Sir Walter Cope ( – 30 July 1614) of Cope Castle in the parish of

Kensington Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in the West End of London, West of Central London. The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up b ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, England, was Master of the

Court of Wards The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and liv ...

Chamberlain of the Exchequer Chamberlain may refer to: Profession *Chamberlain (office), the officer in charge of managing the household of a sovereign or other noble figure People *Chamberlain (surname) **Houston Stewart Chamberlain (1855–1927), German-British philosop ...

, public Registrar-General of Commerce and a

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

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 ...

Origins

Walter Cope, probably born at Hardwick Manor near

Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, was the third son of Edward Cope (d.1557) of

Hanwell, Oxfordshire Hanwell is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire, about northwest of Banbury. Its area is and its highest point is about above sea level. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 263. Early history Remains of a substantial R ...

by his wife Elizabeth Mohun, a daughter of Walter Mohun of

Overstone, Northamptonshire Overstone is a village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary ...

. Walter's mother later remarried to George Carleton of

Wollaston, Northamptonshire Wollaston is a village and civil parish in North Northamptonshire, England, about south of the market town of Wellingborough. The 2011 census recorded the population of the parish, including Strixton, as 3,491. Wollaston is from above sea le ...

. He was the grandson of Sir Anthony Cope and Jane Crewys and was a second cousin of Lady Burghley.

Career

In 1570 he entered

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 ...

as a law student. He became a Gentleman Usher to

William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley (13 September 15204 August 1598) was an English statesman, the chief adviser of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State (1550–1553 and 1558–1572) and Lord High Treasurer from 1 ...

, and in 1574 was appointed as feodary for Oxfordshire for the

Court of Wards and Liveries The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and l ...

. By 1593 he had become Burghley's secretary and the trusted friend of Sir

Sir Robert Cecil Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury, (1 June 156324 May 1612), was an English statesman noted for his direction of the government during the Union of the Crowns, as Tudor England gave way to Stuart rule (1603). Lord Salisbury served as the ...

, Burghley's son. In 1601 he was also appointed feodary for the

City of London The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...

and

. In 1603 Cope travelled to

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

to welcome King

James VI James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguat ...

of Scotland at his proclamation as King

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

of England and was subsequently

knight 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 church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

ed at

Worksop Worksop ( ) is a market town in the Bassetlaw District in Nottinghamshire, England. It is located east-south-east of Sheffield, close to Nottinghamshire's borders with South Yorkshire and Derbyshire, on the River Ryton and not far from the nor ...

. On 2 September 1603 Cope organised a demonstration of a

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

paddled on the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

near

Cecil House Cecil House refers to two historical mansions on The Strand, London, in the vicinity of the Savoy. The first was a 16th-century house on the north side, where the Strand Palace Hotel now stands. The second was built in the early 17th century on th ...

by three Virginian Indians from

Tsenacommacah Tsenacommacah (pronounced in English; "densely inhabited land"; also written Tscenocomoco, Tsenacomoco, Tenakomakah, Attanoughkomouck, and Attan-Akamik) is the name given by the Powhatan people to their native homeland, the area encompassing all ...

. In January 1605, he planned a revival of

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's nation ...

's play ''

Love's Labour's Lost ''Love's Labour's Lost'' is one of William Shakespeare's early comedies, believed to have been written in the mid-1590s for a performance at the Inns of Court before Elizabeth I of England, Queen Elizabeth I. It follows the King of Navarre and ...

'' by

Cuthbert Burbage Cuthbert Burbage (c. 15 June 1565 – 15 September 1636) was an English theatrical figure, son of James Burbage, builder of the Theatre in Shoreditch and elder brother of the actor Richard Burbage. From 1589 he was the owner of the ground le ...

's theatre company at Cecil House to entertain James' consort,

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 ...

. In 1604 Cope was elected a

for

in James' first

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised t ...

