Robert Aylett (1583? – 1655) was an English lawyer and religious poet.

Life

He was born in Rivenhall, Essex and was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge

Trinity Hall, Cambridge

Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...

, graduating B.A. in 1605, M.A. in 1608, and LL.D in 1614. Living at Feering

Feering

Feering is a village in Essex, England. Situated between Colchester and Witham, this village boasts three pubs, the oldest of which is The Old Anchor. However, on 14 July 2008 the Old Anchor pub suffered major damage caused by a fire which required 8 fire crews to contain and lasted over 3...

, he acted for the archdeacon of Colchester and as justice of the peace

Justice of the Peace

A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...

. He also acted in Essex as commissary for the Bishop of London

Bishop of London

The 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 judge of the Commissary Court; he played a large part in enforcing the Laudian reforms in the county. He became Master of the Faculties

Master of the Faculties

The Master of the Faculties is a functionary in the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury and has some important powers in English law, in particular the appointment and regulation of public notaries. The position is always held by the Dean of Arches....

 in 1642.

Works

As a poet his work is related to George Herbert

George Herbert

George Herbert was a Welsh born English poet, orator and Anglican priest.Being born into an artistic and wealthy family, he received a good education that led to his holding prominent positions at Cambridge University and Parliament. As a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, Herbert excelled in...

's, but he borrowed quite heavily from Edmund Spenser

Edmund Spenser

Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...

. Susanna, or the Arraignment of the Two Unjust Elders' was published in 1622. Joseph, or Pharaoh's Favorite, Peace with her Four Gardens (1622) and Thrift's Equipage (1622) are other earlier works.

Divine and Moral Speculations (1654) was dedicated to Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester

Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester

Henry Pierrepont, 1st Marquess of Dorchester, PC, FRS was an English peer, the son of the Robert Pierrepont, 1st Earl of Kingston-upon-Hull.-Career:...

 and his wife. A Wife not readymade but bespoke, by Dicus the Batchelor, and made up for him by his fellow shepheard Tityrus; in four pastoral eclogues (1653) is a secular piece.

Further reading

• John Horace Round
  John Horace Round
  Horace Round was a historian and genealogist of the English medieval period. He translated the Domesday Book for Essex into contemporary English. As an expert in the history of the British peerage he was appointed Honorary Historical Adviser to the Crown.-Family and early life:Round was born on 22...
  
  , Robert Aylett and Richard Argall. English Historical Review, 38 (1923), 423-4.