Sir Robert Pye (1585–1662) was an English courtier, administrator 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. ...

between 1621 and 1629. He supported the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

cause in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

Biography

Pye was the son of Roger Pye of The Mynde at

Much Dewchurch Much Dewchurch ( cy, Llanddewi Rhos Ceirion) is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. The village lies about south of Hereford. The parish includes the hamlet of Kivernoll and part of the village of Wormelow. The Old Vicarage ...

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

. He became Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer under King James I in 1620. In 1621 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

Bath Bath may refer to: * Bathing, immersion in a fluid ** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body ** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe * Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities Plac ...

and was re-elected for Bath in 1624. In 1625 he was elected MP for Ludgershall and in 1626 he was elected MP for

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. He was elected MP for

Grampound Grampound ( kw, Ponsmeur) is a village in Cornwall, England. It is at an ancient crossing point of the River Fal and today is on the A390 road west of St Austell and east of Truro.Ordnance Survey: Landranger map sheet 204 ''Truro & Falmouth'' ...

in 1628. He purchased the manor and estate of

Faringdon Faringdon is a historic market town in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England, south-west of Oxford, north-west of Wantage and east-north-east of Swindon. It extends to the River Thames in the north; the highest ground is on the Rid ...

, then in Berkshire from the Unton family. Pye was a supporter of the King and on this account was deprived of his office in 1642. During the Civil War, he garrisoned his mansion at Faringdon for the Royalists, and it was stoutly besieged, by his own son,

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 espoused the

Parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...

cause. Following the Restoration, Pye was restored to his post as Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer and held it until his death in 1662 at the age of 77.

Family

Pye married Mary, daughter of John Croker of

Batsford Batsford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. The village is about 1½ miles north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh. There is a falconry centre close to the village and Batsford Arboretum is nearby, ...

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

they had several children: *

(ca. 1620–1701), his heir, supported Parliament in the Civil War *

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 ...

(1626–1697), who lived at Hone, in Derbyshire, and became a baronet with the creation of the Baronetcy Pye of Leckhampstead on 27 April 1641. *

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

('' fl.'' 1641–1697), became a nonconformist patron and political activist, and married

George Speke George Speke (1623–1689) was an English politician. A Royalist during the English Civil War, after the Restoration of Charles II he became an early Whig supporter in Parliament. Life Speke was from Whitelackington, near Ilminster in Somerse ...

(1623–1689). *Anne, married

Edward Phelips Edward Phelips may refer to: * Sir Edward Phelips (speaker) (c. 1555/60–1614), English lawyer and politician, Speaker of the English House of Common and subsequently Master of the Rolls * Sir Edward Phelips Jr. (1638–1699), English landowner a ...

Pye's brother Walter Pye was also an MP.

Notes

References

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Pye, Robert 1585 births 1662 deaths Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall People from Faringdon Cavaliers People from Herefordshire 16th-century English people People from Westminster People from Bath, Somerset English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626 English MPs 1628–1629 Pye family