Sir Robert Oxenbridge (1508–1574) was an English

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 ...

and

Constable of the Tower The Constable of the Tower is the most senior appointment at the Tower of London. In the Middle Ages a constable was the person in charge of a castle when the owner—the king or a nobleman—was not in residence. The Constable of the Tower had a ...

Career

Robert Oxenbridge was the son of Sir

Goddard Oxenbridge Sir Goddard Oxenbridge, KB (died 1537) was an English landowner and administrator from Sussex. Origins Prominent in East Sussex for generations, the family's home in Brede, which he improved and extended, had been built in the 14th century. ...

of Brede, Sussex, who was three times

High Sheriff of Surrey The list of known High Sheriffs of Surrey extends back to 1066. At various times the High Sheriff of Surrey was also High Sheriff of Sussex (1229–1231, 1232–1240, 1242–1567, 1571–1635). 1066–1228 (High Sheriffs of Surrey only) 1229– ...

and

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

. Robert inherited the house at Brede from his cousin in 1550. He was an Esquire of the Body by 1541. He was a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Sussex by 1541 until 1558, Constable of

Pevensey Castle Pevensey Castle is a Middle Ages, medieval castle and former Roman Britain, Roman Saxon Shore fort at Pevensey in the English county of East Sussex. The site is a scheduled monument in the care of English Heritage and is open to visitors. Built ...

, Sussex from 1550 until his death and

and

for 1551–52. He was knighted by 1553. He was also appointed a

Lieutenant of the Tower of London The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like the ...

in 1556 and

in 1557–58. He was elected MP for

East Grinstead East Grinstead is a town in West Sussex, England, near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders, south of London, northeast of Brighton, and northeast of the county town of Chichester. Situated in the extreme northeast of the county, the civ ...

in March 1553 and elected

Knight of the Shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...

(MP) for

in April 1554, 1555 and 1558. He moved to Hampshire in 1558 where he bought

Hurstbourne Priors Hurstbourne Priors is a small village and civil parish in the Basingstoke and Deane district of Hampshire, England. Its nearest town is Whitchurch, which lies approximately 1.8 miles (3.1 km) north-east from the village. The church of St An ...

, near Whitchurch and was appointed

High Sheriff of Hampshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire. This title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959. List of High Sheriffs *1070–1096: Hugh de Port "Domesday Book Online" *1105: Henry de Port (son of Hugh) *1129: W ...

for 1567–68. He died in 1574, leaving Hurstbourne to his wife and his other properties to be shared between her and his son.

Marriages and issue

Oxenbridge married Alice Fogge, widow of Edward Scott (son of Sir William Scott), and daughter and co-heiress of Sir Thomas Fogge of

Ash Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, sergeant porter of

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

during the reigns of Henry VII and

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 ...

,'Parishes: Ham', ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent'': Volume 10 (1800), pp. 37-44
Retrieved 17 September 2013. by whom he had a son and two daughters. Their son, also named Robert, married Elizabeth Cocke, though some sources claim that it is Robert Oxenbridge snr who married her. As the latter predeceased his wife Alice, this is obviously incorrect.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oxenbridge, Robert 1508 births 1574 deaths Lieutenants of the Tower of London High Sheriffs of Surrey High Sheriffs of Sussex High Sheriffs of Hampshire English MPs 1553 (Edward VI) English MPs 1554 English MPs 1555 English MPs 1558 Esquires of the Body People from Brede, East Sussex