The Rt Hon. Edward Conway, 2nd Viscount Conway, PC ( bapt. 10 August 1594 – 26 June 1655), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

politician, military commander,

bibliophile Bibliophilia or bibliophilism is the love of books. A bibliophile or bookworm is an individual who loves and frequently reads and/or collects books. Profile The classic bibliophile is one who loves to read, admire and collect books, often ama ...

and peer.

Early life and education

Conway was the eldest son of The 1st Viscount Conway and his wife, Dorothy, and was baptised on 10 August 1594 in Arrow, Warwickshire. He matriculated from

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassical architecture, ...

, on 3 May 1611 and is thought to have learnt military strategy from his uncle by marriage, Sir Horace Vere. He was knighted on 25 March 1618, and in 1621, he married Frances Popham (a daughter of Sir Francis Popham). He succeeded his father in the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Be ...

in January 1631.

Political and military service

Conway was nominated by Lord Brooke to become

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

Warwick Warwick ( ) is a market town, civil parish and the county town of Warwickshire in the Warwick District in England, adjacent to the River Avon, Warwickshire, River Avon. It is south of Coventry, and south-east of Birmingham. It is adjoined wit ...

between 1624 and 1625, and in 1626, he was elected for Yarmouth (Isle of Wight). In 1628, after his father was created Viscount Conway and Viscount Killultagh, Conway was summoned to parliament in the right of the Conway barony. He succeeded his father to his titles following his death on 3 January 1631. Lord Conway unsuccessfully commanded Charles I's forces at the

Battle of Newburn The Battle of Newburn, also known as The Battle of Newburn Ford, took place on 28 August 1640, during the Second Bishops' War. It was fought at Newburn, just outside Newcastle, where a ford crossed the River Tyne. A Scottish Covenanter army o ...

in 1640. He became an Irish Privy Counsellor, Marshal of the Army in Ireland, and was served as a member of the

Westminster Assembly of Divines The Westminster Assembly of Divines was a council of divines (theologians) and members of the English Parliament appointed from 1643 to 1653 to restructure the Church of England. Several Scots also attended, and the Assembly's work was adopte ...

from 1643 to 1649. He was briefly imprisoned after being implicated in the plot by

Edmund Waller Edmund Waller, FRS (3 March 1606 – 21 October 1687) was an English poet and politician who was Member of Parliament for various constituencies between 1624 and 1687, and one of the longest serving members of the English House of Commons. S ...

and others to seize London for the king.

Personal life

Like his father, Lord Conway had a particular interest in English literature, with literary connections including Sir John Beaumont,

Michael Drayton Michael Drayton (1563 – 23 December 1631) was an English poet who came to prominence in the Elizabethan era. He died on 23 December 1631 in London. Early life Drayton was born at Hartshill, near Nuneaton, Warwickshire, England. Almost nothin ...

Ben Jonson Benjamin "Ben" Jonson (c. 11 June 1572 – c. 16 August 1637) was an English playwright and poet. Jonson's artistry exerted a lasting influence upon English poetry and stage comedy. He popularised the comedy of humours; he is best known for t ...

John Donne John Donne ( ; 22 January 1572 – 31 March 1631) was an English poet, scholar, soldier and secretary born into a recusant family, who later became a cleric in the Church of England. Under royal patronage, he was made Dean of St Paul's Cathe ...

, and Sir John Suckling. In 1643, his London library was catalogued as containing 5,000 or more volumes, and his library at Lisnagarvey in

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population ...

contained between 8,000 and 9,900 books and manuscripts. He retired to the house of The 10th Earl of Northumberland in

Petworth Petworth is a small town and civil parish in the Chichester District of West Sussex, England. It is located at the junction of the A272 east–west road from Heathfield to Winchester and the A283 Milford to Shoreham-by-Sea road. Some twe ...

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 Englis ...

, in the early 1650s. He later travelled abroad and died in

Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

on 26 June 1655. He was buried in

Arrow An arrow is a fin-stabilized projectile launched by a bow. A typical arrow usually consists of a long, stiff, straight shaft with a weighty (and usually sharp and pointed) arrowhead attached to the front end, multiple fin-like stabilizers ...

, and his titles passed to his only son,

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sax ...

, who was later created

Earl of Conway The Earl of Conway was an aristocratic title in the Peerage of England. The earldom was created in 1679 for Edward Conway, 3rd Viscount Conway (c.1623-1683), subsequently Secretary of State for the Northern Department. When Edward Conway died in ...

. His daughter Dorothy married Sir George Rawdon, 1st Baronet.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Conway, Edward Conway, 2nd Viscount 1590s births 1655 deaths Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Members of the Privy Council of Ireland 17th-century English soldiers Lay members of the Westminster Assembly 17th-century soldiers English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1626 Viscounts Conway Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland