Sir Robert Tracy, 2nd Viscount Tracy (c. 1593–1662) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was re ...

variously between 1620 and 1640. He fought for the

Royalists A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gover ...

in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. Tracy was the son of Sir John Tracy of

Toddington Toddington could be *Toddington, Bedfordshire Toddington is a large village and civil parish in the county of Bedfordshire, England. It is situated 5 miles north-north-west of Luton, north of Dunstable, south-west of Woburn, and 35&nb ...

and his wife Anne Shirley daughter of Sir Thomas Shirley of Wiston Sussex. He matriculated at

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, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

and was admitted to

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court entitled to Call to the bar, call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple (with whi ...

in 1610. He was knighted by King James I at Theobalds on 2 October 1616.W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Gloucester''
/ref> In 1620, Tracy was elected Member of Parliament for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

and held the seat until 1622. He was re-elected MP for Gloucestershire in 1626. In April 1640, he was re-elected MP for Gloucestershire in the

Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on 20 February 1640 and sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640. It was so called because of its short session of only three weeks. After 11 years of per ...

Browne Willis Browne Willis (16 September 1682 – 5 February 1760) was an antiquary, author, numismatist and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1705 to 1708. Early life Willis was born at Blandford St Mary, Dorset, the eldest son of Thomas Wi ...

''Notitia parliamentaria, or, An history of the counties, cities, and boroughs in England and Wales: ... The whole extracted from mss. and printed evidences'' 1750 pp 229-239
/ref> In the Civil War, Tracy was a Commissioner for King Charles I and fought against the Parliamentary forces at Cirencester and the Siege of Gloucester in 1643. He surrendered to Colonel Massey in 1645 and was compounded for delinquency in 1647. He was assessed to pay a fine, beginning at £4000, reduced to £2000, then £1,500 and finally £360. He inherited the

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify their generation, official position, military rank, professional or academic qualification, or nobility. In some languages, titles may be ins ...

on the death of his father around 1648. He took the oath of fidelity to the Government in 1650 and was discharged under the Act of Pardon 1652. Tracy died aged around 69 and was buried at Toddington on 2 May 1662. Tracy married firstly in 1617 Bridget Lyttelton, daughter of John Lyttelton, of

Frankley Frankley is a village and civil parish in Worcestershire. The modern Frankley estate is part of the New Frankley civil parish in Birmingham, and has been part of the city since 1995. The parish has a population of 122. History Frankley is li ...

Court, Worcestershire and his wife Meriel Bromley, daughter of Sir

Thomas Bromley Sir Thomas Bromley (153011 April 1587) was a 16th-century lawyer, judge and politician who established himself in the mid-Tudor period and rose to prominence during the reign of Elizabeth I. He was successively Solicitor General for England and ...

, Lord Chancellor. They had eight children including his successor John Tracy. He married as his second wife Dorothy Cocks, daughter of Thomas Cocks, of Castleditch, Herefordshire and his wife Anne Elton, daughter of Ambrose Elton, of Ledbury, and had further issue, including the senior judge Robert Tracy.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Tracy, Robert Tracy, 2nd Viscount 1590s births 1662 deaths English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1626 English MPs 1640 (April) 17th-century English knights Politicians from Gloucestershire Cavaliers Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Knights Bachelor