Help finding an "Englishman" named Jan Rutten (1588)

Question

Dear Friends across the Channel!

I am hunting through Netherlands sources on the RUTTEN family and discovered an intriguing note in a baptism record dated 24 Feb 1588. 

https://www.wiewaswie.nl/nl/detail/22682559

The child's name is Ariaentje, she was baptised at St. Catherine's Church in Brielle, South Holland. , Her Mother was Beertge Thomas. For her father, Jan Rutten, a note has been added "De vader is een Engelsman" (The father is an Englishman).  

I have found some unsourced references to a Rutten family (Kerst Rutten) on the Isle of Wight, but am drawing blanks looking for "Jan Rutten" on British websites. 

Perhaps of some significance: This was roughly during the time of the Earl of Leicester's expedition to the Netherlands (1585-87). There were probably thousands of Englishmen in the Netherlands at the time, as a result. 

Are there any sources available which focus on Englishmen who went to the Netherlands during that Expedition? Any other ideas?

Answer 1

For your searching, the name Jan will be a translation of John. The surname as a representation in Dutch of an English name could be have almost any vowels in English and I would search on R*t*n and Wr*t*n. Rutton, Rotton, Rotten, Rowton, Wroton, are all possible, and even Ruthen might be the original name.

When I looked into it, the origins of Leicester's solders in the Netherlands turn out to be complex. There is a PhD thesis with some discussion of them, and it seems some were mercenaries, others were mustered English troops, at least some of whom were in units raised and commanded by English gentry.

Comments

Hi Andrew! Thanks for your response. I enjoyed the PhD Thesis, and will try the search patterns as suggested.

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My thought was John Wroughton or Wroughten!

Answer 2

Not sure if it is the same man, but here is a reference to a Jan Rutten in Dordrecht on April 10, 1588:

https://www.regionaalarchiefdordrecht.nl/archief/zoeken/?mivast=46&miadt=46&miaet=54&micode=11.16&minr=4667184&miview=ldt

And in Rotterdam on December 18, 1588:

https://www.openarchieven.nl/srt:D4E0ECCD-6A3A-4230-A8BB-5B617F5CAF02/en

Comments

Here is a reference to him as a witness in Brielle on June 2, 1587. "Jan Rutten is soldaat."

https://www.streekarchiefvp.nl/zoeken-in-collecties/personen/?mivast=126&mizig=100&miadt=126&miaet=54&micode=135-110&minr=2680422&milang=nl&misort=last_mod%7Casc&mif1=156&mif2=Getuige&mif4=Brielle&miview=ldt

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This is GREAT, Roger! 

Thanks a LOT!!

I have created a "working page" to enable collaboration on the First of the sources you mentioned. Would welcome anyone's help on the transcription / translation of the entries of 10 April 1588. It seems there were a number of soldiers in town that day. Hoping to use the PhD Thesis Andrew mentioned above to identify their respective companies. 

There is an additional note about Jan Rutten - first glance seems to indicated he was "from den Bosch". If that is s'Hertogenbosch, there were definitely Rutten family members in that area...

Editing Garrettson-93 WORKING - Source interpretation (wikitree.com)

See also:

Working - Rutten info from archives (wikitree.com)

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I had seen the Rotterdam marriage record from December - it seems to be a different Jan Rutten (or at least a different woman than the one listed as the mother of Ariaentje, the daughter baptised in Brielle ten months earlier). Communication between parishes wasn't probably as quick or reliable back then, and I guess we've all heard stories of "a wife in every port", so who knows? But for the time being, I don't want to assume this guy was anything less than honorable...  

~~~~ Edit: I'm more comfortable with the idea that the two records in Brielle refer to the same Jan Rutten