Cyril Wyche

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English Parliament
1702 – 1705Preston
1685 – 1689Saltash
1681 – 1685East Grinstead
1661 – 1678Callington
Member of the Irish Parliament
for Dublin University
In office
1692–1693
Preceded bySir John Meade, 1st Baronet
Joseph Coghlan
Succeeded byRichard Aldworth
William Molyneux
Personal details
Born1632 (1632)
Constantinople, Turkey
Died28 December 1707(1707-12-28) (aged 74–75)
Hockwold cum Wilton, Norfolk
Resting placeSt Peter's Church, Hockwold
Spouses
Elizabeth Jermyn
​
(m. 1663)​
Susanna Norreys
​
(m. 1684)​
Mary Evelyn
​
(m. 1692)​
Parents
Alma materUniversity of Oxford (BA, MA, DCL)

Sir Cyril Wyche

President of the Royal Society, and represented several constituencies in both the House of Commons of England and the Irish House of Commons.[1][2][3]

Early life

He was born in Constantinople, then part of the Ottoman Empire, where his father, Sir Peter Wyche, was the English Ambassador. He was baptised by and named after Patriarch Cyril Lucaris, who became his godfather.[1] Wyche was educated at Westminster School and Christ Church, Oxford, receiving a Bachelor of Arts in 1653. He received his Master of Arts (MA) in 1655 and his Doctor of Civil Law (DCL) in 1665.[2]

He entered

called to the bar in 1670.[2] In 1660, around the time of the Stuart Restoration, he was knighted by Charles II in The Hague, likely owing to the influence of his brother-in-law, the Earl of Bath. Shortly afterwards Wyche inherited a substantial fortune on the death of his mother, Jane Meredith, daughter of Sir William Meredith of Stansty.[1]

Career

1661 to 1685

Wyche was first returned to parliament as the

Member of Parliament for Callington in 1661, having been elected on the interest of John Coryton.[2] Between 1662 and 1675 he was one of the six clerks in Chancery, and by 1664 was listed as a firm supporter of the court faction. After resigning from the Chancery, he sold his inherited properties in Sussex and constructed a new, grand townhouse on Lord St Albans' development on St James's Square.[2]

In August 1676, Wyche was appointed secretary to the

Exclusion Bill.[2]

One of the original members of the

President.[5] In 1684 he was elected a fellow of the Dublin Philosophical Society.[1] Throughout this period he remained Ormonde's secretary for Irish affairs, but without a salary. Wyche complained to Ormonde that "I am the only man I think almost that ever was in my station without any salary from the crown", but the duke refused him a pension.[2]

1685 to 1705

Wyche lost his secretarial office with Ormonde's retirement on the accession of

gentleman of the Privy Chamber by William III.[1]

In 1692 he again became involved in Irish affairs with his appointment as secretary to

Dublin Society, serving as the society's president in that year. That year he was appointed one of three Lords Justices of Ireland following the removal of Sydney as lord lieutenant. Wyche, however, disagreed with his fellow Lord Justice, Lord Capell of Tewkesbury, over the correct policy for Ireland in relation to money bills. Capell, who had the backing of the Whig Junto in England, ensured that Wyche was removed from office in May 1695.[1]

Returning to England, Wyche was rumoured to be under consideration for appointment as ambassador to Constantinople, but the appointment never materialised.[1] He remained out of crown employment until June 1700, when he was made chairman of the trustees for the Irish forfeitures, and returned to Ireland until 1703. In 1702 he was elected to represent Preston, but was not re-elected in 1705.[2]

Personal life

He married three times; firstly in 1663, Elizabeth, the youngest daughter of

Sir Thomas Jermyn of Rushbrooke, Suffolk, with whom he had 2 sons (1 of whom predeceased him) and 2 daughters; secondly in 1684 Susanna, the daughter of Sir Edward Norreys of Weston on the Green, Oxfordshire and the widow of Sir Herbert Perrott of Wellington; and thirdly in 1692 Mary, the daughter of George Evelyn of Wotton, Surrey.[1][2] Mary was the niece of John Evelyn, the diarist.[4]

Around 1690 he purchased Hockwold Hall (then called The Poynings) at Hockwold cum Wilton, Norfolk. He died there on 28 December 1707 and a monument to him can be found in St Peter's Church, Hockwold. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Jermyn Wyche, whose inheritance was valued at over £100,000.[1]

References

  1. ^
    doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/30117. (Subscription or UK public library membership
    required.)
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Henning, B.D. (1983). "WYCHE, Sir Cyril (c.1632-1707), of Gray's Inn, Westminster and Flanchford, Surr". The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690. historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  3. ^ Rix, Herbert (1900). "Wyche, Cyril" . In Lee, Sidney (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 63. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  4. ^ a b Bergin, John (2009). "Wyche, Sir Cyril". dib.ie. Dictionary of Irish Biography. Retrieved 11 September 2023.
  5. ^ "Fellows Details". Royal Society. Retrieved 29 April 2019.[permanent dead link]

Further reading

  • Sir Cyril Wyche and the Popish Plot, 1678-80, Hugh Fenning, O.P., in Seanchas Ard Macha volume 19/2, pp. 53–62, 2002
Parliament of England
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for Callington
1661–1678
With: Allen Brodrick 1661
Sir Henry Bennet 1661–1665
Samuel Rolle
1665–1678 		Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for East Grinstead
1681–1685
With: Henry Powle
 Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for Saltash
1685–1689
With: Edmund Waller
 Succeeded by
Preceded by
Member of Parliament for Preston
1702–1705
With: Charles Zedenno Stanley
 Succeeded by
Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by
Sir John Meade, Bt
Joseph Coghlan
Dublin University
1692–1693
Served alongside: William Molyneux
 Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Chief Secretary for Ireland
1676–1682 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Chief Secretary for Ireland
1692–1693 		Succeeded by
Professional and academic associations
Preceded by 5th President of the Royal Society
1683–1684 		Succeeded by
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