Robert Harley (1579-1656)
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Harley was an English
statesman who served as Master of the Mint
for Charles I
and later supported the parliamentarians during the English Civil War
.
He was the son of Thomas Harley of Brampton Bryan
in Herefordshire
. After his first marriage in 1603, he served in various local offices in Herefordshire and Radnorshire
, including representing Radnor
in Parliament
in 1604, Herefordshire
in 1624 and 1626 and Evesham
in 1628. In 1623 he had married Brilliana
daughter of Sir Edward Conway
, one of the Secretaries of State
, and acted as his aide in Parliament. He was rewarded for this by being appointed Master of the Mint
. He was deprived of this office in 1635 but reinstated in 1643. During this period, his attitude was more that of a country gentleman than of a courtier.
In religion (like Brilliana), Harley was a puritan
, taking an anti-Catholic and later also anti-Arminian line. He was elected to both Parliaments
in 1640, where he opposed ship money
, Laudian
ecclesiastical innovations and the Scottish War. This led him to join the Parliamentary party.
He was an active member of that party both in Parliament and in Herefordshire, Brampton Bryan Castle
undergoing siege in 1643 and 1644. On 30 September 1642, Parliamentarians led by Harley and Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford
occupied the city without opposition. In December, they withdrew to Gloucester
because of the presence in the area of a Royalist
army under Lord Herbert
.
His support for reconciliation with the king led to his being excluded from the House of Commons
in Pride's Purge
. He and his son Edward
, a colonel in the Parliamentarian army, were imprisoned until after the king's execution. He resigned as Master of the Mint in May 1649 and took no further part in politics.
He left several sons, his heir Edward
being the father of Queen Anne
's Lord Treasurer Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
statesman who served as Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain, between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Master was the highest officer in the Royal Mint. Until 1699, appointment was usually for life. Its holder occasionally sat in the cabinet...
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...
and later supported the parliamentarians 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...
.
He was the son of Thomas Harley of Brampton Bryan
Brampton Bryan
Brampton Bryan is a small village and civil parish situated in north Herefordshire, England close to the Shropshire and Welsh borders.Brampton Bryan lies mid-way between Leintwardine and Knighton on the A4113 road. The village has had a complex history and its buildings reflect this...
in Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
. After his first marriage in 1603, he served in various local offices in Herefordshire and Radnorshire
Radnorshire
Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...
, including representing Radnor
Radnor (UK Parliament constituency)
Radnor or New Radnor was a constituency in Wales between 1542 and 1885; it elected one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliaments of England , Great Britain and the United Kingdom , by the first past the post electoral...
in 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...
in 1604, Herefordshire
Herefordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
The county constituency of Herefordshire, in the West Midlands of England bordering on Wales, was abolished when the county was divided for parliamentary purposes in 1885...
in 1624 and 1626 and Evesham
Evesham (UK Parliament constituency)
Evesham was a parliamentary constituency in Worcestershire which was represented in the British House of Commons. Originally a parliamentary borough consisting of the town of Evesham, it was first represented in 1295...
in 1628. In 1623 he had married Brilliana
Brilliana Harley
Brilliana, Lady Harley , née Brilliana Conway, was a celebrated English letter-writer.-Marriage:Conway was born at Brill, near Rotterdam in the Netherlands, while her father Sir Edward Conway was Governor there...
daughter of Sir Edward Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway
Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway PC was an English soldier and statesman.-Life:He was the son and heir of Sir John Conway of Arrow, and his wife Ellen or Eleanor, daughter of Sir Fulke Greville of Beauchamp's Court, Warwickshire....
, one of the Secretaries of State
Secretary of State (England)
In the Kingdom of England, the title of Secretary of State came into being near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I , the usual title before that having been King's Clerk, King's Secretary, or Principal Secretary....
, and acted as his aide in Parliament. He was rewarded for this by being appointed Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint
Master of the Mint was an important office in the governments of Scotland and England, and later Great Britain, between the 16th and 19th centuries. The Master was the highest officer in the Royal Mint. Until 1699, appointment was usually for life. Its holder occasionally sat in the cabinet...
. He was deprived of this office in 1635 but reinstated in 1643. During this period, his attitude was more that of a country gentleman than of a courtier.
In religion (like Brilliana), Harley was a puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
, taking an anti-Catholic and later also anti-Arminian line. He was elected to both Parliaments
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...
in 1640, where he opposed ship money
Ship money
Ship money refers to a tax that Charles I of England tried to levy without the consent of Parliament. This tax, which was only applied to coastal towns during a time of war, was intended to offset the cost of defending that part of the coast, and could be paid in actual ships or the equivalent value...
, Laudian
William Laud
William Laud was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1633 to 1645. One of the High Church Caroline divines, he opposed radical forms of Puritanism...
ecclesiastical innovations and the Scottish War. This led him to join the Parliamentary party.
He was an active member of that party both in Parliament and in Herefordshire, Brampton Bryan Castle
Brampton Bryan Castle
Brampton Bryan Castle is in the small village of Brampton Bryan in north-western Herefordshire, England, 50m south of the River Teme. The castle guarded an important route from Ludlow along the Teme Valley to Knighton and on into Central Wales....
undergoing siege in 1643 and 1644. On 30 September 1642, Parliamentarians led by Harley and Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford
Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford
Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford , known as the Lord Grey of Groby from 1614 to 1628, was an English nobleman and military leader. He was the eldest son of Sir John Grey and Elizabeth Nevill...
occupied the city without opposition. In December, they withdrew to Gloucester
Gloucester
Gloucester is a city, district and county town of Gloucestershire in the South West region of England. Gloucester lies close to the Welsh border, and on the River Severn, approximately north-east of Bristol, and south-southwest of Birmingham....
because of the presence in the area of a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
army under Lord Herbert
Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Cherbury
Edward Herbert, 1st Baron Herbert of Chirbury was an Anglo-Welsh soldier, diplomat, historian, poet and religious philosopher of the Kingdom of England.-Early life:...
.
His support for reconciliation with the king led to his being excluded from the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
in Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge
Pride’s Purge is an event in December 1648, during the Second English Civil War, when troops under the command of Colonel Thomas Pride forcibly removed from the Long Parliament all those who were not supporters of the Grandees in the New Model Army and the Independents...
. He and his son Edward
Edward Harley (Parliamentarian)
Sir Edward Harley KB was an English Parliamentarian.He was born in Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, the son of Sir Robert Harley, KB and his third wife Brilliana, the daughter of Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway...
, a colonel in the Parliamentarian army, were imprisoned until after the king's execution. He resigned as Master of the Mint in May 1649 and took no further part in politics.
He left several sons, his heir Edward
Edward Harley (Parliamentarian)
Sir Edward Harley KB was an English Parliamentarian.He was born in Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, the son of Sir Robert Harley, KB and his third wife Brilliana, the daughter of Edward Conway, 1st Viscount Conway...
being the father of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
's Lord Treasurer Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer
Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer KG was a British politician and statesman of the late Stuart and early Georgian periods. He began his career as a Whig, before defecting to a new Tory Ministry. Between 1711 and 1714 he served as First Lord of the Treasury, effectively Queen...
.
Further reading
- Jacqueline EalesJacqueline EalesJacqueline Eales is professor of early modern history at Canterbury Christ Church University. She was educated at the University of London, where under the supervision of Conrad Russell she completed a PhD on the Harleys of Brampton Bryan and the English Civil War, which was later published under...
, 'Harley, Sir Robert (1579-1656)' Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 (article 12343).