Rossingham was a son of Temperance Flowerdew's elder sister Mary Flowerdew and her husband Dionysis Rossingham.[1][2] According to records, Edmund's original surname was "van Rasseghem".[3]
Rossingham arrived in Jamestown in April 1619 with the returning Governor Yeardley, aboard theGeorge.[4][5]
Upon Yeardley's return to Virginia, he found the colony short of food. Yeardley sent CaptainJohn Martin along with Ensign Harmon Harrison and Ensign Edmund Rossingham to the Chesapeake Bay to trade for corn with the native Indians. When the Indians refused to sell their corn, Martin took it from them by force. The General Assembly considered the matter but unlike with later controversies concerning Martin, Rossingham, as well as SpeakerJohn Pory and others supported Martin's side.[6]
Along with John Jefferson, Ensign Edmund Rossingham represented Yeardley's plantation, Flowerdew Hundred, in the first assembly of the Virginia House of Burgesses in Jamestown, July 30–August 4, 1619 (N.S.).[4][7]
Rossingham reported that Yeardley gave him a power of attorney and sent him to Newfoundland to trade in January 1620.[4] Rossignham worked for Yeardley as a factor in 1621 and 1623.[4] He also was in England in 1622 to seek debt relief for Yeardley from theVirginia Company of London and the Society of Southampton Hundred.[4] While in England, he testified against Captain John Martin in a Virginia Company hearing concerning Martin's disputes with Yeardley as well as giving information about conditions in Virginia. By this time, Rossingham was identified as Captain.[8]
Sir George Yeardley died in Jamestown on November 10, 1627.[5] Rossingham then tried to obtain payment for his services from Yeardley's estate, stating that he was the chief means of raising the value of the estate to£6,000.[9] Ralph Yeardley, brother of George and administrator of his estate, refused to pay Rossingham.[4] The commissioners for Yeardley's plantation awarded Rossingham 360 pounds on September 25, 1629 but Yeardley still refused to pay.[9] After Rossingham petitioned thePrivy Council, on February 19, 1630, the Council ordered Ralph Yeardley to pay Rossingham 200 pounds.[4][9] Since Yeardley still refused to comply with the order, Rossingham brought suit against him in theCourt of Chancery which continued until at least November 1630.[4]
^James P. C. Southall. “Concerning George Yardley and Temperance Flowerdew: A Synopsis and Review.” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 55, no. 3, 1947, pp. 259–66.JSTOR4245492. Accessed 10 Jan. 2025.
^JSTOR4243599, "Pedigree of Flowerdew."The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 25, no. 2, 1917. Virginia Historical Society. p. 208. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
^James P. C. Southall. “Captain John Martin of Brandon on the James.” The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, vol. 54, no. 1, 1946, pp. 21–67.JSTOR4245382. Accessed 8 Jan. 2025.
^abWolfe, Brendan.[1] "Sir George Yeardley (bap. 1588–1627)."Encyclopedia Virginia. Virginia Humanities, July 24, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
^Southall, James P. C.JSTOR4245382,Captain John Martin of Brandon on the James. The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 54, No. 1, January 1946, pp. 46–47. Published by: Virginia Historical Society
^[2] The Records Of The Virginia Company Of London. The Court Book Volume II. Washington, 1622–1624, Government Printing Office, 1906. At a Court held for Virginia at various dates in 1622 and 1623. Retrieved August 10, 2020 from Virtual Jamestown website.
^abcAmerica and West Indies: July 1629, in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 1, 1574–1660, ed. W. Noel Sainsbury (London, 1860), pp. 98–99. British History Online[3]. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
^A genealogy site stated that he was born in 1580 and lived until 1657.[4] Geni.comEns. Edmund Rossingham, of Flowerdew 100 Plantation. Retrieved August 10, 2020. Any citations or further details are behind a paywall. Wikipedia considers most genealogical sites not to be reliable sources.
America and West Indies: July 1629, in Calendar of State Papers Colonial, America and West Indies: Volume 1, 1574–1660, ed. W. Noel Sainsbury (London, 1860), pp. 98–99. British History Online[5]. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
Flowerdew Hundred web site.[6]. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
"Pedigree of Flowerdew.JSTOR4243599The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, Vol. 25, no. 2, 1917. Virginia Historical Society. p. 208. Retrieved August 10, 2020.
[7] The Records Of The Virginia Company Of London. The Court Book Volume II. Washington, 1622–1624, Government Printing Office, 1906. At a Court held for Virginia at various dates in 1622 and 1623. Retrieved August 10, 2020 from Virtual Jamestown website.
Southall, James P. C. "Concerning George Yardley and Temperance Flowerdew",William and Mary Quarterly, July 1947. Retrieved August 10, 2020
Southall, James P. C.JSTOR4245382Captain John Martin of Brandon on the James. "The Virginia Magazine of History and Biography", Vol. 54, No. 1, January 1946. Published by: Virginia Historical Society. pp. 21-67.
