Robert Harley (1579–1656)
Sir Robert Harley
Life
He was the son of Thomas Harley of
After his first marriage in 1603, he served in various local offices in Herefordshire and Radnorshire, including representing Radnor in Parliament in 1604, Herefordshire in 1624 and 1626 and Evesham in 1628. In 1623 he had married Brilliana, daughter of Sir Edward Conway, one of the Secretaries of State, and acted as his aide in Parliament. He was rewarded for this by being appointed Master of the Mint. He was deprived of this office in 1635 but reinstated in 1643. During this period, his attitude was more that of a country gentleman than of a courtier.
In religion (like Brilliana), Harley was a
He was an active member of that party both in Parliament and in Herefordshire, Brampton Bryan Castle undergoing siege in 1643 and 1644. On 30 September 1642, Parliamentarians led by Harley and Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford occupied Hereford without opposition.[3] In December, they withdrew to Gloucester because of the presence in the area of a Royalist army under Lord Herbert.
His support for reconciliation with the king led to his being excluded from the
He left several sons, his heir
References
- ^ a b "HARLEY, Sir Robert (1579-1656), of Brampton Bryan, Herefs.; Stanage Lodge, Herefs. and Aldermanbury, London". History of Parliament Online.
- ^ Julie Spraggon, Puritan Iconoclasm in England 1640-1660, University of London, 2000
- ^ Ron Shoesmith,The Civil War in Hereford (Logaston Press, Almeley, Herefordshire), pp.40 47.
Sources
- Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (article 12343).
- Craig, John (1953). The Mint: A History of the London Mint from A.D. 287 to 1948. ASIN B0000CIHG7.