The Earl of Leicester
Personal details
Born1 December 1595
Died2 November 1677(1677-11-02) (aged 81)
Penshurst
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1615; died 1659)​
Children
Parent(s)Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester
Barbara Gamage
Alma materChrist Church, Oxford

Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester (1 December 1595 – 2 November 1677) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1625 and then succeeded to the peerage as Earl of Leicester.

Life

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Sidney was born at Baynard's Castle in London,[1] the son of Robert Sidney, 1st Earl of Leicester, and his first wife, Barbara Gamage.[2] He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford. In 1610 he was created Knight of the Bath when Prince Henry was created Prince of Wales. He was elected Member of Parliament for Wilton in 1614.[2]

Sidney served in the army in the Netherlands during his father's governorship of Flushing, and was given command of an English regiment in the Dutch service in 1616. In 1618 he became a member of Gray's Inn.

In 1620 he had a disagreement with James Hay, Viscount Doncaster, who was his brother-in-law, having married Lucy Percy. He wrote that Hay seemed cold to him, despite their wives being friendly. They argued at Petworth, Sidney struggled with Hay's servants and left his hat behind. Other guests made him feel at fault for arguing with a privy councillor.[3]

He was elected one of the two knights of the shire for Kent in 1621. In 1624 he was elected as the member for Monmouthshire and was re-elected for that county in 1625. In 1626, he succeeded his father as Earl of Leicester[2] In 1631, he began the construction of Leicester House, a huge mansion on the site of what is now Leicester Square in London. He was employed on a diplomatic mission to Denmark–Norway in 1632 and undertook further diplomatic work in France from 1636 to 1641.

Lord Leicester was then appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in place of The Earl of Strafford. When the governorship of Dublin became vacant, Leicester appointed George Monck. Charles I, however, overruled the appointment in favour of Lord Lambart. In 1643 he resigned without having set foot in Ireland.

Lord Leicester died at Penshurst at the age of nearly 81. He was "esteemed of great learning, observation and veracity".[2]

Family

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In 1615, Sidney married Lady Dorothy Percy, the daughter of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland and Dorothy Devereux, who was a daughter of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex.[4] They had twelve children, including:

Philip and Algernon supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.

References

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  1. ^ Arthur Collins, Letters and Memorials of State, vol. 1 (London, 1746), pp. 120–1, 370–1.
  2. ^ a b c d W R Williams Parliamentary History of the Principality of Wales
  3. ^ Arthur Collins, Letters and Memorials of State, vol. 1 (London, 1746), pp. 121–7.
  4. ^ Arthur Collins, Letters and Memorials of State, vol. 1 (London, 1746), pp. 121.

Further reading

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Parliament of England Preceded bySir Thomas EdmondesHugh Sandford Member of Parliament for Wilton 1614 With: Thomas Morgan Succeeded byHenry Nevill, 9th Baron BergavennySir Thomas Tracy Preceded bySir Peter ManwoodSir Thomas Walsingham Member of Parliament for Kent 1621 With: Sir George Fane Succeeded byNicholas TuftonSir Edwin Sandys Preceded bySir Edmund MorganCharles Williams Member of Parliament for Monmouthshire 1624–1625 With: Sir William Morgan Succeeded byNicholas ArnoldWilliam Herbert Political offices Preceded byThe Earl of Strafford Lord Lieutenant of Ireland 1640–1641 Succeeded byThe Marquess of Ormonde Honorary titles Preceded byThe Earl of Pembroke Custos Rotulorum of Kent 1642–1646 VacantInterregnum Peerage of England Preceded byRobert Sidney Earl of Leicester 1626–1677 Succeeded byPhilip Sidney
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