Sir John Stradling, 1st Baronet (1563 – 9 September 1637), was an English poet, scholar and politician.

Life

John Stradling was the son of Francis and Elizabeth Stradling of St George, Bristol, and was adopted by his second cousin, Sir Edward Stradling. He was educated under Edward Green, a canon of Bristol, before matriculating at Brasenose College, Oxford in 1580. He graduated BA from

Magdalen Hall Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colle ...

in 1584, having gained a reputation as "a miracle for his forwardness in learning and pregnancy of parts". After studying for a while at one of the inns of court, he travelled abroad. Stradling was Sheriff of Glamorgan for 1608 and 1620.

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 on 15 May 1608, he was then described as living in

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

. In 1609, on the death of Sir Edward Stradling, he inherited

St Donat's Castle St Donat's Castle ( cy, Castell Sain Dunwyd), St Donats, Wales, is a medieval castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, about to the west of Cardiff, and about to the west of Llantwit Major. Positioned on cliffs overlooking the Bristol Channel, the si ...

and estate in Glamorgan. On 22 May 1611 he was created Baronet. Stradling was member of parliament for St. Germans, Cornwall, (1623–1624),

Old Sarum Old Sarum, in Wiltshire, South West England, is the now ruined and deserted site of the earliest settlement of Salisbury. Situated on a hill about north of modern Salisbury near the A345 road, the settlement appears in some of the earliest r ...

(1625), and Glamorgan (1625–1626). To carry out the wishes of Sir Edward, Stradling built, equipped, and endowed

Cowbridge Grammar School Cowbridge Grammar School was one of the best-known schools in Wales until its closure in 1974. It was replaced by Cowbridge Comprehensive School. Founded in the 17th century by Sir John Stradling and refounded by Sir Leoline Jenkins, it had ...

, though the endowment seems to have subsequently lapsed until the school was refounded by Sir

Leoline Jenkins Sir Leoline Jenkins (1625 – 1 September 1685) was a Welsh academic, diplomat involved in the negotiation of international treaties (e.g. Nimègue), jurist and politician. He was a clerical lawyer who served as Judge of the High Court of Admi ...

. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Gage; they had eight sons and three daughters. Their eldest son Edward inherited the title; their fourth son

Henry Henry may refer to: People *Henry (given name) * Henry (surname) * Henry Lau, Canadian singer and musician who performs under the mononym Henry Royalty * Portuguese royalty ** King-Cardinal Henry, King of Portugal ** Henry, Count of Portugal, ...

was a Royalist captain; and their eighth son

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

was Dean of Chichester. Their eldest daughter Jane married William Thomas of Wenvoe, and had a daughter Elizabeth, who married the regicide

Edmund Ludlow Edmund Ludlow (c. 1617–1692) was an English parliamentarian, best known for his involvement in the execution of Charles I, and for his ''Memoirs'', which were published posthumously in a rewritten form and which have become a major source ...

. Stradling enjoyed a great reputation for learning. He "was courted and admired" by

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...

, who quotes him as "vir doctissimus" in his ''Britannia'', by Sir John Harington, Thomas Leyson, and Ioan David Rhys, to all of whom he wrote

epigrams An epigram is a brief, interesting, memorable, and sometimes surprising or satirical statement. The word is derived from the Greek "inscription" from "to write on, to inscribe", and the literary device has been employed for over two millen ...

.James Harrington, in his Preface to George Stradling's ''Sermons''.

Works

Stradling was author or translator of: * (tr.) ''A Direction for travailers taken out of Epistola de Peregrinatione Italica … for the behoofe of the … Earl of Bedford'' by

Justus Lipsius Justus Lipsius (Joest Lips or Joost Lips; 18 October 1547 – 23 March 1606) was a Flemish Catholic philologist, philosopher, and humanist. Lipsius wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatible w ...

, 1592 * (tr.) ''Two bookes of constancie … Englished by J.S.'' by

, 1595 * ''De vita et morte contemnenda libri duo'', 1597 * ''J. Stradlingi epigrammatum libri quatuor'', 1607 * ''Beati Pacifici; a divine poem'', 1623 * ''Divine Poems'', 1625 * ''The storie of the lower borowes of Merthyrmawr'', ed. H. J. Randall and William Rees, South Wales and Monmouth record society, 1932

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stradling, John 1563 births 1637 deaths 16th-century Welsh writers 17th-century Welsh poets 16th-century translators 17th-century translators Alumni of Brasenose College, Oxford High Sheriffs of Glamorgan Welsh knights Baronets in the Baronetage of England Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall Founders of Welsh schools and colleges

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 ...

English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626 Welsh translators