The Ogle Family
When John Ogle settled in the village some four centuries ago (as recorded on his monument in the Church) it was probably as a result of his family's close connection in peace and war with the Constables. The Ogle family is one of the oldest and best documented in England, being established as "Lords of the Soil" in Northumberland before the Conquest.
A numerous and warlike clan, they flourished in the incessant border warfare, achieving fame and fortune as Lords of the Marches and King's Deputies, and being allowed much latitude in their operations by the Crown. Occasionally they went too far, as in 1515 when Henry VIII addressed a stern warning to Lord Ogle:- "Sir, your matter concerneth murder of our subjects and therefore we remit you to the Common Law" After which protest Henry apparently forgot all about the affair.
After the advent of John Ogle, about the middle of the 16th century, the family soon began to take a prominent part in the life of the village, serving as Churchwardens, and in other ways. Perhaps the best-loved member of the family was the John Ogle who went to London in 1753 on behalf of the fishermen, and successfully fought an action against the Fish Tithes. He died tragically shortly afterwards of the Black Death, in Islington, his body being brought back to Flamborough by his fishermen friends, and buried in the Church.
John Furniss Ogle, who became vicar in 1851, soon found his time well occupied. He built an Infant School and established a Night School, taught the children to sing, and generally improved the music in Church. Later, he became a Missionary, at first in Patagonia, and then, for several years, in Algeria, but met an early death in a shipwreck off the coast of Oran.
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