Edward Clere (1536–1606) was an English landowner and politician, serving as Member of Parliament for

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...

and

Grampound Grampound () is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Grampound with Creed, in the Cornwall (district), Cornwall district, in the ceremonial county of Cornwall, England. It is at an ancient crossing point of the River Fal and ...

He was a son of John Clere of

Ormesby Ormesby is a village and area split between the unitary authority areas of Borough of Middlesbrough, Middlesbrough and Redcar and Cleveland in North Yorkshire, England. Demographics The Ormesby ward, including Overfields and Ormesby Hall, ...

. He was educated at the University of Louvain, Cambridge, and the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. One of his older brothers died at Florence, and the other was killed at the

battle of Pinkie The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Crowns, ...

in 1547. His father was killed fighting at

Kirkwall Kirkwall (, , or ; ) is the largest town in Orkney, an archipelago to the north of mainland Scotland. First mentioned in the ''Orkneyinga saga'', it is today the location of the headquarters of the Orkney Islands Council and a transport hub wi ...

in 1557. Clere inherited the manor of Blicking from Sir James Boleyn. Edward Clere entertained Elizabeth at his house at the former

St. George's Priory, Thetford St. George's Priory, Thetford was a Benedictine priory on the Suffolk side of Thetford, England. It was located at the current site of the British Trust for Ornithology, South of Nuns Bridges Road.New Hall New Hall may refer to: * New Hall, Fazakerley, a historic complex that was originally a model village, in Liverpool, England * New Hall, Woodford, a 17th-century cottage in Woodford, Greater Manchester, England * New Hall moated site, a scheduled ...

in September 1579 by the

Earl of Sussex Earl of Sussex is a title that has been created several times in the Peerages of England, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. The early Earls of Arundel (up to 1243) were often also called Earls of Sussex. The fifth creation came in the Pee ...

. She was greeted by a theatrical entertainment presenting Jupiter and a thunderstorm. The next day there was jousting. A sleeping knight was brought in a chariot led by a maiden, and appeared to be revived by the Queen. Elizabeth was given a horse, a cloak, and a riding

safeguard In international trade law, a safeguard is a restraint to protect home or national industries from foreign competition. In the World Trade Organization (WTO), a member may take a safeguard action, such as restricting imports of a product tempo ...

for hunting the next day. In his letter to Bassingbourbe Gawdy, Clere explained the drama promoted the Anjou courtship. Clere and Sir William Heydon had some responsibility for the defence of Norfolk in 1588. He died in London and was buried at

Blickling Blickling is a village and civil parish in the Broadland district of the English county of Norfolk. Blickling is located north-west of Aylsham and north of Norwich. Most of the village is located within the Blickling Estate, which has been ow ...

on 14 August 1606. His monument at St Andrews' Blickling has the heraldry of ten ancestors, claiming lineage from a spurious "Clere Monte", a companion of the Duke of Normandy. Edward Clere's papers and correspondence were auctioned in lots in 1866 as part of the collection of Sir John Fenn.

Marriages

Edward Clere married twice. Firstly, Frances, daughter of Sir

Richard Fulmerston Richard Fulmerston (by 1516 – 1567), of Ipswich, Suffolk and Thetford, Norfolk, was an English politician, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Family It is unclear who Fulmerston's parents are, but his father may also have been named Richard Ful ...

of Ipswich. She died in March 1579. Secondly, in 1580, Agnes, daughter of Robert Crane of Chilton. She was the widow of John Smith of

Halesworth Halesworth is a market town, civil parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in north-eastern Suffolk, England. The population stood at 4,726 in the 2011 Census. It lies south-west of Lowestoft, on a tribut ...

, Francis Clopton of Melford, and Christopher Heydon (died 1579) of

Baconsthorpe Baconsthorpe is a village and civil parish in the North Norfolk district of the English county of Norfolk. It is south-east of Holt, south of Sheringham and north of Norwich. Population and governance The civil parish has an area of 5.53&nb ...

. His children included: *Edward Clere (born 1564). He married (1) Margaret Yaxley, and (2) Agnes, who sold Blickling to Henry Hobart in 1616. *Francis Clere, knighted 1 July 1603, who married Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Wroth, in May 1603. *Fulmerston Clere *Gilbert Clere *Agnes or Anne Clere, who married William Gilbert. *Temperance Clere (1564–1589).George W. Marshall, 'Pedigree of Clere of Blickling', ''Genealogist'', 3 (London, 1879), pp. 291–94.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clere, Edward 1536 births 1606 deaths English MPs 1558 English MPs 1571