Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset
Encyclopedia
Robert Carr, 1st Earl of Somerset, (c. 1587 – 17 July 1645), was a politician, and favourite
of King James I of England
.
, Somerset
, England the younger son of Sir Thomas Kerr (Carr) of Ferniehurst
, Scotland by his second wife, Janet, sister of Walter Scott of Buccleuch
. About the year 1601, while an obscure page to George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar
, he met Sir Thomas Overbury
in Edinburgh
. The two became friends and travelled to London together. Overbury soon became secretary to Carr, and when the latter embarked on his career at court, Overbury took the position of mentor, secretary and political advisor to his more charismatic friend, becoming the brains behind his steady rise to prominence.
In 1606, most likely at the arrangement of Overbury, Carr happened to break his leg at a tilting
match, at which the king was present. According to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
, the king instantly fell in love with the young man, even helping nurse him back to health all the while teaching him Latin
. Entirely devoid of all high intellectual qualities, Carr was endowed with good looks, excellent spirits, and considerable personal accomplishments. These advantages were sufficient for James, who knighted the young man and at once took him into favour. In 1607, an opportunity enabled the king to confer upon him a more substantial mark of his affection. Sir Walter Raleigh
had, through his attainder, forfeited his life-interest in the manor of Sherborne
, even though he had previously executed a conveyance by which the property was to pass on his death to his eldest son. Unfortunately for Raleigh this document was rendered worthless by a flaw which gave the king eventual possession of the property. Acting on his Secretary of State
, the Earl of Salisbury
’s suggestion, James conferred the manor on Carr. The case was argued at law, and in 1609 judgment was unsurprisingly given for the Crown. Apparently Lady Raleigh received some inadequate compensation, and Carr at once entered on possession. Carr's influence became such that in 1610 he was instrumental in persuading the king to dissolve Parliament
, which had shown signs of attacking the Scottish favourites. On 24 March 1611 he was created Viscount Rochester, and subsequently a privy council
lor.
When Salisbury died in 1612, James had the notion of governing in person as his own chief Minister of State, with Carr carrying out many of Salisbury's former duties. But James's inability to attend closely to official business exposed the government to factionalism. The Howard party, consisting of Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton
; Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
; his son-in-law William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury
; Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham
, and Sir Thomas Lake
, soon took control of much of the government and its patronage. Even the powerful Carr, hardly experienced for the responsibilities thrust upon him and often dependent on his intimate friend Overbury for assistance with government papers, fell into the Howard camp. He had done this after beginning an affair with Frances Howard, Lady Essex, daughter of the Earl of Suffolk. On 25 September 1613, and supported by the king, Essex obtained a decree of nullity of marriage against her husband, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
, and three months later, on 26 December, got her wish and married Carr.
Seeing as Overbury distrusted the Howards and still had Carr's ear he tried to prevent the marriage. In order to remove him from court, the Howard faction manipulated Overbury into seeming to be disrespectful to the queen. Then it was no small feat to persuade the king to offer Overbury an assignment as ambassador to the court of Michael of Russia
with the Howards being fully aware that his refusal would be tantamount to treason. The plan worked and Overbury declined, sensing the urgency to remain in England and at his friend's side. On 22 April 1613 Overbury was placed in the Tower of London
at the king's "request", eventually dying there five months later on 15 September "of natural causes". Thereafter many favors were bestowed on Carr by James. On 3 November 1613 he was advanced to the Earldom of Somerset, on 23 December appointed Treasurer of Scotland
, and in 1614, Lord Chamberlain
.
