Charles Cornwallis (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
Sir Charles Cornwallis was an English courtier
and diplomat
.
household, who had been imprisoned by Elizabeth
in 1570. He was probably born at his father's house of Brome Hall, Suffolk
.
Nothing is known of him till 11 July 1603, when he was knighted. In 1604 he was Member of Parliament for Norfolk
. Early in 1605 he was sent as resident ambassador to Spain
. He was active in attempting to protect English merchants from the Spanish Inquisition
, and lobbied the home government for English commercial interests. He was recalled in September 1609, and his secretary, Francis Cottington, took his place at Madrid
.
In 1610 he became treasurer of the household of Henry, Prince of Wales
, resisted the proposal to marry the prince to a daughter of the Duke of Savoy, and attended his master through his fatal illness of 1612. He was a candidate for the post of master of the wards in the same year; was one of four commissioners sent to Ireland
on 11 September 1613 to investigate Irish grievances, and reported that Ireland had no very substantial ground for complaint.
In 1614 Cornwallis was suspected of fanning the parliamentary opposition to the king. John Hoskins
, who had made himself conspicuous in the House of Commons of England
by his denunciation of Scots and Scottish institutions, declared when arrested that he was Cornwallis's agent. Cornwallis disclaimed all knowledge of Hoskins, but admitted that he had procured the election of another member of parliament, and had supplied him with notes for a speech against recusants and Scotchmen. The privy council
placed Cornwallis under arrest in June 1614, and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London
for a year, with Hoskins and Leonel Sharp
.
Cornwallis, who at one time lived at Beeston
, Suffolk
, retired late in life to Harborne
, Staffordshire
, where he died on 21 December 1629. He was buried in London
at St. Giles in the Fields.
In John Gutch
's Collectanea Curiosa are two papers by Cornwallis detailing the negotiations for Prince Henry
's marriage with the Spanish Infanta and the Savoyard princess. Ralph Winwood
's Memorials (ii. and iii.) and Edmund Sawyer's Memorials of Affairs of State (1725) include many of Cornwallis's official letters from Spain.
Sir William Cornwallis
was Sir Charles's son by his first wife.
Courtier
A courtier is a person who is often in attendance at the court of a king or other royal personage. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
and diplomat
Diplomat
A diplomat is a person appointed by a state to conduct diplomacy with another state or international organization. The main functions of diplomats revolve around the representation and protection of the interests and nationals of the sending state, as well as the promotion of information and...
.
Life
He was the second son of Sir Thomas Cornwallis, controller of Queen Mary'sMary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
household, who had been imprisoned by Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
in 1570. He was probably born at his father's house of Brome Hall, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
.
Nothing is known of him till 11 July 1603, when he was knighted. In 1604 he was Member of Parliament for Norfolk
Norfolk (UK Parliament constituency)
Norfolk was a County constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament...
. Early in 1605 he was sent as resident ambassador to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. He was active in attempting to protect English merchants from the Spanish Inquisition
Spanish Inquisition
The Tribunal of the Holy Office of the Inquisition , commonly known as the Spanish Inquisition , was a tribunal established in 1480 by Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. It was intended to maintain Catholic orthodoxy in their kingdoms, and to replace the Medieval...
, and lobbied the home government for English commercial interests. He was recalled in September 1609, and his secretary, Francis Cottington, took his place at Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
.
In 1610 he became treasurer of the household of Henry, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales was the elder son of King James I & VI and Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to his father's throne...
, resisted the proposal to marry the prince to a daughter of the Duke of Savoy, and attended his master through his fatal illness of 1612. He was a candidate for the post of master of the wards in the same year; was one of four commissioners sent to Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
on 11 September 1613 to investigate Irish grievances, and reported that Ireland had no very substantial ground for complaint.
In 1614 Cornwallis was suspected of fanning the parliamentary opposition to the king. John Hoskins
John Hoskins (poet)
Serjeant John Hoskins was an English poet, scholar of Greek, and politician.-Life:He was the son of John and Margery Hoskins born in Mownton-upon-Wye, Llanwarne, Herefordshire. His father, impressed by his memory and mental abilities, arranged for him to be taught Greek at the age of ten. He...
