Sir Herbert Croft (1565 – 1 April 1629) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...

at various times between 1589 and 1614. Croft was the eldest surviving son of Edward Croft of

Croft Castle Croft Castle is a country house in the village of Croft, Herefordshire, England. Owned by the Croft family since 1085, the castle and estate passed out of their hands in the 18th century, before being repurchased by the family in 1923. In 1957 ...

and his first wife. He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford. His father was put on his trial in 1589 on the charge of having contrived the death of the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. Early creatio ...

witchcraft Witchcraft traditionally means the use of magic or supernatural powers to harm others. A practitioner is a witch. In medieval and early modern Europe, where the term originated, accused witches were usually women who were believed to have ...

and went into exile. In 1589 Croft was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for

Carmarthenshire Carmarthenshire ( cy, Sir Gaerfyrddin; or informally ') is a county in the south-west of Wales. The three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford. Carmarthen is the county town and administrative centre. The county is known as ...

. He was a J.P. for Carmarthenshire and for Herefordshire from 1591 and for Oxfordshire from about 1592. In about 1592 he became steward of the lordships of Kerry, Kedewen and Montgomery, Montontgomeryshire and was steward of crown lands in Herefordshire from October 1592. History of Parliament Online – Herbert Croft
/ref> In 1593 Croft was elected MP for

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

. He succeeded his grandfather

James Croft Sir James Croft PC (c.1518 – 4 September 1590) was an English politician, who was Lord Deputy of Ireland, and MP for Herefordshire in the Parliament of England. Life He was born the second but eldest surviving son of Sir Richard Croft of Cro ...

to the family estates in 1594. In 1597 he was elected MP for Launceston and became Deputy Lieutenant. He was receiver-general for South Wales from April 1599 to 1604. In 1601 he was elected MP for Herefordshire again. He became a member of the council in the

marches of Wales The Welsh Marches ( cy, Y Mers) is an imprecisely defined area along the border between England and Wales in the United Kingdom. The precise meaning of the term has varied at different periods. The English term Welsh March (in Medieval Latin ...

from 1601. He was knighted in 1603. In 1604 he was re-elected MP for Herefordshire. In 1607 he protested about the jurisdiction of the council in the marches over the border shires and this cost him his seat on the council and his positions as JP and Deputy Lieutenant. He was re-elected MP for Herefordshire in 1614. In about 1617, he became a Catholic and a monk at the English Benedictine priory of St Gregory the Great at

Douai Douai (, , ,; pcd, Doï; nl, Dowaai; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord département in northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe some from Lille and from Arras, Dou ...

, where he wrote pamphlets in defence of his new faith. Croft died at the age of about 63. Croft married Mary Bourne, daughter of Anthony Bourne of Holt Castle, Worcestershire and had four sons and five daughters. His son

Herbert Herbert may refer to: People Individuals * Herbert (musician), a pseudonym of Matthew Herbert Name * Herbert (given name) * Herbert (surname) Places Antarctica * Herbert Mountains, Coats Land * Herbert Sound, Graham Land Australia * Herbert ...

later became Bishop of Hereford. A daughter Bridget Croft (1608-1694) died unmarried and was buried in Hereford Cathedral. Another daughter, Margery or

Margaret Croft Margaret Croft or Crofts (died 1637) was an English aristocrat. Family background She was a daughter of Sir Herbert Croft of Croft Castle and Mary Bourne, daughter and heiress of Anthony Bourne of Holt Castle, Worcestershire. Her father conve ...

(d. 1637) was a lady in waiting to

Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia Elizabeth Stuart (19 August 159613 February 1662) was Electress of the Palatinate and briefly Queen of Bohemia as the wife of Frederick V of the Palatinate. Since her husband's reign in Bohemia lasted for just one winter, she is called the Win ...

. In her will she hoped the queen would settle her debts at

The Hague The Hague ( ; nl, Den Haag or ) is a city and municipality of the Netherlands, situated on the west coast facing the North Sea. The Hague is the country's administrative centre and its seat of government, and while the official capital o ...

amounting to £100. In London she owed Mr Berry in Paternoster Row for white satin for a waistcoat and mohair for a gown.Nadine Akkerman, ''The Correspondence of Elizabeth Stuart, Queen of Bohemia'' vol 1 (Oxford, 2015), pp. 568-70: Joseph Lemuel Chester, ''Westminster Abbey Registers: Harleian Society'', vol. 10 (London, 1869), pp. 64, 132: Lisa Jardine
''Temptation in the Archives'', (UCL: London, 2015)
pp. 1-17: 'Will of Margery Crofts', TNA PROB 11/177/290.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Croft, Herbert 1565 births 1629 deaths Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford English MPs 1589 English MPs 1593 English MPs 1597–1598 English MPs 1601 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales English Roman Catholics