. James wrote a letter that year detailing a list of complaints he then had against Carr, including the fact that Carr had "withdrawn" himself from James' chamber despite the king's "soliciting to the contrary." Carr still retained some favour, and might possibly have remained in power for some time longer but for the discovery of the murder of Overbury by poisoning in July of that year. At the infamous trial Sir Edward Coke
and Sir Francis Bacon
were set to unravel the plot. After four of the principal agents had been convicted and hanged at Tyburn
, Carr and Howard were brought to trial. The latter confessed, and of her guilt there can be no doubt. Carr’s share is far more difficult to uncover, and probably will never be fully known. The evidence against him rested on mere presumption, and he consistently declared himself innocent. Probabilities are on the whole in favour of the hypothesis that he was not more than an accessory after the fact. Fearing what Carr might say about him in court, James repeatedly sent messages to the Tower pleading with him to admit his guilt in return for a pardon stating, "It is easy to be seen that he would threaten me with laying an aspersion upon me of being, in some sort, accessory to his crime". The king eventually let matters take their course, and both Carr and Howard were found guilty. The sentence, however, was not carried into effect against either culprit. Howard was pardoned immediately, but both remained in the Tower until January 1622. Carr appears to have refused to buy forgiveness by concessions, and did not obtain his pardon until 1624. He only emerged into public view once more when, in 1630, he was prosecuted in the Star Chamber
for communicating a paper recommending the establishment of arbitrary government by Robert Dudley
to the Earl of Clare
.
Carr died in July 1645, leaving one daughter, Anne
, the sole issue of his ill-fated marriage, afterwards wife of the 1st Duke of Bedford
.
Favourite
A favourite , or favorite , was the intimate companion of a ruler or other important person. In medieval and Early Modern Europe, among other times and places, the term is used of individuals delegated significant political power by a ruler...
of King James I of England
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
.
Background
Robert Kerr was born in WringtonWrington
Wrington is a village and civil parish in North Somerset, England. It lies in the valley of the Congresbury Yeo river about east of Weston-super-Mare and south-east of Yatton. It is both a civil parish, with a population of 2,896, and an ecclesiastical parish...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, England the younger son of Sir Thomas Kerr (Carr) of Ferniehurst
Ferniehirst Castle
Ferniehirst Castle is an L-shaped construction on the east bank of the Jed Water, about a mile and a half south of Jedburgh, in the Scottish Borders area of Scotland, and in the former county of Berwickshire...
, Scotland by his second wife, Janet, sister of Walter Scott of Buccleuch
Walter Scott, 4th of Buccleuch
Walter Scott, 4th Baron of Buccleuch was head of the Border family of Scott and, despite his youth, played a prominent part in the turbulent politics of 16th century Scotland.-Origin:...
. About the year 1601, while an obscure page to George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar
George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar
George Home, 1st Earl of Dunbar, KG, PC was, in the last decade of his life, the most prominent and most influential Scotsman in England. His work lay in the King's Household and in the control of the State Affairs of Scotland and he was the King's chief Scottish advisor...
, he met Sir Thomas Overbury
Thomas Overbury
Sir Thomas Overbury was an English poet and essayist, and the victim of one of the most sensational crimes in English history...
in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. The two became friends and travelled to London together. Overbury soon became secretary to Carr, and when the latter embarked on his career at court, Overbury took the position of mentor, secretary and political advisor to his more charismatic friend, becoming the brains behind his steady rise to prominence.
The King's favourite
Jousting
Jousting is a martial game or hastilude between two knights mounted on horses and using lances, often as part of a tournament.Jousting emerged in the High Middle Ages based on the military use of the lance by heavy cavalry. The first camels tournament was staged in 1066, but jousting itself did not...
match, at which the king was present. According to Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Admiral Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC was a son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, the daughter and heiress of the 1st Baron Audley of Walden....
, the king instantly fell in love with the young man, even helping nurse him back to health all the while teaching him Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
. Entirely devoid of all high intellectual qualities, Carr was endowed with good looks, excellent spirits, and considerable personal accomplishments. These advantages were sufficient for James, who knighted the young man and at once took him into favour. In 1607, an opportunity enabled the king to confer upon him a more substantial mark of his affection. Sir Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....
had, through his attainder, forfeited his life-interest in the manor of Sherborne
Sherborne Castle
Sherborne Castle is a 16th-century Tudor mansion southeast of Sherborne in Dorset, England. The park formed only a small part of the Digby estate.-Old castle:Sherborne Old Castle is the ruin of a 12th-century castle in the grounds of the mansion...
, even though he had previously executed a conveyance by which the property was to pass on his death to his eldest son. Unfortunately for Raleigh this document was rendered worthless by a flaw which gave the king eventual possession of the property. Acting on his Secretary of State
Secretary of State
Secretary of State or State Secretary is a commonly used title for a senior or mid-level post in governments around the world. The role varies between countries, and in some cases there are multiple Secretaries of State in the Government....
