Sir Allen Apsley (1567 – 24 May 1630) was an English merchant,

courtier A courtier () is a person who attends the royal court of a monarch or other royalty. The earliest historical examples of courtiers were part of the retinues of rulers. Historically the court was the centre of government as well as the official ...

and landowner,

lord of the manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

Feltwell Feltwell is a village which holds an RAF base 10 miles (16 km) west of Thetford, Norfolk, England, and is in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk. Landmarks and facilities Feltwell has the largest area of any parish in Norfolk. It is ...

, and Naval administrator. He was

Surveyor of Marine Victuals The Surveyor of Marine Victuals later known as the General-Surveyor of Victuals was a civilian officer in the Royal Navy who was a former member of the Navy Board from 1550 until 1679, he was responsible for managing the supply of food, beverage ...

of the Royal Navy from 1612 to 1630.

Biography

Born in London, Apsley was the son of the rich merchant Sir John Apsley in Pulborough, West Sussex, and 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 f ...

, and his wife Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Shelly of Worminghurst, West Sussex. Sir Allen Apsley was first knighted in Ireland, on 5 June 1605. On 31 January 1612 he was appointed joint Surveyor of Marine Victuals of the Royal Navy (with Sir

Marmaduke Darrell Marmaduke Darrell or Darrel or Dayrell (died 1632) was an English courtier, accountant, and naval administrator. Darrell's estates were at Fulmer in Buckinghamshire. He was a Clerk of the Avery to Elizabeth I. Darrell kept an account of the ex ...

) – a post usually held for life. On 3 March 1617 Apsley was appointed

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 ...

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 ...

. Apsley's second wife, Anne, daughter of Sir Peter Carew, Knt.,''The Complete Peerage'' by G.E.Cockayne, edited by the Hon. Vicary Gibbs, and H. Arthur Doubleday, vol.iv, London, 1916, p. 32. was related by marriage to the Villiers family, and Apsley was considered to have won the appointment through the influence of the King's favourite, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham. In 1620, he was one of the founders of the

New England Company The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in New England (also known as the New England Company or Company for Propagation of the Gospel in New England and the parts adjacent in America) is a British charitable organization created to promote ...

.New England Charter
at yale.edu He died on 24 May 1630.

Family

On 23 October 1615, at the City of London church of St Ann Blackfriars, Apsley married Lucy, a daughter of Sir John St John of

Lydiard Tregoze Lydiard Tregoze is a small village and civil parish on the western edge of Swindon in the county of Wiltshire, in the south-west of England. It has in the past been spelt as Liddiard Tregooze and in many other ways. The parish includes the smal ...

, Wiltshire, and his wife Lucy (daughter of Sir

Walter Hungerford (Knight of Farley) Sir Walter Hungerford, Knight of Farley (died December 1596) was an English landowner. In his lifetime he was popularly referred to as the "Knight of Farley" for his renowned sporting abilities. In his youth he recovered the lands forfeited by ...

); and a sister of

Sir John St John, 1st Baronet Sir John St John, 1st Baronet (5 November 1585 – 1648) of Lydiard Tregoze in the English county of Wiltshire, was a Member of Parliament and prominent Royalist during the English Civil War. He was created a baronet on 22 May 1611. Biography ...

. They had two children: *

Allen Allen, Allen's or Allens may refer to: Buildings * Allen Arena, an indoor arena at Lipscomb University in Nashville, Tennessee * Allen Center, a skyscraper complex in downtown Houston, Texas * Allen Fieldhouse, an indoor sports arena on the Unive ...

(1616–1683), became a leading Royalist in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

and a courtier of Charles II after the

Restoration Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration * Restoration ecology ...

*and

Lucy Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Lu ...

(1620–1681), married John Hutchinson an officer in the New Model Army during the Civil War and the Commonwealth. Lucy wrote a biography of her husband's exploits and several other notable works.

Notes

References

* * * 16th-century births 1630 deaths 17th-century Royal Navy personnel People from the City of London 17th-century English merchants 17th-century English landowners Lieutenants of the Tower of London People from Feltwell {{England-business-bio-stub