Robert Strelley (by 1518 – 23 January 1554), of Great Bowden, Leicestershire, was an English politician, soldier, and courtier to

Mary I of England Mary I (18 February 1516 – 17 November 1558), also known as Mary Tudor, was Queen of England and Ireland from July 1553 and Queen of Spain as the wife of King Philip II from January 1556 until her death in 1558. She made vigorous ...

He was a

Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...

(MP) of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the Great Council of England, great council of Lords Spi ...

for

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It is bordered by Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Lincolnshire to the north, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire to the south-east, Warw ...

in October 1553. Strelley fought with

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, (10 March 1473 – 25 August 1554) was an English politician and nobleman of the Tudor era. He was an uncle of two of the wives of King Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, both of whom were beh ...

at the siege of

Montreuil Montreuil is a French place name derived from Medieval Latin , "Little Monastery". It most often refers to Montreuil, Seine-Saint-Denis (aka Montreuil-sous-Bois), a French commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, Seine-St-Denis department. It ma ...

in 1544, and in Scotland, probably at the

battle of Pinkie The Battle of Pinkie, also known as the Battle of Pinkie Cleugh (), took place on 10 September 1547 on the banks of the River Esk near Musselburgh, Scotland. The last pitched battle between Scotland and England before the Union of the Crowns, ...

. He was a gentleman in the household of Princess Mary by 1549, He was with her at

Kenninghall Kenninghall is a village and civil parish in the English county of Norfolk. Kenninghall is located north-west of Diss and south-west of Norwich. History Kenninghall's name is of Anglo-Saxon origin and derives from the Old English for the ...

, where Mary I made him a member of her Privy Council, and at

Framlingham Castle Framlingham Castle is a castle in the market town of Framlingham, Suffolk, England. An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed (Slighting, slighted) by Henry II of Engl ...

in July 1553, where she mustered an army of supporters.

Robert Wingfield Sir Robert Wingfield (died 1454), of Letheringham in Suffolk, was an English landowner, administrator and politician.G. E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors. The C ...

listed him, as a man "whose family was not obscure", in a catalogue of Mary's supporters. Robert Strelley served as a

Chamberlain of the Exchequer The Chamberlains of the Exchequer were officials of the English Exchequer from its creation until 10 October 1826, when the offices were abolished and their duties transferred to the Auditor of the Exchequer. History of the office The chamberlains ...

from 1553 until his death the following year. In 1548, he married Frideswide Knight, a descendant of Thomas de la Haye of

Spaldington Spaldington is a village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England, lying approximately north from the market town of Howden and south of York. It lies to the west of the A614 road. Geography The civil parish lies in the Vale ...

, Yorkshire, but left no children. Edward VI gave the couple property and a fee-farm rent income from the lands of Egglestone Abbey. Strelley came from an extended family, and was a son either of Sir Nicholas Strelley of

Linby Linby is a small village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. The nearest town is Hucknall which is immediately to the south-west. The village grew up around the mills on the River Leen, from which Linby's name is derived. Small stre ...

or Sir

Nicholas Strelley Nicholas Strelley or Strelly or Styrley (died 1560) was an English soldier and captain of Berwick-upon-Tweed. Career Nicholas Strelley was a member of a family residing at Strelley Village. His father (died 1491) was also called Nicholas Strelle ...

Strelley Strelley is a village and former civil parish in the Borough of Broxtowe and City of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It is to the west of Nottingham. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 653, and 496 at the ...

. His will mentions a brother, also called Robert Strelley, who was a goldsmith in London, and two more brothers, John Strelley of London and Robert Strelley of Tirlington, a sister Joan Porter, a nephew William Saville, and a niece Elizabeth Stubbs. His property passed initially to his wife, Frideswide Strelley, and then by entail to the various relations named in the will.Charles Kerry
'Notes to the Pedigree of the Strelleys', ''Journal of the Derbyshire Archaeological and Natural History Society'', XIV (January 1892), pp. 85–87
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References

1554 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Leicestershire English soldiers People from Great Bowden English MPs 1553 (Mary I) Court of Mary I of England Year of birth uncertain {{1553Mary-England-MP-stub