Sir Robert Napier, 1st Baronet (1560 – 22 April 1637), of

Luton Hoo Luton Hoo is an English country house and estate near Luton in Bedfordshire and Harpenden in Hertfordshire. Most of the estate lies within the civil parish of Hyde, Bedfordshire. The Saxon word Hoo means the spur of a hill, and is more comm ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

, also referred to as Robert Sandy, was an English merchant.

Origins

He was the second son of Alexander Napier (''alias'' Sandy) of

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, Devon, by his wife Anne Birchley, daughter of Edward Birchley of Hertfordshire. Alexander was a son of Sir Alexander Napier of Scotland, and was a brother of Sir Archibald Napier. He had left Scotland during the reign of King Henry VIII (1509–1547) and settled in the city of Exeter. The Napier family claimed descent from the Scottish Earls of Lennox. Sir Robert's younger brother was Rev.

Richard Napier Richard Napier (1559 – 1 April 1634) was a prominent England, English astrologer and medical practitioner. Life Also known as Dr Richard Sandy, he was the brother of Sir Sir Robert Napier, 1st Baronet, of Luton Hoo, Robert Napier of Luton H ...

(1559–1634), a noted astrologer and Rector of Linford, Buckinghamshire. The arms of Napier of Luton Hoo were: ''Argent, a saltire engrailed between four roses (cinquefoils) gules''.

Career

He lived in

Bishopsgate Street Bishopsgate was one of the eastern gates in London's former defensive wall. The gate's name is traditionally attributed to Earconwald, who was Bishop of London in the 7th century. It was first built in Roman times and marked the beginning of ...

in the

City of London The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...

, was a member of the

Grocers' Company The Worshipful Company of Grocers is one of the 111 livery companies of the City of London, ranking second in order of precedence. Established in 1345 for merchants engaged in the grocery trade, it is one of the Great Twelve City Livery Compan ...

and was a Turkey Merchant, and through trade with

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

amassed a fortune and purchased the estate of Luton Hoo in Bedfordshire. He was knighted in 1611 during the progress from Scotland through England of King James I, who subsequently created him a baronet "of Luton Hoo" on 25 November 1612. He served as

High Sheriff of Bedfordshire This is a list of high sheriffs of Bedfordshire. Pre-Conquest pre-1042: Aelfstan 1042–1066; Godric, Ralph Talgebose Bondi the Staller 1066–1125 *1066-c.1084: Ansculf de Picquigny * Ralph Taillebois *c. 1080 Hugh de Beauchamp *1124 ...

in 1611. In 1613 he was elected

Sheriff of London Two Sheriffs of the City of London are elected annually by the members of the City livery companies. Today's Sheriffs have only ceremonial duties, but the historical officeholders held important judicial responsibilities. They have attended the ...

but declined to serve, for which he was fined 400 marks.

Marriages and children

He married three times: *Firstly to Elizabeth Staper, without children *Secondly to Margaret Barnes, daughter of Richard Barnes, a Citizen of the City of London and member of the

Worshipful Company of Mercers The Mercers' Company, or the Worshipful Company of Mercers, is a livery company of the City of London in the Great Twelve City Livery Companies, and ranks first in the order of precedence of the Companies. Mercer comes from the Latin for merch ...

, without children. *Thirdly to Mary Robinson, daughter of John Robinson, merchant, by whom he had three sons and four daughters as follows: ** Sir Robert Napier, 2nd Baronet (c.1603 –1661), eldest son and heir. ** Sir Richard Napier of Linford **Alexander Napier **Mary Napier, wife of General Sir Thomas Myddelton (1586 –1666) of

Chirk Castle Chirk Castle () is a Grade I listed castle located in Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales, from Chirk railway station, now owned and run by the National Trust. History The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roge ...

, Wales, a Parliamentarian commander during the Civil War. **Christiana Napier, wife of Sir Thomas Eversfield of Sussex. **Sarah Napier, wife of Sir Walter Leach (1599-pre-1637) of Cadeleigh, Devon, son and heir of Sir Simon Leach (1567–1638) of Cadeleigh,

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Kings's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

in 1624. Her kneeling effigy survives on her father-in-law's large monument in Cadeleigh Church, the largest of its kind in Devon. Pevsner, Nikolaus & Cherry, Bridget, The Buildings of England: Devon, London, 2004, p. 241 **Margaret Napier, wife of General Thomas Mytton (c.1597 –1656) of

Halston Roy Halston Frowick (April 23, 1932 – March 26, 1990), known mononymously as Halston, was an American fashion designer, who rose to international fame in the 1970s. Halston's minimalist, clean designs, which were often made of cashmere or ...

, Shropshire, a Parliamentarian commander during the Civil War.

References

Sources

* *

Dictionary of National Biography The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...

*
Burke's Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies
' (2nd edition, London: John Russell Smith, 1844) 1637 deaths 1560 births Robert, 1st Baronet High sheriffs of Bedfordshire

101 101 may refer to: *101 (number), the number * AD 101, a year in the 2nd century AD * 101 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC It may also refer to: Entertainment * ''101'' (album), a live album and documentary by Depeche Mode * "101" (song), a 19 ...

People from Luton 16th-century English merchants 17th-century English nobility 17th-century English merchants {{England-baronet-stub