Sir Robert Dormer of Wing, 1st Baronet, 1st Baron Dormer of Wing

r Wenge R, or r, is the eighteenth letter of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''ar'' (pronounced ), plural ''ars'', or in Irelan ...

'' (26 January 1551 – 8 November 1616) was a 17th-century

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

peer.

Life

Dormer was the third son (but first surviving) of Sir

William Dormer Sir William Dormer, KB (died 17 May 1575) was a Tudor knight, captain and politician. Biography William Dormer was born before 1514, the only child of Sir Robert Dormer of West Wycombe and of Wing, Buckinghamshire, and London (died 2 or 8 July ...

and his second wife, Dorothy (née Catesby). He studied at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1567 and obtained a

B.A. Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

from

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

in 1569. In 1575, Dormer succeeded to the considerable lands and estate of his father in Buckinghamshire and elsewhere, together with a fortune estimated by the Spanish ambassador to amount to 100,000 ducats. Dormer became a Justice of the Peace in 1577. He served as

High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire The High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Anglo-Saxons, Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. High Sheriff, Sheriff is the olde ...

in 1584 and was knighted in 1591. He was returned as Member of Parliament for

Tregony Tregony ( kw, Trerigoni), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parishes in England, civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village th ...

in 1571 and for

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

in 1593. In June 1615, he was created a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

, of Wing (or Wenge). Only a few weeks later he was raised to the peerage as Baron Dormer, of Wing r Wenge in the County of Buckingham.

Family

Dormer married Elizabeth Browne, daughter of

Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu Anthony Browne, 1st Viscount Montagu, KB, PC (29 November 1528 – 19 October 1592) was an English peer during the Tudor period. Biography Anthony Browne was the eldest of the six sons of Sir Anthony Browne by his first wife, Alice Gage (d. ...

, by whom he had six sons and three daughters. Dormer was a brother-in-law of

Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton (pronunciation uncertain: ''RYE-zlee'' (archaic), ''ROTT-slee'' (present-day) and ''RYE-əths-lee'' have been suggested) (24 April 1545 – 4 October 1581), was an English peer. Family Henry Wrioth ...

, who was married to Elizabeth's sister, Mary.Virgoe, Roger. "Dormer, Robert (1551–1616) of Wings, Bucks.", The History of Parliament
/ref> His half-sister,

Jane Jane may refer to: * Jane (given name), a feminine given name * Jane (surname), related to the given name Film and television * ''Jane'' (1915 film), a silent comedy film directed by Frank Lloyd * ''Jane'' (2016 film), a South Korean drama fil ...

, married the Spanish Ambassador,

Gómez Suárez de Figueroa y Córdoba, 1st Duke of Feria Gómez Suárez de Figueroa y Córdoba, 1st Duke of Feria (1520?–1571) was a Spanish nobleman and diplomat, and close advisor of Philip II's. Probably born in Zafra, Extremadura, he was the second son of Lorenzo Suárez de Figueroa, 3rd Count o ...

. His paternal grandmother, Jane Newdigate, was the sister of the Carthusian martyr,

Sebastian Newdigate Sebastian Newdigate, (7 September 1500 – 19 June 1535) was the seventh child of John Newdigate, Sergeant-at-law. He spent his early life at court, and later became a Carthusian monk. He was executed for treason on 19 June 1535 for his refusal to ...

, but both Dormer and his father appear to have conformed to the established church. Nonetheless, Dormer held strong Catholic sympathies as so many of his relatives remained Catholic. Sir William Dormer was a friend of the influential

Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, KG ( – 28 July 1585) of Chenies in Buckinghamshire and of Bedford House in Exeter, Devon, was an English nobleman, soldier, and politician. He was a godfather to the Devon-born sailor Sir Francis Drake ...

, whose patronage seems to have extended to William's son, Robert, and shielded the family somewhat from close scrutiny under the Penal laws despite the fact that Robert had married into the Catholic Montague family. His daughter, Dorothy, married Sir Henry Huddleston, of

Sawston Hall Sawston Hall is a Grade I listed Tudor manor house in Sawston, Cambridgeshire dating from the 16th century. It has many fine features, such as the magnificent Great Hall complete with Elizabethan panelling and a large Tudor fireplace with fireback ...

, noted for a number of

priest holes A priest hole is a hiding place for a priest built into many of the principal Catholic houses of England, Wales and Ireland during the period when Catholics were persecuted by law. When Queen Elizabeth I came to the throne in 1558, there were se ...

Death

Lord Dormer died in November 1616, aged 65, and was interred at

All Saints' Church, Wing All Saints' Church in Wing, Buckinghamshire is a Grade I listed parish church. Its masonry was largely built in the 8th to 11th centuries during the Anglo-Saxon period, making it one of the oldest surviving churches in England. Wing is located ...

, where there is an impressive monument to his memory. He was succeeded in his titles by his grandson

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

, who was created

Earl of Carnarvon Earl of Carnarvon is a title that has been created three times in British history. The current holder is George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. The town and county in Wales to which the title refers are historically spelled ''Caernarfon,'' havi ...

in 1628.

References

Sources

* Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). ''Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage'' (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,

External links

Burial record
findagrave.com. Accessed 3 January 2023. {{DEFAULTSORT:Dormer, Robert Dormer, 1st Baron 1551 births 1616 deaths *01 High Sheriffs of Buckinghamshire 17th-century English nobility English MPs 1571 English MPs 1593 English knights English justices of the peace Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall 16th-century English nobility