Sir Walter Pye (1571 – 26 December 1635) of The Mynde, Herefordshire was an English barrister, 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. T ...

from 1621 and 1629.

Early life

Pye was baptised on 1 October 1571 the eldest son of Bridget ( Kyrle) Pye and Roger Pye of The Mynde at Much Dewchurch in

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 Monmouthsh ...

. His brother Robert Pye was also an MP and his maternal grandfather was Thomas Kyrle of

Walford Walford is a fictional borough of east London in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. It is the primary setting for the soap. ''EastEnders'' is filmed at Borehamwood in Hertfordshire, towards the north-west of London. Much of the location work ...

. He was educated at St John's College, Oxford and became a barrister at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

Career

He succeeded to his father's estates in 1591 and was elected MP for

Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, su ...

in 1597. He was favoured by Buckingham and was made justice in Glamorgan, Breconshire and Radnorshire on 8 February 1617. In 1621 he became attorney-general 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 ...

. Also 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 o ...

for

Brecon Brecon (; cy, Aberhonddu; ), archaically known as Brecknock, is a market town in Powys, mid Wales. In 1841, it had a population of 5,701. The population in 2001 was 7,901, increasing to 8,250 at the 2011 census. Historically it was the coun ...

. He was re-elected for Brecon in 1624 and in 1625. In 1626 he was elected MP for Brecon and for

and chose to sit for Herefordshire. He was re-elected MP for Herefordshire in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. He was knighted at Whitehall on 29 June 1630.

Personal life

On 22 July 1602, Pye married Joan Rudshall (d. 1625), daughter of William Rudshall of Rudshall,

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 ...

. Together, they were the parents of seven sons and eight daughters, including: * Joanna Pye (b. 1606), who married Thomas Beale. * Anne Pye (1608–1689), who died unmarried. * Sir Walter Pye (1610–1659), who married Elizabeth Sanders, daughter of John Sanders. * Alice Pye (1612–1662), who married Sir

Henry Lingen Sir Henry Lingen (23 October 1612 – 22 January 1662), Lord of Sutton, Lingen and Stoke Edith, was a Royalist military commander in Herefordshire during the English Civil War, and later a member of parliament. He was the son of Edward Lingen a ...

. * Mary Pye (b. 1618), who married Sir

Thomas Tomkins Thomas Tomkins (1572 – 9 June 1656) was a Welsh-born composer of the late Tudor and early Stuart period. In addition to being one of the prominent members of the English Madrigal School, he was a skilled composer of keyboard and consort mus ...

in 1633. * John Pye (1620–1701), who married Blanche Lingen, sister to Sir

. * Frances Pye (1621–1701), who married Henry Vaughan, of

Bredwardine Bredwardine is a village and civil parish in the west of Herefordshire, England. Significant parish landmarks include a brick bridge over the River Wye, the historic ''Red Lion'' late 17th-century coaching inn, St Andrew's Church, and the site ...

. After his death, she married Edward Cornewall of Moccas Court. After the death of his first wife, he married Hester ( Ireland) Crispe (1568–), daughter of John Ireland of London and widow of

Ellis Crispe Ellis Crispe (1562–1625) was a merchant, alderman and Sheriff of London. He was born in Marshfield, Gloucestershire the son of Thomas Crispe and Elizabeth Steward. He was baptised on 23 May 1562. He was a member of the Salters Company. He was m ...

, alderman of London, on 31 October 1628. From her first marriage, she was the mother of

Sir Nicholas Crispe, 1st Baronet Sir Nicholas Crispe, 1st Baronet (c. 1599 – 26 February 1666 ( O.S)) was an English Royalist and a wealthy merchant who pioneered the West African trade in the 1630s; a customs farmer (1640 and c. 1661-6); Member of Parliament for Winchelsea N ...

and

Tobias Crisp Tobias Crisp D.D. (1600–1643) was an English clergyman and reputed antinomian. In the end he proved a divisive figure for English Calvinists, with a serious controversy arising from the republication of his works in the 1690s. Life In 1600, Tob ...

, among others. Pye died on 26 December 1635, at the age of 64, and was buried at Much Dewchurch where there is an elaborate alabaster monument to his memory. His widow died .

Descendants

Through his son Walter, he was a grandfather of Walter Pye, Baron Kilpeck (–1690), and Robert Pye, who married Meliora Drax, a daughter of Sir

James Drax Sir James Drax ( – 1662) was an English planter in the colonies of Barbados and Jamaica. Born in England, Drax travelled to the English colony of Barbados, acquiring ownership of several sugar plantations and a number of enslaved Africans. Drax ...

. Through his daughter Frances, he was a grandfather of Roger Vaughan (–1672), MP for Hereford, and Henry Cornewall (–1717), MP for

Weobley Weobley ( ) is an ancient settlement and civil parish in Herefordshire, England. Formerly a market town, the market is long defunct and the settlement is today promoted as one of the county's black and white villages owing to its abundance of ...

Notes

References