, the Earl of Salisbury
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury
Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, KG, PC was an English administrator and politician.-Life:He was the son of William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley and Mildred Cooke...
’s suggestion, James conferred the manor on Carr. The case was argued at law, and in 1609 judgment was unsurprisingly given for the Crown. Apparently Lady Raleigh received some inadequate compensation, and Carr at once entered on possession. Carr's influence became such that in 1610 he was instrumental in persuading the king to dissolve Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
, which had shown signs of attacking the Scottish favourites. On 24 March 1611 he was created Viscount Rochester, and subsequently a 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...
lor.
Marriage to Frances Howard
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton
Henry Howard, 1st Earl of Northampton was a significant English aristocrat and courtier. He was suspect as a crypto-Catholic throughout his life, and went through periods of royal disfavour, in which his reputation suffered greatly. He was distinguished for learning, artistic culture and his...
; Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
Admiral Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, KG, PC was a son of Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk by his second wife Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk, the daughter and heiress of the 1st Baron Audley of Walden....
; his son-in-law William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury
William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury
Sir William Knollys, 1st Earl of Banbury, KG, PC was an English nobleman at the court of Queen Elizabeth I and King James...
; Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham
Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham
Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham , known as Howard of Effingham, was an English statesman and Lord High Admiral under Elizabeth I and James I...
, and Sir Thomas Lake
Thomas Lake
Sir Thomas Lake was Secretary of State to James I of England. He was a Member of Parliament in 1604, 1614, 1625 and 1626....
, soon took control of much of the government and its patronage. Even the powerful Carr, hardly experienced for the responsibilities thrust upon him and often dependent on his intimate friend Overbury for assistance with government papers, fell into the Howard camp. He had done this after beginning an affair with Frances Howard, Lady Essex, daughter of the Earl of Suffolk. On 25 September 1613, and supported by the king, Essex obtained a decree of nullity of marriage against her husband, Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the seventeenth century. With the start of the English Civil War in 1642 he became the first Captain-General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army, also known as the Roundheads...
, and three months later, on 26 December, got her wish and married Carr.
Seeing as Overbury distrusted the Howards and still had Carr's ear he tried to prevent the marriage. In order to remove him from court, the Howard faction manipulated Overbury into seeming to be disrespectful to the queen. Then it was no small feat to persuade the king to offer Overbury an assignment as ambassador to the court of Michael of Russia
Michael of Russia
Mikhail I Fyodorovich Romanov Mikhail Fedorovich Romanov was the first Russian Tsar of the house of Romanov. He was the son of Feodor Nikitich Romanov and Xenia...
with the Howards being fully aware that his refusal would be tantamount to treason. The plan worked and Overbury declined, sensing the urgency to remain in England and at his friend's side. On 22 April 1613 Overbury was placed 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...
at the king's "request", eventually dying there five months later on 15 September "of natural causes". Thereafter many favors were bestowed on Carr by James. On 3 November 1613 he was advanced to the Earldom of Somerset, on 23 December appointed Treasurer of Scotland
Treasurer of Scotland
The Treasurer was a senior post in the pre-Union government of Scotland, the Privy Council of Scotland.The full title of the post was Lord High Treasurer, Comptroller, Collector-General and Treasurer of the New Augmentation, formed as it was from the amalgamation of four earlier offices...
, and in 1614, Lord Chamberlain
Lord Chamberlain
The Lord Chamberlain or Lord Chamberlain of the Household is one of the chief officers of the Royal Household in the United Kingdom and is to be distinguished from the Lord Great Chamberlain, one of the Great Officers of State....
.
Scandal and downfall
As the years progressed James showered Carr with more gifts, until 1615 when the two men had a falling out and Carr was replaced by George Villiers, 1st Duke of BuckinghamGeorge Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham KG was the favourite, claimed by some to be the lover, of King James I of England. Despite a very patchy political and military record, he remained at the height of royal favour for the first two years of the reign of Charles I, until he was assassinated...
. James wrote a letter that year detailing a list of complaints he then had against Carr, including the fact that Carr had "withdrawn" himself from James' chamber despite the king's "soliciting to the contrary." Carr still retained some favour, and might possibly have remained in power for some time longer but for the discovery of the murder of Overbury by poisoning in July of that year. At the infamous trial Sir Edward Coke
Edward Coke
Sir Edward Coke SL PC was an English barrister, judge and politician considered to be the greatest jurist of the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras. Born into a middle class family, Coke was educated at Trinity College, Cambridge before leaving to study at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the...
and Sir Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
were set to unravel the plot. After four of the principal agents had been convicted and hanged at Tyburn
Tyburn
Tyburn is a former village just outside the then boundaries of London that was best known as a place of public execution.Tyburn may also refer to:* Tyburn , river and historical water source in London...
, Carr and Howard were brought to trial. The latter confessed, and of her guilt there can be no doubt. Carr’s share is far more difficult to uncover, and probably will never be fully known. The evidence against him rested on mere presumption, and he consistently declared himself innocent. Probabilities are on the whole in favour of the hypothesis that he was not more than an accessory after the fact. Fearing what Carr might say about him in court, James repeatedly sent messages to the Tower pleading with him to admit his guilt in return for a pardon stating, "It is easy to be seen that he would threaten me with laying an aspersion upon me of being, in some sort, accessory to his crime". The king eventually let matters take their course, and both Carr and Howard were found guilty. The sentence, however, was not carried into effect against either culprit. Howard was pardoned immediately, but both remained in the Tower until January 1622. Carr appears to have refused to buy forgiveness by concessions, and did not obtain his pardon until 1624. He only emerged into public view once more when, in 1630, he was prosecuted in the Star Chamber
Star Chamber
The Star Chamber was an English court of law that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster until 1641. It was made up of Privy Counsellors, as well as common-law judges and supplemented the activities of the common-law and equity courts in both civil and criminal matters...
for communicating a paper recommending the establishment of arbitrary government by Robert Dudley
Robert Dudley, styled Earl of Warwick
Sir Robert Dudley was an English explorer and cartographer. In 1594, he led an expedition to the West Indies, of which he wrote an account. The illegitimate son of Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, he inherited the bulk of the Earl's estate in accordance with his father's will, including...
to the Earl of Clare
John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare
John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare was an English nobleman.He was the son of Denzel Holles of Irby upon Humber and Eleanor Sheffield...
.
Carr died in July 1645, leaving one daughter, Anne
Anne Carr, Countess of Bedford
Anne Carr, Countess of Bedford was a wealthy English noblewoman, and the wife of William Russell, 5th Earl of Bedford, a peer and soldier during the English Civil War, who after her death was created Duke of Bedford. Her mother was the notorious Frances Howard who was an accomplice to murder...
, the sole issue of his ill-fated marriage, afterwards wife of the 1st Duke of Bedford
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford
William Russell, 1st Duke of Bedford KG PC was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 until 1641 when he inherited his Peerage and sat in the House of Lords...
.
Further reading
- RankeLeopold von RankeLeopold von Ranke was a German historian, considered one of the founders of modern source-based history. Ranke set the standards for much of later historical writing, introducing such ideas as reliance on primary sources , an emphasis on narrative history and especially international politics .-...
, History of England, Principally in the Seventeenth Century, volume i (Oxford, 1875) - GardinerSamuel Rawson GardinerSamuel Rawson Gardiner was an English historian.The son of Rawson Boddam Gardiner, he was born near Alresford, Hampshire. He was educated at Winchester College and Christ Church, Oxford, where he obtained a first class in literae humaniores. He was subsequently elected to fellowships at All Souls ...
, History of England, volume ii (London and New York, 1889) - Gardiner, Dictionary of National Biography, volume ix
- Archbishop AbbotGeorge Abbot (Archbishop of Canterbury)George Abbot was an English divine and Archbishop of Canterbury. He also served as the fourth Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin, between 1612 and 1633....
, The Case of Impotency ... in that Remarkable Tryal An. 1613, Between Robert, Earl of Essex, and Lady Frances Howard, (London, 1715) - AmosAndrew Amos (lawyer)Andrew Amos was a lawyer and professor of law. He was born in 1791 in India, where his father, James Amos, a Russian merchant, of Devonshire Square, London, who had travelled there, had married Cornelia Bonté, daughter of a Swiss general officer in the Dutch service. The family was Scottish, and...
, The Great Oyer of Poisoning, (London, 1846) - Brian Harris QC, "Passion, Poison and Power" (London, 2010) argues the case for Carr's innocence.