Grey Brydges, 5th Baron Chandos
Encyclopedia
Grey Brydges, 5th Baron Chandos (c. 1580 – 10 August 1621) was an English nobleman and courtier.
, who died on 18 November 1602, and Mary Hopton, who was daughter of Sir Owen Hopton. He was M.P. for Cricklade
, in 1597.
Brydges and his family were friendly with Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
. His father visited Essex at Essex House
on the Sunday morning (8 February 1601) of Essex's insurrection, but he was not deemed by the government to be implicated in the conspiracy. The son, Grey Brydges, was, however, suspected of immediate complicity, and was sent to the Fleet Prison
with Henry Cuffe
and others; but he was soon released.
was created Duke of York (January 1605). He visited Oxford with James I and was granted the degree of M.A. (30 August 1605), and attended the funeral of Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales
in 1612. In the court masques and tournaments Chandos took an active part. It was reported at court on 9 September 1613 that a duel was to be fought by Chandos and the king's favourite, Lord Hay
. On 2 July 1609 he was appointed keeper of Ditton Park
, Buckinghamshire
, for life. He became Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire
and was called the "king of the Cotswolds
", owing to his generosity and his magnificent style of living at his residence, Sudeley Castle
.
. In 1610 he was appointed one of the officers under Sir Edward Cecil in command of an expedition to the Low Countries
, in the War of the Jülich succession
. The Emperor Rudolph II's forces were besieging Juliers, and the English had combined with Holland and France to protect the town. Lord Herbert of Cherbury was Chandos's companion through this campaign. Chandos lodged at Juliers with Sir Horace Vere, but does not seem to have taken much part in the fighting. Afterwards he attended Antoine de Pluvinel
's academy in Paris, and then went to Blois
.
for his health; he had been there before during the Juliers campaign. On 14 July 1616 there was some talk of making him President of Wales, and on 8 November 1617 he was appointed to receive ambassadors from Muscovy then in England. His health was still failing, and after trying in 1618 the waters of Newenham Mills in Warwickshire
, he returned to Spa, where he died suddenly on 10 August 1621. His body was brought to Sudeley and there buried. An elegy was written by Sir John Beaumont.
, and from topical references would appear to have been written about 1615. The attribution is moot: Michael Lort
and Samuel Egerton Brydges
supported Walpole's view. Anthony à Wood and White Kennett
had earlier stated that Gilbert Cavendish, eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire
, was the author of the work. Copies are extant with the name of Lord Chandos inscribed on the title-page in seventeenth-century handwriting.
Edmond Malone
and Thomas Park, the editor of Walpole, attributed the book on the grounds of Gilbert's age to William
, a brother. A modern view agrees to the extent that 10 of the essays can be shown to have been written by William (for his father) in 1615, at a time when Thomas Hobbes
was his tutor. (There is another view, which is that this collection is Hobbes's own work.) The published essays come as 12 shorter pieces (the 10 by William being among those); and four longer ones, now attributed one to William (on flattery, based on a piece from 1611) and three to Hobbes.
and Lady Alice Spencer. His wife was heiress presumptive
to the throne of England; she was, however, passed over for James VI of Scotland.
The couple had the following five children:
Early life
He was the only son of William Brydges, 4th Baron ChandosWilliam Brydges, 4th Baron Chandos
William Brydges, 4th Baron Chandos was an English peer and politician.He was Baron Chandos, Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire and Member of Parliament for Cricklade....
, who died on 18 November 1602, and Mary Hopton, who was daughter of Sir Owen Hopton. He was M.P. for Cricklade
Cricklade (UK Parliament constituency)
Cricklade was a parliamentary constituency named after the town of Cricklade in Wiltshire.From 1295 until 1885, Cricklade was a parliamentary borough, returning two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, previously to the House of Commons of...
, in 1597.
Brydges and his family were friendly with Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
. His father visited Essex at Essex House
Essex House
-Buildings:* Essex House - a historic house in London* Jumeirah Essex House - a luxury hotel in New York City...
on the Sunday morning (8 February 1601) of Essex's insurrection, but he was not deemed by the government to be implicated in the conspiracy. The son, Grey Brydges, was, however, suspected of immediate complicity, and was sent to the Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
with Henry Cuffe
Henry Cuffe
Sir Henry Cuffe was an English author and politician, executed during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England, for treason.-Family connections:...
and others; but he was soon released.
