Johan Underdowne (1604)

Baptism
Johan Underdowne was baptized in Ottery St Mary on the 23rd June 1604 to her parents George and Marie Underdowne. She was their second known child; her older sibling was her sister Alice.

Her father was a labourer and, if he worked on a farm, it is likely that Johan spent her childhood on a farm in the Ottery St Mary area.

Death of Father
Johan’s father George died in January 1609 when she was 4 years old. How her mother raised Johan and her siblings after his death is not yet known.

Marriage
Johan married on the 27th August 1627 in Ottery St Mary to Richard Rost. His origins are currently unknown. A John Rost was Chaplain Priest of the church in Ottery between 1664-1671 and again in 1675. This John may have been a clerk of the parish in 1647 (according to the Manor Book of Ottery St Mary, c1913). Several Rosts of Ottery St Mary are recorded as leaving wills in the Calendars of Wills and Administrations Relating to the Counties of Devon and Cornwall, including Henry in 1644, Ames in 1646, and an Edmond Roste in 1650. Whether Richard is connected to these men in anyway is currently unknown.

Children
Johan and Richard had four known children baptized in Ottery St Mary – Agnes on 18th November 1627 (only 3 months after their marriage, so she could have been born before the marriage or Johan was very pregnant when it occurred), Johane on the 26th December 1628, Elizabeth on 11th July 1630 and Robert on the 3rd January 1634.

Death of Husband
It appears that Johan’s husband Richard died only two weeks after their youngest child was born. There is a burial for a Richard Rost in Ottery St Mary on 18th January 1634, which is most likely to be him.

Civil War
In 1645, with the country split in half and fighting each other during the Civil War, Ottery St Mary became a busy garrison town under the command of Sir Thomas Fairfax. Oliver Cromwell visited and stayed in Ottery St Mary when he came to survey the progress of his army in the south west of England. He allowed his troops to remain in the town after their campaigns, in order that they should have some rest and recuperation. During his stay, Fairfax and Cromwell set up their campaign headquarters in Ottery's Chanters House where they plotted the next stage of their campaign and their next movements. However, an outbreak of an epidemic was instrumental in finally moving troops out of the area.

How Johan and family were affected by these events is not yet known.

Death
No record of Johan burial has been located at this stage.

Children

 * colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |Children of Richard and Johan Rost
 * colspan="3" bgcolor="#FFfce0" style="color: #000000;" |Children of Richard and Johan Rost