Robert Pye
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Pye was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
variously between 1640 and 1660. He fought on the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War
.
Pye was the son of Sir Robert Pye
the Elder, Auditor of the Exchequer
, and his wife Mary Croker, daughter of John Croker of Batsford
in Gloucestershire
.
In December 1640, Pye was elected Member of Parliament
for Woodstock
in the Long Parliament
. In the Civil War, he became colonel of Horse in General Fairfax's regiment. In the course of the war he besieged his father's mansion at Faringdon
in Berkshire
(now Oxfordshire
), which the latter allowed the royalists to garrison. In 1648 he was excluded from parliament under Pride's Purge
.
Pye was elected MP for Berkshire
for the First Protectorate Parliament
in 1654 and for the Third Protectorate Parliament
in 1659. He was involved in the attempt to restore King Charles II. and was appointed one of the treasurers for the money put aside for that purpose. Later he presented a petition from the county of Berkshire, complaining of the lack of a settled form of government and as a result was committed to the Tower of London
for a breach of privilege. He moved for an Habeas Corpus, but judge Richard Newdigate decided that the court of King's Bench did not have the power to discharge him. When General Monck
came to London, MPs passed a vote to release Pye from prison. In 1660, Pye was elected Member of Parliament
for Berkshire in the Convention Parliament and after the Restoration he was nominated equerry to the king.
Pye married Anne, eldest daughter of the famous parliamentarian, John Hampden
, and had a family of three sons and one daughter, including Richard Pye MP and Edmund Pye MD, the great grandfather of the poet laureate
, Henry James Pye
. Pye inherited his father's ruinous estates in 1662 and eventually died in December 1701 and was buried in All Saints' Church, Faringdon.
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
variously between 1640 and 1660. He fought on the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Pye was the son of Sir Robert Pye
Robert Pye (elder)
Sir Robert Pye was an English courtier, administrator and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1621 and 1629. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War....
the Elder, Auditor of the Exchequer
Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer
The Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer was an office in the English Exchequer.The office originated in early times as the clerk of the Lord High Treasurer at the Receipt of the Exchequer. He was responsible for filing and entering the Teller's Bills from the Tellers of the Exchequer,...
, and his wife Mary Croker, daughter of John Croker of Batsford
Batsford
Batsford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 99. The village is about 1½ miles north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh...
in Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn, and the entire Forest of Dean....
.
In December 1640, Pye was elected 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,...
for Woodstock
Woodstock (UK Parliament constituency)
Woodstock, sometimes called New Woodstock, was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It comprised the town of Woodstock in the county of Oxfordshire and the surrounding countryside and villages, and elected two Members of Parliament from its re-enfranchisement in 1553 until 1832...
in the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
. In the Civil War, he became colonel of Horse in General Fairfax's regiment. In the course of the war he besieged his father's mansion at Faringdon
Faringdon
Faringdon is a market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England. It is on the edge of the Thames Valley, between the River Thames and the Ridgeway...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
(now Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
), which the latter allowed the royalists to garrison. In 1648 he was excluded from parliament under 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...
.
Pye was elected MP for Berkshire
Berkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Berkshire was a parliamentary constituency in England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885...
for the First Protectorate Parliament
First Protectorate Parliament
The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....
in 1654 and for the Third Protectorate Parliament
Third Protectorate Parliament
The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...
in 1659. He was involved in the attempt to restore King Charles II. and was appointed one of the treasurers for the money put aside for that purpose. Later he presented a petition from the county of Berkshire, complaining of the lack of a settled form of government and as a result was committed to 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...
for a breach of privilege. He moved for an Habeas Corpus, but judge Richard Newdigate decided that the court of King's Bench did not have the power to discharge him. When General Monck
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle
George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle, KG was an English soldier and politician and a key figure in the restoration of Charles II.-Early life and career:...
came to London, MPs passed a vote to release Pye from prison. In 1660, Pye was elected 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,...
for Berkshire in the Convention Parliament and after the Restoration he was nominated equerry to the king.
Pye married Anne, eldest daughter of the famous parliamentarian, John Hampden
John Hampden
John Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643) was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643)...
, and had a family of three sons and one daughter, including Richard Pye MP and Edmund Pye MD, the great grandfather of the poet laureate
Poet Laureate
A poet laureate is a poet officially appointed by a government and is often expected to compose poems for state occasions and other government events...
, Henry James Pye
Henry James Pye
Henry James Pye was an English poet. Pye was Poet Laureate from 1790 until his death. He was the first poet laureate to receive a fixed salary of £27 instead of the historic tierce of Canary wine Henry James Pye (20 February 1745 – 11 August 1813) was an English poet. Pye was Poet Laureate...
. Pye inherited his father's ruinous estates in 1662 and eventually died in December 1701 and was buried in All Saints' Church, Faringdon.