Courtier and grandee
Grey Brydges succeeded his father in the Chandos barony, attended James I's initial parliament (19 March 1604), and was made Knight of the Bath when Prince CharlesCharles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
was created Duke of York (January 1605). He visited Oxford with James I and was granted the degree of M.A. (30 August 1605), and attended the funeral of Henry Frederick, 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...
in 1612. In the court masques and tournaments Chandos took an active part. It was reported at court on 9 September 1613 that a duel was to be fought by Chandos and the king's favourite, Lord Hay
James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle
James Hay, 1st Earl of Carlisle was a Scottish aristocrat.-Life:He was the son of Sir James Hay of Fingask , and of Margaret Murray, cousin of George Hay, afterwards 1st Earl of Kinnoull.He was knighted and taken into favor by James VI of Scotland, brought into England in 1603, treated as a "prime...
. On 2 July 1609 he was appointed keeper of Ditton Park
Ditton Park
Ditton Park was part of the Manor of Ditton which was in what was formerly the south east corner of the English county of Buckinghamshire, before the county boundary reorganisations of 1974 & 1998 which moved it to the Slough Unitary Authority, which is in the ceremonial county of Berkshire.Ditton...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, for life. He became Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire
Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. Since 1694, all the Lord Lieutenants have also been Custos Rotulorum of Gloucestershire.*Edmund Brydges, 2nd Baron Chandos 1559–?...
and was called the "king of the Cotswolds
Cotswolds
The Cotswolds are a range of hills in west-central England, sometimes called the Heart of England, an area across and long. The area has been designated as the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty...
", owing to his generosity and his magnificent style of living at his residence, Sudeley Castle
Sudeley Castle
Sudeley Castle is a castle located near Winchcombe, Gloucestershire, England. It dates from the 10th century, but the inhabited portion is chiefly Elizabethan. The castle has a notable garden, which is designed and maintained to a very high standard. The chapel, St. Mary's Sudeley, is the burial...
.
Traveller
In 1608 he went travelling with Degory WheareDegory Wheare
Degory Wheare, also spelt Digory Whear was an historian, the first Camden Professor of Ancient History in the University of Oxford.-Life:...
. In 1610 he was appointed one of the officers under Sir Edward Cecil in command of an expedition to the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
, in the War of the Jülich succession
War of the Jülich Succession
The War of the Jülich Succession was a conflict that began in 1609 and ended in 1614 with the signing of the Treaty of Xanten.-Background:...
. The Emperor Rudolph II's forces were besieging Juliers, and the English had combined with Holland and France to protect the town. Lord Herbert of Cherbury was Chandos's companion through this campaign. Chandos lodged at Juliers with Sir Horace Vere, but does not seem to have taken much part in the fighting. Afterwards he attended Antoine de Pluvinel
Antoine de Pluvinel
Antoine de Pluvinel was the first of the French riding masters, and has had great influence on modern dressage. He wrote L’Instruction du Roy en l’exercice de monter à cheval , was tutor to King Louis XIII, and is credited with the invention of using two pillars, as well as using shoulder-in to...
's academy in Paris, and then went to Blois
Blois
Blois is the capital of Loir-et-Cher department in central France, situated on the banks of the lower river Loire between Orléans and Tours.-History:...
.
Later life
On 23 July 1612 Chandos visited SpaSpa, Belgium
Spa is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Province of Liège. It is situated in a valley in the Ardennes mountain chain, some southeast of Liège, and southwest of Aachen. As of 1 January 2006, Spa had a total population of 10,543...
for his health; he had been there before during the Juliers campaign. On 14 July 1616 there was some talk of making him President of Wales, and on 8 November 1617 he was appointed to receive ambassadors from Muscovy then in England. His health was still failing, and after trying in 1618 the waters of Newenham Mills in Warwickshire
Warwickshire
Warwickshire is a landlocked non-metropolitan county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, although the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare...
, he returned to Spa, where he died suddenly on 10 August 1621. His body was brought to Sudeley and there buried. An elegy was written by Sir John Beaumont.
