Person:John Rotton (1)

Juror at the court of the Manor of Kings Norton 1548.

Dugdale Society Publications: Vol 4 Records of King Edward School, Birmingham p20 Tax Roll, 21 June 1547, Birmingham: John Rotton 2d p23 Tax Roll, 1552-1553, Bordesley, of Rotton's land, 6d p24 Tax Roll, 1552-1553, Bordesley, Richd. Hamon for parcell of the lord's land nighe John Rotton's lande, 1d

Rotten Park is of frequent occurrence in The Terrier. This park is a very ancient place in Birmingham. In his " Men and Names of Old Birmingham," the late "alas! that I should have to write the late” Mr. Toulniin Smith quotes the names of a tenant and keeper of "Roten Parke" from a deed of 1536, and in a note he says:

This mention of Rotten Park deserves some notice. It is well-known that a family of the name of Rotton has long dwelt in Birmingham. Not meeting with the name in the older records of the town, I infer that this old memorial park gave the family its name, not the family its name to the park. But the family hecanie freeholders of high respectability, many of them dwelling in Bordesley. Of this I have proofs among my private documents (one has been already cited under the year 1586); but the fact is very strikingly illustrated by the history of an old Bordesley charity, founded by Richard Iiylcuppe, who, on 19th September, 161I, devised to Robert Shilton and John Foxe certain land at Sparkbrook, upon trusts which he was curiously but wisely careful to order, should be always cited on every change of trustees. The controllers of the trust were required to be, all of them, "yeomx, fieeholders, and iizh~ibitlzzits of Bordesley." In 1612, out of the eight only persons that fulfilled these conditions, four were "Ambrose Rotton, Richard Rotton, Thoinas Rotton, and John Rotton." It is remarkable and very instructive, that this charity altogether escaped the notice of the roving Chanty Cominissioners who were sent out some years ago to find out the nakedness of the land. But its course has, nevertheless, been remarkably regular. Somewhat familiar with this sort of subject, I confess to surprise at the completeliess of the manner in which the donor's intentions have been observed. The proceeds of the charity are still annually distributed in accordance with those intentions.