Robert King (Roundhead)
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Sir Robert King (–1657) was an Irish soldier and statesman. He was the eldest son of Sir John King (died 1637),
Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper The Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper was a civil servant within the Irish Chancery in the Dublin Castle administration. His duties corresponded to the offices of Clerk of the Crown and Clerk of the Hanaper in the English Chancery. Latterly, the ...
and MP for
County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...
, and his wife Catherine Drury (died 1617), daughter of Robert Drury of Laughlin and Elizabeth Carew, and grand-niece of Sir
William Drury Sir William Drury (2 October 152713 October 1579) was an English statesman and soldier. Family William Drury, born at Hawstead in Suffolk on 2 October 1527, was the third son of Sir Robert Drury (c. 1503–1577) of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshir ...
,
Lord President of Munster The post of Lord President of Munster was the most important office in the English government of the Irish province of Munster from its introduction in the Elizabethan era for a century, to 1672, a period including the Desmond Rebellions in Munste ...
. His eight siblings included the writer Dorothy Durie and the poet Edward King, whose early death inspired
John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet, polemicist, and civil servant. His 1667 epic poem ''Paradise Lost'' was written in blank verse and included 12 books, written in a time of immense religious flux and politic ...
to write the poem ''"
Lycidas "Lycidas" () is a poem by John Milton, written in 1637 as a pastoral elegy. It first appeared in a 1638 collection of elegies, ''Justa Edouardo King Naufrago'', dedicated to the memory of Edward King, a friend of Milton at Cambridge who drown ...
"''. His father, who emigrated from
Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...
to Ireland in the 1580s, became an indispensable Crown servant and a major landowner with estates in twenty-one counties. Robert was Muster Master-general and Clerk of the Cheque in Ireland. He was
knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...
in 1621 and sat as a Member of the
Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until the end of 1800. The upper house was the Irish House of Lords, House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, ...
for
Boyle Boyle may refer to: Places United States * Boyle, Kansas, an unincorporated community * Boyle, Mississippi, a town *Boyle County, Kentucky *Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, a neighborhood Elsewhere * Boyle (crater), a lunar crater * 11967 Boyle, ...
in the Parliaments of 1634 and 1639. He was an MP for
County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...
in 1640. He was in England for much of 1642, and was sent to deal with Parliament's affairs in
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
in 1645.
King Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after h ...
, distrustful of his loyalty, dismissed him as Muster Master-general. After the failure of the Royalist cause, he threw his influence in favour of
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
. He was a member of the
Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...
in 1653 and sat in the
First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the H ...
for the counties of Sligo, Roscommon and Leitrim in 1654. He had a reputation as a political moderate, who was willing to work with any faction which would safeguard the interest of the Protestant party in Ireland. He married firstly Frances Folliot, daughter of
Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott (1568–1622) was an English soldier in the Irish army. He fought in the Nine Years' War (Ireland), Nine Years' War and then in the suppression of O'Doherty's rebellion at the Siege of Tory Island. Birth and ...
and Anne Strode, by whom he had at least two sons and one daughter. She died in 1638. He married secondly Sophia Zouch, daughter of Sir
Edward Zouch Sir Edward Zouch of Woking (died 1634) was a courtier to English kings James I of England, James and Charles I of England, Charles I, a masque actor, and Knight Marshal of the King's Household. He was the son of Sir Willam Zouch or Zouche. His mo ...
, Knight Marshal of the King's Household and Dorothea Silking, a Danish royal lady-in-waiting to Queen
Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
, and widow of
Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon (29 February 1572 – 16 November 1638) was an English military commander and a politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1624. Life Cecil was the third son of Thomas Ceci ...
, by whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth, who married
Sir Thomas Barnardiston, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Barnardiston, 2nd Baronet (c. 1646 – 7 October 1698) was an English nobleman and Whig politician. Life Barnardiston was the son of Sir Thomas Barnardiston, 1st Baronet and Anne Airmine, daughter of Sir William Airmine, 1st Baronet ...
. He was succeeded by his eldest son and heir by his first wife,
John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...
, who became 1st Lord Kingston. His youngest son by Frances was
Sir Robert King, 1st Baronet Sir Robert King, 1st Baronet PC (I) (circa 1625 – March 1707) was an Anglo-Irish politician. Biography King was the second son of Sir Robert King and his first wife Frances Folliott, daughter of Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott and Anne St ...
. Mary, his daughter by Frances, married firstly Sir William Meredyth, 1st Baronet and secondly
William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh, 2nd Earl of Desmond (29 December 1640 – 23 August 1685) was an English nobleman. He was the son of George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond, and his wife, the former Bridget Stanhope, daughter of Sir Michae ...
and had issue by both marriages. His widow outlived him by many years, dying in England in 1691, aged seventy-three.


Notes


References

* Year of birth uncertain 1657 deaths Irish knights Irish MPs 1634–1635 Irish MPs 1639–1649 English MPs 1653 (Barebones) English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Roscommon constituencies {{Ireland-pre1801-MP-stub