James Ley, 3rd Earl of Marlborough
Encyclopedia
James Ley, 3rd Earl of Marlborough (28 January 1618 – 3 June 1665) was a British peer
and Member of Parliament
, styled Lord Ley from 1629 to 1638.
He was the only son of Henry Ley, 2nd Earl of Marlborough
, whom he succeeded in 1638. Marlborough was General of Ordnance in the West for Charles I
in 1643, during the English Civil War
, and later in the year was appointed Admiral of the royal fleet at Dartmouth
.
Through diligent study, Marlborough gained a reputation as an able mathematician and navigator. He founded an English colony in St Croix
in 1645, which was, however, destroyed in 1650. He proposed to embark on another colonizing venture in 1649, which was apparently unsuccessful.
After the Restoration, in late 1661, he was given command of HMS Dunkirk
and sent out as commodore
of a squadron to claim Bombay, which had been ceded to England as the dowry of Catherine of Braganza
. However, the Portuguese were able to stall the handover by a variety of pretexts, and Marlborough was forced to land the garrison troops sent with him on Anjadip Island
and return home with his ships.
Given command of the Old James
, he was killed at the Battle of Lowestoft
. He was succeeded by his uncle William.
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
, styled Lord Ley from 1629 to 1638.
He was the only son of Henry Ley, 2nd Earl of Marlborough
Henry Ley, 2nd Earl of Marlborough
Henry Ley, 2nd Earl of Marlborough was an English peer and Member of Parliament.Ley was knighted in 1611 by James I. He represented Devizes from 1620 to 1622 and in 1626, and was knight of the shire for Wiltshire in 1625. In 1628, he entered the House of Lords by a writ of acceleration as Baron Ley...
, whom he succeeded in 1638. Marlborough was General of Ordnance in the West for Charles I
Charles 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...
in 1643, during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, and later in the year was appointed Admiral of the royal fleet at Dartmouth
Dartmouth, Devon
Dartmouth is a town and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is a tourist destination set on the banks of the estuary of the River Dart, which is a long narrow tidal ria that runs inland as far as Totnes...
.
Through diligent study, Marlborough gained a reputation as an able mathematician and navigator. He founded an English colony in St Croix
Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands
Saint Croix is an island in the Caribbean Sea, and a county and constituent district of the United States Virgin Islands , an unincorporated territory of the United States. Formerly the Danish West Indies, they were sold to the United States by Denmark in the Treaty of the Danish West Indies of...
in 1645, which was, however, destroyed in 1650. He proposed to embark on another colonizing venture in 1649, which was apparently unsuccessful.
After the Restoration, in late 1661, he was given command of HMS Dunkirk
HMS Dunkirk (1651)
Worcester was a 48-gun third rate frigate built for the navy of the Commonwealth of England at Woolwich Dockyard, and launched in 1651.After the Restoration in 1660, she was renamed HMS Dunkirk. By 1677 her armament had been increased to 60 guns. In 1704 she underwent a rebuild at Blackwall Yard,...
and sent out as commodore
Commodore (Royal Navy)
Commodore is a rank of the Royal Navy above Captain and below Rear Admiral. It has a NATO ranking code of OF-6. The rank is equivalent to Brigadier in the British Army and Royal Marines and to Air Commodore in the Royal Air Force.-Insignia:...
of a squadron to claim Bombay, which had been ceded to England as the dowry of Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza
Catherine of Braganza was a Portuguese infanta and queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the wife of King Charles II.She married the king in 1662...
. However, the Portuguese were able to stall the handover by a variety of pretexts, and Marlborough was forced to land the garrison troops sent with him on Anjadip Island
Anjadip Island
Anjadip Island is an island in the Arabian Sea off the coast of Canacona in the South Goa district, Goa, India. Legally and constitutionally, it remains a part of Goa, although there is a widespread misconception that it is a part of the Karnataka state off whose coast it lies.-History:Anjediva,...
and return home with his ships.
Given command of the Old James
HMS James (1634)
HMS James was a 48-gun second rank ship of the line of the English Royal Navy, built by Phineas Pett II at Deptford and launched in 1634....
, he was killed at the Battle of Lowestoft
Battle of Lowestoft
The naval Battle of Lowestoft took place on 13 June 1665 during the Second Anglo-Dutch War.A fleet of more than a hundred ships of the United Provinces commanded by Lieutenant-Admiral Jacob van Wassenaer Obdam attacked an English fleet of equal size commanded by James Stuart, Duke of York forty...
. He was succeeded by his uncle William.