Sir James Perrot (1571 – 4 February 1636) was a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peop ...

writer and 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. ...

at various times between 1597 and 1629. He was the illegitimate son of

Sir John Perrot Sir John Perrot (7 November 1528 – 3 November 1592) served as Lord Deputy of Ireland, lord deputy to Queen Elizabeth I of England during the Tudor conquest of Ireland. It was formerly speculated that he was an illegitimate son of Henry VIII, t ...

, who was himself falsely rumoured to be an illegitimate son of

Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. Perrot is now thought to have been born at Westmead Mansion in the Lordship of Laugharne, Carms. where he lived with his mother, Sybil Jones and sister Mary until moving to the ancestral family home at Haroldston near Havefordwest sometime after 1597 when he finally secured its lease by proxy. The actual date of the move is unknown but was probably before his marriage to Mary Ashfield in 1602. It was enabled by the partial settlement of a protracted legal dispute with his legitimate half-brother's widow over his father's estates which continued until her death in 1619. The battle in court over his patrimony was then carried on by his father's uncle Thomas Perrot of Brook (adjacent to the Westmead) and later by John Laugharne of St Brides, the son of Sir John's daughter Lettice. Perrot spent two years at

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship St ...

, from 1586, when he was aged 14, and became a member of

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

in 1590. In 1597, he 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 of ...

for

Haverfordwest Haverfordwest (, ; cy, Hwlffordd ) is the county town of Pembrokeshire, Wales, and the most populous urban area in Pembrokeshire with a population of 14,596 in 2011. It is also a community, being the second most populous community in the county, ...

. History of Parliament Online – Perrot, James
/ref> Perrot wrote ''Discovery of Discontented Minds'' (1596) and ''The First Part of the Considerations of Humane Conditions'' (1600). He also wrote, in later life, ''Meditations and Prayers on the Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments'' (1630). Perrot was

Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Pembrokeshire. * John Vaughan bef. 1544 – bef. 1558 * Thomas Cathern bef. 1558 – bef. 1562 * Sir John Perrot bef. 1562–1592 * Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex bef. ...

between 1601 and sometime after 1608. He was knighted in 1603 and was first on the list of aldermen when

received its charter at the beginning of the reign of

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

. In 1604, he was elected MP for Haverfordwest again, and subsequently re-elected in 1614 and 1621. In the 1621 Parliament, Perrot was a prominent critic of the proposed marriage between

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

and Maria Anna, Infanta of Spain and lost royal favour. He was honourably banished to Ireland with a position in the commission of enquiry being held by

Sir Dudley Digges Sir Dudley Digges (19 May 1583 – 18 March 1639) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1629. Digges was also a "Virginia adventurer," an investor who ventured his capital in the Virginia ...

. In 1624 he was elected MP for

Pembrokeshire Pembrokeshire ( ; cy, Sir Benfro ) is a Local government in Wales#Principal areas, county in the South West Wales, south-west of Wales. It is bordered by Carmarthenshire to the east, Ceredigion to the northeast, and the rest by sea. The count ...

and in the same year he leased the royal mines in Pembrokeshire. Perrot was elected MP for Haverfordwest again in 1626 and 1628. He served as deputy vice-admiral, then vice-admiral, for the Earl of Pembroke. He advocated action against wreckers and the fortification of

Milford Haven Milford Haven ( cy, Aberdaugleddau, meaning "mouth of the two Rivers Cleddau") is both a town and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales. It is situated on the north side of the Milford Haven Waterway, an estuary forming a natural harbour that has ...

, and subscribed £37 10s to the

Virginia Company The Virginia Company was an English trading company chartered by King James I on 10 April 1606 with the object of colonizing the eastern coast of America. The coast was named Virginia, after Elizabeth I, and it stretched from present-day Main ...

. Perrot died in 1636 and was buried in

St Mary's Church, Haverfordwest St Mary's Church is an Anglican church in the centre of Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, Wales, prominently visible at the top of the town's High Street. The church dates from the 12th century and is a Grade I listed building History The nave, main ...

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Perrot, James 1571 births 1636 deaths People from Pembrokeshire Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Knights Bachelor Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales Welsh non-fiction writers

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

16th-century Welsh writers 17th-century Welsh writers 16th-century male writers 17th-century male writers English MPs 1597–1598 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1626 English MPs 1628–1629