Sir Nicholas Overbury (1551 – May 1643) was an English lawyer, landowner 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 ...

from 1604 to 1611. Overbury was the son of Thomas Overbury. He was called to the bar at the

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 ...

and was chosen Autumn Reader in 1600. He was

Recorder Recorder or The Recorder may refer to: Newspapers * ''Indianapolis Recorder'', a weekly newspaper * ''The Recorder'' (Massachusetts newspaper), a daily newspaper published in Greenfield, Massachusetts, US * ''The Recorder'' (Port Pirie), a newsp ...

of Gloucester from 15 April 1603 until he resigned in 1626. In 1604, he was elected Member of Parliament for

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

. He was appointed Steward of Chipping Campden by its charter of 13 June 1605. He was elected a Bencher of his Inn and became Treasurer on 27 April 1610. On 8 December 1610 he became Chief Justice of the Great Sessions for Carmarthenshire, Cardiganshire, and Pembrokeshire, remaining until 1637. He was one of the Council of the Marches of Wales on 9 February 1621 and was Knighted on 22 August 1621. He was lord of the manor of Bourton, which he obtained from Lord Wentworth, and was of Ashton sub Edge. W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Gloucester''
/ref> Overbury died at the age of about 91 and was buried on 31 May 1643. Overbury married Mary Palmer, daughter of Giles Palmer of Ilmington and Compton Sarpion, Warwickshire. His eldest son was Sir Thomas Overbury, who was poisoned in the

Tower of London The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic citadel and castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamle ...

in 1613. A daughter, Margaret Overbury, married Edmund Lechmere of

Hanley Castle Hanley Castle is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, between the towns of Malvern and Upton upon Severn and a short distance from the River Severn. It lies in the administrative area of Malvern Hills District, and is part of ...

(d. 1650) in 1610.''HMC 5th Report: Lechmere'' (London, 1876), p. 299.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Overbury, Nicholas 1551 births 1643 deaths English MPs 1604–1611 English lawyers English landowners Members of the Middle Temple Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Gloucester 17th-century English lawyers