Swindon Local Board, but I bet there was a time in 1874 when he was probably also asking himself, where did it all go wrong?
Built in around 1729 and once the home of Thomas Vilett and his wife, the former Mary Goddard.
All that remains of Holy Rood, the original Swindon parish church.
The churchyard at Holy Rood.
The memorial to the Vilett family and the Rolleston connection.