Sir Robert Howard KB (159822 April 1653) was an English landowner, member of parliament, and

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

soldier. He was involved in a scandal when his

mistress Mistress is the feminine form of the English word "master" (''master'' + ''-ess'') and may refer to: Romance and relationships * Mistress (lover), a female lover of a married man ** Royal mistress * Maîtresse-en-titre, official mistress of a ...

Frances Coke, Viscountess Purbeck Frances Coke, Viscountess Purbeck (August 1602 – 4 June 1645), was the sister-in-law of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, and the central figure in a notable sex scandal within the English aristocracy of the early 17th century that was ...

, was found guilty of

adultery Adultery is extramarital sex that is considered objectionable on social, religious, moral, or legal grounds. Although the sexual activities that constitute adultery vary, as well as the social, religious, and legal consequences, the concept ...

and was twice summoned to explain her pregnancy with his son to the

Court of High Commission A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between parties and administer justice in civil, criminal, and administrative matters in accordance with the rule of law. Courts gene ...

. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

, Howard was in command of the defence of

Bridgnorth Castle Bridgnorth Castle is a castle in the town of Bridgnorth, Shropshire. It is a scheduled monument, first listed in 1928. History 11th century The castle was founded in 1101 by Robert de Belleme, the son of the French Earl, Roger de Montgomerie, 1s ...

when it surrendered to the Parliamentarians in 1646.

Biography

Robert Howard was the fifth son of Thomas Howard, first earl of Suffolk by his second wife,

Catherine Katherine (), also spelled Catherine and Catherina, other variations, is a feminine given name. The name and its variants are popular in countries where large Christian populations exist, because of its associations with one of the earliest Ch ...

. He was uncle to the playwright Sir Robert Howard and brother of Theophilus, the second earl of Suffolk, Thomas, Earl of Berkshire and of Edward, Lord Howard of Escrick. In 1626, on the death of Howard's elder brother, Sir Charles Howard of

Clun Clun is a town in south west Shropshire, England, and the Shropshire Hills AONB, Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The 2011 United Kingdom census, census recorded 680 people living in the town.Combined populations for the t ...

, Howard inherited

Clun Castle Clun Castle is a medieval ruined castle in Clun, Shropshire, England. Clun Castle was established by the Norman lord Robert de Say after the Norman invasion of England and went on to become an important Marcher lord castle in the 12th century, ...

in Shropshire. He was the next heir under the

Will Will may refer to: Common meanings * Will and testament, instructions for the disposition of one's property after death * Will (philosophy), or willpower * Will (sociology) * Will, volition (psychology) * Will, a modal verb - see Shall and will ...

of his great-uncle, the

Earl of Nottingham :''See also Earl of Winchilsea'' Earl of Nottingham is a title that has been created seven times in the Peerage of England. It was first created for John de Mowbray, 1st Earl of Nottingham, John de Mowbray in 1377, at the coronation of Richard ...

Frances Villiers

Howard had a long

affair An affair is a relationship typically between two people, one or both of whom are either married or in a long-term Monogamy, monogamous or emotionally-exclusive relationship with someone else. The affair can be solely sexual, solely physical or ...

with the estranged wife of

John Villiers, 1st Viscount Purbeck John Villiers (c. 1591 – 18 February 1658) was an English courtier from the Villiers family. The eldest son of Sir George Villiers and Mary Beaumont, later Countess of Buckingham, he was the brother of King James I's favourite, George Vi ...

. She was Frances Villiers, the daughter of

Sir Edward Coke Sir Edward Coke ( , formerly ; 1 February 1552 – 3 September 1634) was an English barrister, judge, and politician. He is often considered the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Born into an upper-class family, Coke was ...

and his second wife

Elizabeth Hatton Elizabeth, Lady Coke (née Cecil; 1578 – 3 January 1646), was an English court office holder. She served as lady-in-waiting to the queen consort of England, Anne of Denmark. She was the daughter of Thomas Cecil, 1st Earl of Exeter, and Dorot ...

(née Cecil), and it was said she had been forced into the marriage at the age of sixteen with John, who was the brother of the royal favourite George Villiers, the Duke of Buckingham.H. M. Chichester, 'Howard, Sir Robert (1584/5–1653)', rev. Sean Kelsey, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 200
accessed 14 May 2010
/ref> John was generally believed to be insane, and the marriage had taken place over vehement objections from her mother. The result of the affair was a son born in October 1624 at

Cripplegate Cripplegate was a city gate, gate in the London Wall which once enclosed the City of London, England. The Cripplegate gate lent its name to the Cripplegate Wards of the City of London, ward of the City, which encompasses the area where the gat ...

who was initially called ''Robert Wright'', but who would go on to take the name of Villiers and was finally known as

Robert Danvers Robert Danvers also Wright, Howard and Villiers (19 October 1624 – 1674) was an English soldier and landowner who briefly sat in the House of Commons in 1659 and 1660. The illegitimate child of a notorious liaison, Danvers had at least fo ...

