Sir James Perrot (1571 – 4 February 1636) was a Welsh writer and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

at various times between 1597 and 1629. He was the illegitimate son of

Sir John Perrot Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) was a member of the Welsh people, Welsh gentry who served as Lord Deputy of Ireland under Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he ...

, who was himself falsely rumoured to be an illegitimate son of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...

. Perrot is now thought to have been born at Westmead Mansion in the Lordship of Laugharne, Carms. where he lived with his mother, Sybil Jones and sister Mary until moving to the ancestral family home at Haroldston near Havefordwest sometime after 1597 when he finally secured its lease by proxy. The actual date of the move is unknown but was probably before his marriage to Mary Ashfield in 1602. It was enabled by the partial settlement of a protracted legal dispute with his legitimate half-brother's widow over his father's estates which continued until her death in 1619. The battle in court over his patrimony was then carried on by his father's uncle Thomas Perrot of Brook (adjacent to the Westmead) and later by John Laugharne of St Brides, the son of Sir John's daughter Lettice. Perrot spent two years at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

, from 1586, when he was aged 14, and became a member of

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1590. In 1597, he was elected Member of Parliament for

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest ( , ; ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a Community (Wales), community consisting of 12,042 people, making it the secon ...

. History of Parliament Online – Perrot, James
/ref> Perrot wrote ''Discovery of Discontented Minds'' (1596) and ''The First Part of the Considerations of Humane Conditions'' (1600). He also wrote, in later life, ''Meditations and Prayers on the Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments'' (1630). Perrot was Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire between 1601 and sometime after 1608. He was knighted in 1603 and was first on the list of aldermen when

received its charter at the beginning of the reign of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) * James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) * James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu * James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334� ...

. In 1604, he was elected MP for Haverfordwest again, and subsequently re-elected in 1614 and 1621. In the 1621 Parliament, Perrot was a prominent critic of the proposed marriage between

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

and Maria Anna, Infanta of Spain and lost royal favour. He was honourably banished to Ireland with a position in the commission of enquiry being held by Sir Dudley Digges. In 1624 he was elected MP for

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; ) is a Principal areas of Wales, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and otherwise by the sea. Haverfordwest is the largest town and ...

and in the same year he leased the royal mines in Pembrokeshire. Perrot was elected MP for Haverfordwest again in 1626 and 1628. He served as deputy vice-admiral, then vice-admiral, for the Earl of Pembroke. He advocated action against wreckers and the fortification of

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( ) is a town and community (Wales), community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has been used as a port since the Middle Ages. The town was ...

, and subscribed £37 10s to the

Virginia Company The Virginia Company was an English trading company chartered by King James I on 10 April 1606 with the objective of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day ...

. Perrot died in 1636 and was buried in

St Mary's Church, Haverfordwest St Mary's Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, prominently visible at the top of the town's High Street. The church dates from the 12th century and is a Grade I listed building History The nave, mai ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perrot, James 1571 births 1636 deaths People from Pembrokeshire Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Knights Bachelor Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales Welsh non-fiction writers James 16th-century Welsh writers 17th-century Welsh writers 16th-century Welsh male writers 17th-century Welsh male writers English MPs 1597–1598 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1626 English MPs 1628–1629