, who had made himself conspicuous in the House of Commons of England
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England 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 Great Britain...
by his denunciation of Scots and Scottish institutions, declared when arrested that he was Cornwallis's agent. Cornwallis disclaimed all knowledge of Hoskins, but admitted that he had procured the election of another member of parliament, and had supplied him with notes for a speech against recusants and Scotchmen. The privy council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, 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 monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
placed Cornwallis under arrest in June 1614, and he was imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
for a year, with Hoskins and Leonel Sharp
Leonel Sharp
Leonel Sharp was an English churchman and courtier, a royal chaplain and archdeacon of Berkshire, imprisoned for sedition in 1614. As a writer he took a strong anti-papal and anti-Spanish line.-Life:...
.
Cornwallis, who at one time lived at Beeston
Beeston
- United Kingdom :*Beeston, Bedfordshire*Beeston, Cheshire**Beeston Castle*Beeston, Leeds West Yorkshire* In Norfolk:**Beeston, Norfolk **Beeston Regis**Beeston St Andrew**Beeston St Lawrence*Beeston, Nottinghamshire...
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
, retired late in life to Harborne
Harborne
Harborne is an area three miles southwest from Birmingham city centre, England. It is a Birmingham City Council ward in the formal district and in the parliamentary constituency of Birmingham Edgbaston.- Geography :...
, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, where he died on 21 December 1629. He was buried in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
at St. Giles in the Fields.
Works
Cornwallis wrote:- 'A Discourse of the most illustrious Prince Henry, late Prince of Wales, written an. 1626,' London, 1641 and 1644, 1738 and 1751; republished in Somers Tracts (ii.), and in the Harleian MiscellanyHarleian MiscellanyThe Harleian Miscellany was a collection of material from the library of the Earl of Oxford collated and edited by Samuel Johnson between 1744 and 1753...
(iv.)
In John Gutch
John Gutch
John Gutch was an Anglican clergyman and official of the University of Oxford. He was also an antiquarian, with a particular interest in the history of the university.-Life:...
's Collectanea Curiosa are two papers by Cornwallis detailing the negotiations for Prince Henry
Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
Henry Frederick Stuart, Prince of Wales was the elder son of King James I & VI and Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuart, Lord Darnley and Frederick II of Denmark. Prince Henry was widely seen as a bright and promising heir to his father's throne...
's marriage with the Spanish Infanta and the Savoyard princess. Ralph Winwood
Ralph Winwood
Sir Ralph Winwood was an English diplomat and politician.-Life:He was born at Aynhoe in Northamptonshire and educated at St John's College, Oxford....
's Memorials (ii. and iii.) and Edmund Sawyer's Memorials of Affairs of State (1725) include many of Cornwallis's official letters from Spain.
Family
Cornwallis married three times:- Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Farnham of FinchamFinchamFincham is a civil parish in North West Norfolk, England, with a population of approximately 500. Located on the A1122, it is 12 miles south of King's Lynn. It neighbours the villages of Shouldham, Boughton, and Barton Bendish and is part of the King's Lynn and West Norfolk local governing district...
, NorfolkNorfolkNorfolk is a low-lying county in the East of England. It has borders with Lincolnshire to the west, Cambridgeshire to the west and southwest and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North Sea coast and to the north-west the county is bordered by The Wash. The county...
; - Anne or Elizabeth, daughter of Thomas Barrow, widow of Ralph Skelton (d. 30 March 1617);
- Dorothy (d. 29 April 1619), daughter of Richard VaughanRichard Vaughan (bishop)-Life:His father was Thomas ap Robert Fychan of Nyffryn, Llyn, Caernarvonshire. He was educated at St John's College, Cambridge, where he graduated BA in 1574, MA in 1577, and DD in 1589...
, bishop of LondonBishop of LondonThe Bishop of London is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of London in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers 458 km² of 17 boroughs of Greater London north of the River Thames and a small part of the County of Surrey...
, and widow of John JegonJohn JegonJohn Jegon was an English academic and Bishop of Norwich. He supported uniformity of Anglican doctrine and worship, and strong government. This led him into conflict with John Robinson, later of the Mayflower. On the other hand, he made efforts to satisfy local Puritans by the appointment of...
, bishop of NorwichBishop of NorwichThe Bishop of Norwich is the Ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Norwich in the Province of Canterbury.The diocese covers most of the County of Norfolk and part of Suffolk. The see is in the City of Norwich where the seat is located at the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided...
.
Sir William Cornwallis
Sir William Cornwallis
Sir William Cornwallis was an early English essayist.His Essayes are written, unusually for the time, in the tradition of Montaigne, rather than that of Francis Bacon...
was Sir Charles's son by his first wife.