According to the Chelmsford Chronicle 17 August 1866, he was 43 years old and a shepherd in the employ of Mr. Henry Sworder. When a storm swept the area, John took shelter under an elm tree while out in the fields harvesting wheat. The tree was located midway between Great Hallingbury church and Latchmore Bank. He appeared untouched, other than a wound to the back of his head.
In Dec 1866, the owner of Hallingbury Place, and a major landlord for the area, John Archer Houblon (the J. A. H noted at the end of the plaque) and his second wife, Georgina, had a plaque made and placed at the site of John Rosebrooks' death.
I'm not sure if the plaque pictured above is the original or not? It's hard to tell what material it's made from. It isn't attached to a tree anymore, Stuart Axe believes it was moved (a few yards to the left) to the current location during the construction of the M11.
As a side note, while I was researching this post, I found the report of John Hale, of Braxted, who was killed during the same storm, in almost exactly the same circumstances. He was out in a field, cutting wheat, when struck by lightning and killed immediately.