Horae Subsecivae
Chandos has been regarded by Horace Walpole and others as the author of some essays, Horae Subsecivae. These were published by Edward BlountEdward Blount
Edward Blount was a London publisher of the Elizabethan, Jacobean, and Caroline eras, noted for his publication, in conjunction with William and Isaac Jaggard, of the First Folio of Shakespeare's plays in 1623....
, and from topical references would appear to have been written about 1615. The attribution is moot: Michael Lort
Michael Lort
-Life:The descendant of a Pembrokeshire family living at Prickeston, he was eldest son of Roger Lort, major of the Royal Welsh Fusiliers, who married Anne, only child of Edward Jenkins, vicar of Fareham, Hampshire...
and Samuel Egerton Brydges
Samuel Egerton Brydges
Sir Samuel Egerton Brydges, 1st Baronet was an English bibliographer and genealogist. He was also Member of Parliament for Maidstone from 1812 to 1818....
supported Walpole's view. Anthony à Wood and White Kennett
White Kennett
White Kennett was an English bishop and antiquarian.-Life:He was born at Dover. He was educated at Westminster School and at St Edmund Hall, Oxford, where, while an undergraduate, he published several translations of Latin works, including Erasmus' In Praise of Folly.Kennett was vicar of...
had earlier stated that Gilbert Cavendish, eldest son of William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire was an English politician and courtier.-Life:The second son of Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick, he was educated with the children of George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury, whom his mother married after his father's death. She made him a rich...
, was the author of the work. Copies are extant with the name of Lord Chandos inscribed on the title-page in seventeenth-century handwriting.
Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone
Edmond Malone was an Irish Shakespearean scholar and editor of the works of William Shakespeare.Assured of an income after the death of his father in 1774, Malone was able to give up his law practice for at first political and then more congenial literary pursuits. He went to London, where he...
and Thomas Park, the editor of Walpole, attributed the book on the grounds of Gilbert's age to William
William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 2nd Earl of Devonshire was an English courtier and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1614 until 1626 when he succeeded to the peerage and sat in the House of Lords.-Life:...
, a brother. A modern view agrees to the extent that 10 of the essays can be shown to have been written by William (for his father) in 1615, at a time when Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes
Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury , in some older texts Thomas Hobbs of Malmsbury, was an English philosopher, best known today for his work on political philosophy...
was his tutor. (There is another view, which is that this collection is Hobbes's own work.) The published essays come as 12 shorter pieces (the 10 by William being among those); and four longer ones, now attributed one to William (on flattery, based on a piece from 1611) and three to Hobbes.
Family
On February 28, 1607, he married Anne Stanley, daughter of Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of DerbyFerdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby
Ferdinando Stanley, 5th Earl of Derby was the son of Henry Stanley, 4th Earl of Derby and Lady Margaret Clifford. According to the will of Henry VIII, his mother was heiress presumptive of Elizabeth I of England from 1578 to her own death in 1596...
and Lady Alice Spencer. His wife was heiress presumptive
Heir Presumptive
An heir presumptive or heiress presumptive is the person provisionally scheduled to inherit a throne, peerage, or other hereditary honour, but whose position can be displaced by the birth of an heir or heiress apparent or of a new heir presumptive with a better claim to the position in question...
to the throne of England; she was, however, passed over for James VI of Scotland.
The couple had the following five children:
- Hon. Robert Brydges (b. 1611), died young.
- Anne Brydges (b. 1612): she did marry, but little is known as to who and whether there were any issue. There is little evidence about her life.
- Elizabeth Brydges (1619–1678), married her stepbrother, James Tuchet, 3rd Earl of CastlehavenJames Tuchet, 3rd Earl of CastlehavenJames Tuchet, 3rd Earl of Castlehaven was the son of Mervyn Tuchet, 2nd Earl of Castlehaven and his first wife, Elizabeth Barnham...
. - George Brydges, 6th Baron ChandosGeorge Brydges, 6th Baron ChandosGeorge Brydges, 6th Baron Chandos was a supporter of Charles I of England during his struggle with Parliament, and distinguished himself at the first Battle of Newbury in 1643....
(1620–1654), married 1. Lady Susan Montagu; 2. Jane Savage. No surviving issue, except for one daughter from his first marriage. - William Brydges, 7th Baron Chandos (1621–1676), married Susan Kerr. No issue.