. His assistance was begged for by

Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester (10 March 1573 – 15 February 1632) was an English art collector, diplomat and Secretary of State. Early life He was the second son of Anthony Carleton of Brightwell Baldwin, Oxfordshire, and of Joyc ...

who had been incorrectly suspected of involvement in the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...

. In 1605 Cope began building a grand house for himself known as Cope Castle, in

, near

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, subsequently inherited by his daughter, Isabel, Countess of Holland, and later known as

Holland House Holland House, originally known as Cope Castle, was an early Jacobean country house in Kensington, London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. He was made a

Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber Gentleman Usher and Lady Usher are titles for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. For a list of office-holders from the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 up to the present day see List of Ushers. Gentleman Ushers as serv ...

for life by 1607. In 1608 he was given a life position of

and in October of that year was granted one-sixth of all fines received by the king for the following twenty-one years. In 1611 or 1612, he was appointed the public Registrar-General of Commerce and together with Cecil, joint-keeper of

Hyde Park Hyde Park may refer to: Places England * Hyde Park, London, a Royal Park in Central London * Hyde Park, Leeds, an inner-city area of north-west Leeds * Hyde Park, Sheffield, district of Sheffield * Hyde Park, in Hyde, Greater Manchester Austra ...

, a royal park near his home at Kensington. Following the death of James' eldest son

Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (19 February 1594 – 6 November 1612), was the eldest son and heir apparent of James VI and I, King of England and Scotland; and his wife Anne of Denmark. His name derives from his grandfathers: Henry Stuar ...

in November 1612, the king spent the night at Cope Castle, and was joined there the following day by his next son

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

and by his daughter Princess Elizabeth and by

Frederick V, Elector Palatine Frederick V (german: link=no, Friedrich; 26 August 1596 – 29 November 1632) was the Elector Palatine of the Rhine in the Holy Roman Empire from 1610 to 1623, and reigned as King of Bohemia from 1619 to 1620. He was forced to abdicate both r ...

. Shortly afterwards the king appointed Cope as Master of the Court of Wards. During the

Addled Parliament The Parliament of 1614 was the second Parliament of England of the reign of James VI and I, which sat between 5 April and 7 June 1614. Lasting only two months and two days, it saw no bills pass and was not even regarded as a Parliament by its c ...

of 1614, Sir Thomas Parry, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, was found to have fraudulently altered an elector's return after his nominees, including Cope (to whom he had offered one of the Stockbridge seats), had been refused; Cope's election was subsequently annulled.

Marriage and children

Cope married Dorothy Grenville, a daughter of Richard Grenville (1527-1604) of

Wotton Underwood Wotton Underwood is a village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, north of Thame, Oxfordshire. The toponym is derived from the Old English for "farm near a wood". It is recorded in the ''Anglo-Saxon Chronicle'' of AD 848 as ''Wudotun ...

, Buckinghamshire but left no sons, only a daughter and sole heiress: *Isabel Cope, who married Sir Henry Rich, 1st Baron Kensington, 1st Earl of Holland (1590-1649).

Death and burial

In 1614 occurred the death of Cope's elder brother

Sir Anthony Cope, 1st Baronet Sir Anthony Cope, 1st Baronet (c. 1548 – 6 July 1614) of Hanwell in Oxfordshire, was an English Puritan Member of Parliament. Origins Anthony Cope was the second son of Edward Cope (d. 1557) (son of the author Anthony Cope (d. 1551)) by his ...

, who had been made 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 ...

in 1611. Within a month of his brother's death, Cope became unwell, and died at Cope Castle on 30 July 1614. He was buried in the parish church of Kensington. Chamberlain later speculated that Cope's heart had been broken by the loss of his brother and by his heavy debts, supposedly over £26,000, and by the prospect of losing the Mastership of the Wards.

Notes

References

* * * *

External links

Family tree of Cope at thePeerage.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cope, Walter 1550s births 1614 deaths Year of birth unknown People from Banbury English MPs 1589 English MPs 1601 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall