Sir Robert King (–1657) was an Irish soldier and statesman. He was the eldest son of Sir John King (died 1637),

Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper The Clerk of the Crown and Hanaper was a civil servant within the Irish Chancery in the Dublin Castle administration. His duties corresponded to the offices of Clerk of the Crown and Clerk of the Hanaper in the English Chancery. Latterly, the o ...

and MP for

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

, and his wife Catherine Drury (died 1617), daughter of Robert Drury of Laughlin and Elizabeth Carew, and grand-niece of Sir

William Drury Sir William Drury (2 October 152713 October 1579) was an English statesman and soldier. Family William Drury, born at Hawstead in Suffolk on 2 October 1527, was the third son of Sir Robert Drury (c. 1503–1577) of Hedgerley, Buckinghamshi ...

Lord President of Munster The post of Lord President of Munster was the most important office in the English government of the Irish province of Munster from its introduction in the Elizabethan era for a century, to 1672, a period including the Desmond Rebellions in Munste ...

. His eight siblings included the writer Dorothy Durie and the poet Edward King, whose early death inspired

John Milton John Milton (9 December 1608 – 8 November 1674) was an English poet and intellectual. His 1667 epic poem '' Paradise Lost'', written in blank verse and including over ten chapters, was written in a time of immense religious flux and political ...

to write the poem ''"

Lycidas "Lycidas" () is a poem by John Milton, written in 1637 as a pastoral elegy. It first appeared in a 1638 collection of elegies, ''Justa Edouardo King Naufrago'', dedicated to the memory of Edward King, a friend of Milton at Cambridge who drown ...

"''. His father, who emigrated from

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

to Ireland in the 1580s, became an indispensable Crown servant and a major landowner with estates in twenty-one counties. Robert was Muster Master-general and Clerk of the Cheque in Ireland. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in 1621 and sat as a Member of the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

for

Boyle Boyle is an English, Irish and Scottish surname of Gaelic, Anglo-Saxon or Norman origin. In the northwest of Ireland it is one of the most common family names. Notable people with the surname include: Disambiguation *Adam Boyle (disambiguation), ...

in the Parliaments of 1634 and 1639. He was an MP for

in 1640. He was in England for much of 1642, and was sent to deal with Parliament's affairs in

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

in 1645.

King Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

, distrustful of his loyalty, dismissed him as Muster Master-general. After the failure of the Royalist cause, he threw his influence in favour of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

. He was a member of the

Council of State A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...

in 1653 and sat in the

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 Hou ...

for the counties of Sligo, Roscommon and Leitrim in 1654. He had a reputation as a political moderate, who was willing to work with any faction which would safeguard the interest of the Protestant party in Ireland. He married firstly Frances Folliot, daughter of

Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott (1568–1622) was an English soldier in the Irish army. He fought to suppress O'Doherty's rebellion at the Siege of Tory Island. Birth and origins Henry was born in 1568, the second son of Thomas Folliott ...

and Anne Strode, by whom he had at least two sons and one daughter. She died in 1638. He married secondly Sophia Zouch, daughter of Sir

Edward Zouch Sir Edward Zouch of Woking (died 1634) was a courtier to English kings James and Charles I, a masque actor, and Knight Marshal of the King's Household. He was the son of Sir Willam Zouch or Zouche. His mother's name is not known. Career Marriage ...

, Knight Marshal of the King's Household and

Dorothea Silking Dorothy Silking ( fl. 1608-1640), was a Danish courtier, one of the chamberers in the household of Anne of Denmark. Career Records of the royal household refer to her as "Mistress Dorothy", or "Dorothy Silkin" or "Silken", or "Selken". She was from ...

, a Danish royal lady-in-waiting to Queen

Anne of Denmark Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I; as such, she was Queen of Scotland The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional fo ...

, and widow of

Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon Edward Cecil, 1st Viscount Wimbledon (29 February 1572 – 16 November 1638) was an English military commander and a politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1624. Life Cecil was the third son of Thomas Ceci ...

, by whom he had a daughter, Elizabeth, who married

Sir Thomas Barnardiston, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Barnardiston, 2nd Baronet (c. 1646 – 7 October 1698) was an English nobleman and Whig politician. Life Barnardiston was the son of Sir Thomas Barnardiston, 1st Baronet and Anne Airmine, daughter of Sir William Airmine, 1st Baronet. ...

. He was succeeded by his eldest son and heir by his first wife,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

, who became 1st

Lord Kingston Baron Kingston is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. The first creation came in 1660 when the military commander Sir John King was made Baron Kingston, of Kingston in the C ...

. His youngest son by Frances was

Sir Robert King, 1st Baronet Sir Robert King, 1st Baronet PC (I) (circa 1625 – March 1707) was an Anglo-Irish politician. King was the second son of Sir Robert King and his first wife Frances Folliott, daughter of Henry Folliott, 1st Baron Folliott and Anne Strode. He r ...

. Mary, his daughter by Frances, married firstly Sir William Meredyth, 1st Baronet and secondly

William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh William Feilding, 3rd Earl of Denbigh, 2nd Earl of Desmond (29 December 1640 – 23 August 1685) was an aristocrat in the Peerage of England. He was the son of George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond, and his wife, the former Bridget Stanhope, daugh ...

and had issue by both marriages. His widow outlived him by many years, dying in England in 1691, aged seventy-three.

Notes

References

* Year of birth uncertain 1657 deaths Irish knights Irish MPs 1634–1635 Irish MPs 1639–1649 English MPs 1653 (Barebones) English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Roscommon constituencies {{Ireland-pre1801-MP-stub