Roger Alley (c.1545–1610) was an English cleric. He held several ecclesiastical appointments in the diocese of his father, William Alley, the Bishop of Exeter.
Life
Alley was born in Devon in about 1545, the son of Sybil Bodleigh Honacott and William Alley, then Rector of St. Peter's Church, Oakford, Devon. Roger attended Exeter College, Oxford, although it is not clear that he completed a degree. As A.L. Rowse observed, the bishop was "rather overmuch given to the pleasures of nepotism", appointing his son Rector of St. Ervan parish, Cornwall in 1561, and Archdeacon of Cornwall in 1563, while Roger was still but a scholar. Ordained a priest in 1566, at age 21, his subsequent appointments included Prebendary of Exeter Cathedral (1568-74), Vicar in Otterton, Devon (1568-90), and Vicar in Gorran, Cornwall (1569-70). Following the Bishop's death in 1570, his successor deprived Roger of his archdeaconry. He was appointed as Rector of St. Swithin's in Pyworthy, Devon in 1576, where he served until he died in 1610.
Notes
References