. Frances's brother-in-law the Duke of Buckingham had the pair brought before the

Star Chamber The court of Star Chamber () was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (), and was composed of privy counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the ...

on charges of

. Frances Villiers was found guilty. Howard was made a prisoner of the

Fleet prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...

and

excommunicated Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to deprive, suspend, or limit membership in a religious community or to restrict certain rights within it, in particular those of being in communion with other members of the con ...

for refusing to answer questions at the trial. Frances, Lady Purbeck, was fined and sentenced to a term of imprisonment, and to do penance – but she fled abroad. Eventually, she returned to England and reputedly set up house again with Howard, with the result that there were more children. In 1635, Howard was again summoned before the Star Chamber to answer for the resumed scandalous affair. He refused to answer as to the whereabouts of Frances and was kept for three months at the Fleet '' incommunicado'', and he had to surrender bonds as

surety In finance, a surety , surety bond, or guaranty involves a promise by one party to assume responsibility for the debt obligation of a borrower if that borrower defaults. Usually, a surety bond or surety is a promise by a person or company (a ''sure ...

that he would not again contact Frances and that he would appear again at the Star Chamber within 24 hours of being summoned.

Parliamentarian

In 1623, Howard became a member of parliament for Bishops Castle in Shropshire and was chosen again at many subsequent elections, including the two during 1640 for the Short and

Long Long may refer to: Measurement * Long, characteristic of something of great duration * Long, characteristic of something of great length * Longitude (abbreviation: long.), a geographic coordinate * Longa (music), note value in early music mens ...

parliaments. During the second, the

made adverse findings with regard to Howard, but they were deemed unlawful and all of those involved were fined, with Howard receiving one thousand pounds in compensation.

Royalist

Howard's credentials as a royalist had been laid in 1616. At the investiture of Prince Charles (afterwards Charles I) as

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales (, ; ) is a title traditionally given to the male heir apparent to the History of the English monarchy, English, and later, the British throne. The title originated with the Welsh rulers of Kingdom of Gwynedd, Gwynedd who, from ...

on 4 November, both Robert and his brother William (1600–1672) were made

Knights of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior military officers or senior civil servants, and the monarch awards it on the advice of His ...

. Howard had to leave 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 ...

in 1642 after killing the king's commissioner of array, but he did attend the session of parliament held at

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

in 1641. Howard is said to have led a regiment of

dragoon Dragoons were originally a class of mounted infantry, who used horses for mobility, but dismounted to fight on foot. From the early 17th century onward, dragoons were increasingly also employed as conventional cavalry and trained for combat wi ...

s and was in charge of

when it was surrendered to the Parliamentarians in 1646. The three-week siege left the castle tower leaning more than the Tower of Pisa.The Leaning Tower of Bridgnorth, Shropshire

Time Team ''Time Team'' is a British television programme that originally aired on Channel 4, Channel 4 from 16 January 1994 to 7 September 2014. It returned in 2022 on online platforms YouTube and Patreon. Created by television produce ...

, episode aired 18 March 2001, accessed May 2010 Howard was again fined. This time he had to pay 952 pounds to recover the lands that were sequestered in punishment. Clun Church - geograph

In 1648, Howard finally married (Frances Villiers had died in 1645). He married Catherine Nevill, a daughter of Henry Nevill, 9th Baron Bergavenny and his second wife Catherine Vaux, and they had three children. Howard died on 22 April 1653 at the Hall in the Forest and was buried at

, after which his wife remarried John Berry A brass plaque in St George's church in Clun, stating his age as 63, commemorated Robert Howard's life.St George's Church, Clun
clun.org.uk, accessed May 2010

Danvers

Howard's probable

illegitimate Legitimacy, in traditional Western common law, is the status of a child born to parents who are legally married to each other, and of a child conceived before the parents obtain a legal divorce. Conversely, ''illegitimacy'', also known as ''b ...

son Robert was recognised by his mother's husband as his son and heir. He became 2nd Viscount Purbeck, after the first Lord Purbeck's death on 18 February 1657; but Robert renounced his claim to the title in 1658. He was again declared Viscount Purbeck by the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

in 1660, but was declared not entitled to the honour in 1678, on the grounds that his father was illegitimate. Upon marriage Robert took the name of his wife and became known as

.Robert Danvers
Peerage.com, accessed May 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Howard, Robert 16th-century births 1653 deaths Cavaliers Knights of the Bath English landowners

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of ''Hrōþ, Hruod'' () "fame, glory, honour, prais ...

Younger sons of earls English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626 English MPs 1628–1629 English MPs 1640 (April) English MPs 1640–1648 People from Clun