Sir Robert Hitcham was a 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,...

 and Attorney General.

Robert was born of lowly origin and educated at the Free School at Ipswich and later Pembroke College, Cambridge

Pembroke College, Cambridge

Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...

, studying law. He was admitted to Gray's Inn

Gray's Inn

The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

 on the 3rd of November 1589 from Barnard's Inn

Barnard's Inn

Barnard's Inn is the current home of Gresham College in Holborn, London.-History:Barnard's Inn dates back at least to the mid 13th century — it was recorded as part of the estate of Sir Adam de Basyng, one time Mayor of London. It passed on to John Mackworth, the Dean of Lincoln who in turn passed...

 and was called to the Bar

Bar (law)

Bar in a legal context has three possible meanings: the division of a courtroom between its working and public areas; the process of qualifying to practice law; and the legal profession.-Courtroom division:...

 in 1595.

He became a Member of Parliament for West Looe, Cornwall

Cornwall

Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...

 from 1597 to 1598; for Kings Lynn, Norfolk from 1604 to 1611; for Cambridge

Cambridge

The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...

 in 1614 and for Orford

Orford, Suffolk

Orford is a small town in Suffolk, England, within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB.Like many Suffolk coastal towns it was of some importance as a port and fishing village in the Middle Ages. It still has a fine mediaeval castle, built to dominate the River Ore.The main geographical feature of the...

, Suffolk

Suffolk

Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...

 from 1624 to 1626.

He held a number of posts including: Attorney-General to Anne of Denmark

Anne of Denmark

Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...

, Queen Consort

Queen consort

A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king. A queen consort usually shares her husband's rank and holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles. Historically, queens consort do not share the king regnant's political and military powers. Most queens in history were queens consort...

 to James I

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...

 (1603-?); Sergeant-at-law (1614-?); and King's Senior Sergeant-at-law (1616-?). He was knighted on the 29th of June 1604 by King James I.

On the 14th of May 1635 he purchased Framlingham Castle

Framlingham Castle

Framlingham Castle is a castle in the market town of Framlingham in Suffolk in England. An early motte and bailey or ringwork Norman castle was built on the Framlingham site by 1148, but this was destroyed by Henry II of England in the aftermath of the revolt of 1173-4...

, Suffolk from Theophilus Howard, 2nd Earl of Suffolk for the sum of £14,000, which he subsequently bequeathed to the Master, Fellows and Scholars of Pembroke College, Cambridge. He bought a house in Ipswich and spent the rest of his bachelor days in that town.

He died on the 15th of August 1636 and now lies in a tomb in Framlingham Church. His will stated that the castle, save for the outer walls, be demolished and the stone used to build a poor house. The inner buildings were duly demolished and a poor house was built in its place.

Hitcham's Cloister in Pembroke College (built 1666) was named after him.

The Hitcham House at Thomas Mills High School

Thomas Mills High School

Thomas Mills High School is a comprehensive school in Framlingham, Suffolk, England. The current Headteacher is Mr G Colin Hirst and the Deputy Headteachers are Miss Elizabeth Halley and Mr John Hibberd...

is named after, and dedicated to Robert Hitcham. House captains are voted in annually.