Sir Peter Gleane, 1st Baronet (c. 1619 – 7 February 1696) was a member of the

East Anglia East Anglia is an area of the East of England, often defined as including the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire, with parts of Essex sometimes also included. The name derives from the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of the East Angles, ...

gentry Gentry (from Old French , from ) are "well-born, genteel and well-bred people" of high social class, especially in the past. ''Gentry'', in its widest connotation, refers to people of good social position connected to Landed property, landed es ...

and Member of the

Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the Great Council of England, great council of Lords Spi ...

Life

He was baptised in 1619, the eldest son of Thomas Gleane (died 1661) and Elizabeth Brewse. His father was descended from major merchants in

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

during the Tudor era – Thomas' grandfather had bought Hardwick in Norfolk as his family seat and his father

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

had sat for

between 1628 and 1629. Thomas remained neutral in the Civil War, but Peter raised two foot companies 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 ...

at his own expense during 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 ...

and served in the regiment of Sir Thomas Bridges of Somerset – he is recorded as a Lieutenant of Foot around 1643, possibly rising to Captain by 1645. During the

Protectorate A protectorate, in the context of international relations, is a State (polity), state that is under protection by another state for defence against aggression and other violations of law. It is a dependent territory that enjoys autonomy over ...

he continued to be suspected of Royalist sympathies and around 1650 he married Penelope Rodney (died 1690), daughter of Sir Edward Rodney of

Rodney Stoke Rodney Stoke is a small village and civil parish, located at , 5 miles north-west of Wells, in the English county of Somerset. The village is on the A371 between Draycott and Westbury-sub-Mendip. The parish includes the larger village of Dra ...

- the couple had two sons and one daughter. On the

English Restoration The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...

in 1660 he became a major in the militia and a lieutenant in the volunteer horse, whilst the following year he succeeded his father and the following year he became a commissioner for "loyal and indigent officers". A baronetcy was created for him on 6 March 1666 during the 2nd Anglo-Dutch War, in which he served as Lieutenant Colonel of

Lord Townshend Marquess Townshend is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain held by the Townshend family of Raynham Hall in Norfolk. The title was created in 1787 for George Townshend, 4th Viscount Townshend. History The Townshend family descends from Rog ...

's Regiment of Foot. He was Townshend's second in command and led the defence of

Great Yarmouth Great Yarmouth ( ), often called Yarmouth, is a seaside resort, seaside town which gives its name to the wider Borough of Great Yarmouth in Norfolk, England; it straddles the River Yare and is located east of Norwich. Its fishing industry, m ...

. He became a commissioner for

recusant Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

s in 1675 but he and Townshend were both removed from local office in 1676. During the

Exclusion Crisis The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1679 until 1681 in the reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Three Exclusion Bills sought to exclude the King's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, ...

he actively favoured barring

James, Duke of York James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

from the succession for his Roman Catholicism. He then stood with Sir John Hobart for

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

in autumn 1679, gaining

dissenters A dissenter (from the Latin , 'to disagree') is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Dissent may include political opposition to decrees, ideas or doctrines and it may include opposition to those things or the fiat of ...

' support and beating the two pro- Charles II candidates. In his victory speech to the freeholders Gleane promised that: He was appointed to five committees during the Second Exclusion Parliament and was re-elected in 1681. This second election finally broke his finances, however, and in 1682 he erected his own tomb in the chancel of the church at Hardwick, though he was never buried in it. It is inscribed: In 1686 pressure was put on him to pay the £1095 fee for his baronetcy, but Laurence Hyde, 1st Lord of the Treasury quashed this. Matters were so dire just before his death that he had to sell Hardwick to Sir John Holland and his eldest son had to live off a £20 a year pension from the county rates until even that was withdrawn and he was thrown into the

Fleet Prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...

. He died in 1694 and was buried at Hardwick. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Thomas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gleane, Peter English justices of the peace Baronets in the Baronetage of England 1696 deaths English MPs 1679 English MPs 1681 Cavaliers Military personnel of the Anglo-Dutch Wars Year of birth uncertain Members of the Parliament of England for Norfolk People from Shelton and Hardwick