Sir Richard Bulkeley (1533 – 28 June 1621) of Beaumaris, Anglesey and Lewisham, was a Welsh politician and courtier of Elizabeth Tudor, who sat in the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

in 1563 and from 1604 to 1614.

Life

Bulkeley was the eldest son of

Sir Richard Bulkeley ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

, of Beaumaris and Anglesey by his first wife, Margaret ( Savage). He was appointed Constable of Beaumaris Castle in 1561 and elected the first Mayor of Beaumaris in 1562. In 1563, he was elected Member of Parliament for Anglesey, a position he obtained through the influence of his father. He was appointed High Sheriff of Anglesey for 1570. His father's sudden death gave rise to much scandal: he was on very bad terms with his stepmother Agnes Needham and accused her of poisoning his father. While Agnes had undoubtedly been unfaithful to her husband, there is no evidence that she was guilty of

murder Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse, especially the unlawful killing of another human with malice aforethought. ("The killing of another person wit ...

, and the jury acquitted her. Bulkeley was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in Whitehall, London in 1577, and became embroiled in various power struggles in Wales including with the Earl of Leicester and Owen Wood of Rhosmor. Wood accused him of oppressing the townspeople of Beaumaris, and being involved with the 1586 Babington plot. Bulkeley was exonerated by the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

on these charges, but was censured in the

Star Chamber The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judic ...

for molesting Wood. He is known for being a courtier of

Queen Elizabeth Queen Elizabeth, Queen Elisabeth or Elizabeth the Queen may refer to: Queens regnant * Elizabeth I (1533–1603; ), Queen of England and Ireland * Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022 ...

, and entertained her in Lewisham – see

Honor Oak Honor Oak is an inner suburban area principally of the London Borough of Lewisham, with part in the London Borough of Southwark. It is named after the oak tree on One Tree Hill that Elizabeth I is reputed to have picnicked under. Overview One Tr ...

. She appointed him one of the Council of the Marches of Wales in 1602. In 1604 Bulkeley was elected MP for Anglesey again and was re-elected in 1614.W R Williams ''The Parliamentary History of the Principality of Wales''
/ref> He was one of the Council of the Marches of Wales again in 1617. In 1618, he founded the family seat at Baron Hill. Bulkeley was buried at Beaumaris on 28 June 1621, aged 88 and was succeeded by his son Richard.

Family

Bulkeley married twice: firstly Catherine (who died 1573), the daughter of Sir William Davenport Kt. of Brome Hall, Cheshire, and secondly on 18 February 1576 Mary, the daughter of William Burgh, 2nd Baron Burgh of Gainsborough, de jure 6th Baron Strabolgi and his wife Lady Katherine Clinton, daughter of

Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln Edward Fiennes, or Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln KG (151216 January 1584/85) was an English landowner, peer, and Lord High Admiral. He rendered valuable service to four of the Tudor monarchs. Family Edward Clinton, or Fiennes, was born a ...

. His son, Thomas, was created Viscount Bulkeley in 1644, in recognition of his support for the Royalist cause. Three successive viscounts carried the forename Richard. Bulkeley's younger half-brother was

Lancelot Bulkeley Lancelot (Launcelot) Bulkeley (1568? – 8 September 1650) was a Welsh Archbishop of Dublin and member of the Privy Council of Ireland. Life He was the eleventh and youngest son of Sir Richard Bulkeley of Beaumaris and Cheadle, but the eld ...

, later

Archbishop of Dublin The Archbishop of Dublin is an archepiscopal title which takes its name after Dublin, Ireland. Since the Reformation, there have been parallel apostolic successions to the title: one in the Catholic Church and the other in the Church of Irelan ...

. Of his daughters, Catherine married Sir Edwin Sandys (1561–1629) and Penelope married Sir Edwin Sandys (1591–1623), Catherine's husband being the uncle of Penelope's husband.

References

External links

''History of Parliament: BULKELEY, Richard I (d.1621), of Beaumaris, Anglesey and Lewisham, Kent.''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bulkeley, Richard 1533 births 1621 deaths Richard Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales High Sheriffs of Anglesey English knights English MPs 1563–1567 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 People from Beaumaris