Hugh Audley (baptised 13 January 1577 – 15 November 1662), also known as ''The Great Audley'', was an
English
English usually refers to:
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* English people
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* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
moneylender, lawyer and philosopher. Following his death, he was the feature of a popular 17th-century pamphlet titled ''The way to be rich according to the practice of the Great Audley'',
[The full title of this work was ''The way to be rich according to the practice of the great Audley who begun with two hundred pound in the year 1605, and dyed worth four hundred thousand pound this instant November, 1662''. London: Printed for E. Davis, 1662] which compared his humble beginnings to his ultimate fortune.
Life
The first recorded date of Audley's life is his baptism in January 1577. He was the tenth of eleven children of John Audley, a
mercer
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, and his wife Maudlin or Margaret Hare, daughter of a wealthy
Cheapside
Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, which forms part of the A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St. Martin's Le Grand with Poultry. Near its eastern end at Bank junction, where ...
mercer named John Hare.
His father died in 1579, and left "considerable property, both real and personal". After being admitted to the
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and ...
in 1603, he became a clerk of the
Court of Wards and Liveries
The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and liv ...
, a position for which he allegedly paid £3000, until it was abolished in 1660. In his position, he became extremely rich, and survived a £100,000 loss after the court's suppression in 1646. However, all the money and records remained in his possession long after this event.
[
]
Estates
Through his wealth, Audley was able to buy and invest in land. He bought the manor of Ebury, in Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, B ...
, from Lionel Cranfield, the first Earl of Middlesex
Earl of Middlesex was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1622 for Lionel Cranfield, 1st Baron Cranfield, the Lord High Treasurer. He had already been created Baron Cranfield, of Cranfield in the C ...
. Deeply in debt, the Earl sold it cheaply, but had a negative opinion of Audley himself, whom he described as "barbarous", with "looks hat
A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...
show his disposition", and one who bore himself "loftily respectless and peremptory". The property later passed through his great-grandniece, Mary Davies, wife of Sir Thomas Grosvenor. Her inheritance enriched the Grosvenor family through one of Audley's legacies, which still present today: Audley Street, running through the old Ebury estate in Mayfair, is named after Hugh.[ On another occasion, when he bought land in Buckenham, ]Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
, Audley withheld the payments promised and harassed the creditors with law suit
-
A lawsuit is a proceeding by a party or parties against another in the civil court of law. The archaic term "suit in law" is found in only a small number of laws still in effect today. The term "lawsuit" is used in reference to a civil actio ...
s.[ His cunning was revealed and condemned by William Hone, who described an incident with a draper with a £200 debt. Audley bought the debt, for which the draper offered him £50; but Audley refused. Instead, he forced the draper to sign a contract ordering him to pay a penny, doubled every month, for twenty years, which gradually accumulated into more than the actual debt. According to the anonymous and posthumous pamphlet, Audley had "the clue of a resolved mind, which made plaine to him all the rough passages he met with".][
]
Death
Audley died in his 86th year, at the home of the rector of St. Clement Danes
St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes, the current ...
, London, on 15 November 1662. On 21 November, his body was interred in the Temple Church
The Temple Church is a Royal peculiar church in the City of London located between Fleet Street and the River Thames, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters. It was consecrated on 10 February 1185 by Patriarch Heraclius of J ...
in London.[
]
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Audley, Hugh
1662 deaths
English lawyers
1577 births