Robert Lougher (died 1585) 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 ...

clergyman, lawyer 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. ...

in 1572. He was twice Principal of

New Inn Hall, Oxford New Inn Hall was one of the earliest medieval halls of the University of Oxford. It was located in New Inn Hall Street, Oxford. History Trilleck's Inn The original building on the site was Trilleck's Inn, a medieval hall or hostel for st ...

Life and career

Lougher was born in

Tenby Tenby ( cy, Dinbych-y-pysgod, lit=fortlet of the fish) is both a walled seaside town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the western side of Carmarthen Bay, and a local government community. Notable features include of sandy beaches and the Pembroke ...

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 ...

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

, the youngest son of Thomas Lougher, alderman of Tenby.W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the Principality of Wales''
/ref> He became a fellow of

All Souls College, Oxford All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...

in 1553, obtaining degrees of BCL in 1558 and DCL in 1565. He was ordained priest, and was appointed

Archdeacon of Totnes The Archdeacon of Totnes or Totton is the senior ecclesiastical officer in charge of one of the oldest archdeaconries in England. It is an administrative division of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter and under the oversight of the Bishop suf ...

in 1562. Lougher was appointed Principal of

in 1564, admitted to

Doctors' Commons Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil (as opposed to common) law in London, namely ecclesiastical and admiralty law. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawyers, the society had buildi ...

in 1565 and then became Regius Professor of Civil Law at

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 1566. He resigned his position at New Inn Hall in 1570. He was named in the 1571 foundation charter of

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 ...

as one of the original eight fellows. In 1572, although a cleric, 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 Pembroke. He was again Principal of New Inn Hall from 1575 to 1580, after his successor, Dr Felix Lewes, had been removed for non-residence.Aston, T.H. (ed.), ''The History of the University of Oxford, Volume III: The Collegiate University'', pp. 264-265 In 1577, he was appointed official of the consistory and vicar-general in spirituals to

Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York Edwin Sandys (; 1519 – 10 July 1588) was an English prelate. He was Anglican Bishop of Worcester (1559–1570), London (1570–1576) and Archbishop of York (1576–1588) during the reign of Elizabeth I of England. He was one of the translators ...

. Lougher avoided repeating the offence of Felix Lewes, even though he simultaneously served also as Chancellor of the

Diocese of Exeter The Diocese of Exeter is a Church of England diocese covering the county of Devon. It is one of the largest dioceses in England. The Exeter Cathedral, Cathedral Church of St Peter in Exeter is the seat of the diocesan Bishop of Exeter. It is pa ...

, and

Rector Rector (Latin for the member of a vessel's crew who steers) may refer to: Style or title *Rector (ecclesiastical), a cleric who functions as an administrative leader in some Christian denominations *Rector (academia), a senior official in an edu ...

of three parishes in the county of

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

. Lougher died in 1585 and was buried in Tenby. Lougher married Elizabeth Rastall, daughter John Rastall at Tenby on 3 June 1583 or 1585. His son

John Lougher John Lougher (died 8 January 1636) was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1601. Lougher was the son of Robert Lougher of Tenby, Pembrokeshire and was educated at St Mary Hall, Oxford, where he graduated BA in 1594. He became a ...

also sat as MP for Pembroke.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lougher, Robert 1585 deaths Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford Fellows of Jesus College, Oxford People from Tenby 16th-century Welsh Anglican priests Archdeacons of Totnes Welsh lawyers Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales Principals of New Inn Hall, Oxford Year of birth unknown Members of Doctors' Commons English MPs 1572–1583 Regius Professors of Civil Law (University of Oxford)