Sir John Chudleigh, MP

DEVON1586Family and Education b. 1564, 2nd s. of Christopher Chudleigh (d. by 1571) of Ashton by Christian, da. and h. of William Strechley. m. (1) Elizabeth, da. of Sir George Speake, 3s. inc. George 3da. suc. bro. 1572.

Offices Held

Biography Chudleigh’s grandfather was a commissioner for church goods in Devon under the 1st Earl of Bedford; his father was a Marian exile; a cousin was recorder of London and a ‘favourer of godly religion’. Chudleigh himself, and his elder brother, whom he eventually succeeded, were wards of the 2nd Earl of Bedford.

At the age of 19 Chudleigh sailed in the Delight on Sir Humphrey Gilbert’s last expedition, and was thenceforth associated with others of the Gilbert family and with Sir Walter Ralegh, his fellow knight of the shire for Devon in 1586. On 5 Nov. that year Chudleigh introduced a bill concerning cloth making in Devon.1 He was commended for valour at sea during the Armada campaign of 1588, and the next year, having borrowed money from a number of his friends, he set off on an expedition to raid the treasure port of Peru. One of his five ships was wrecked off France, and the others, including the one in which Chudleigh sailed, disappeared and were presumed to have foundered in the Straits of Magellan, Chudleigh’s own date of death being given in his inquisition post mortem as 6 Nov. 1589. His widow was granted the administration of his estate in 1590, but this was later renounced in favour of a creditor.

Ref Volumes: 1558-1603 Author: P. W. Hasler Notes

This biography is based upon the Roberts thesis.

1. D’Ewes, 394.

• 'John Chudleigh1
• 'M, b. circa 1565
• Father Christopher Chudleigh2 b. c 1530, d. 1 Oct 1570
• Mother Christian Stretchley2 b. c 1532
• ' John Chudleigh was born circa 1565 at of Ashton, Devonshire, England; Age 7 in 1572.1 He married Elizabeth Speke, daughter of George Speke, circa 1582 at of White Lackington, Somersetshire, England.2
• 'Family Elizabeth Speke b. c 1563
• Child
  • ◦Bridget Chudleigh1 b. c 1583, d. 13 Apr 1612
• Citations
• 1.[S11576] A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England, Ireland, and Scotland, by John Burke, Esq. and John Bernard Burke, Esq., p. 100.
• 2.[S61] Unknown author, Family Group Sheets, SLC Archives.
• From: http://our-royal-titled-noble-and-commoner-ancestors.com/p2917.htm#...
• _______________
• 'John Chudleigh1
• 'M, #204129, d. 6 October 1589
• Last Edited=16 Mar 2007
• ' John Chudleigh was the son of Christopher Chudleigh.2 He died on 6 October 1589.2
• ' He lived at Ashton, Devon, England.1
• 'Children of John Chudleigh and Elizabeth Speke
  • 1.Bridget Chudleigh+1
  • 2.Sir George Chudleigh, 1st Bt.+2 b. c 1578, d. c 1657
• Citations
• 1.[S15] George Edward Cokayne, editor, The Complete Baronetage, 5 volumes (no date (c. 1900); reprint, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 1983), volume II, page 125. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Baronetage.
• 2.[S15] George Edward Cokayne, The Complete Baronetage, volume I, page 206.
• From: http://www.thepeerage.com/p20413.htm#i204129
• _________________________
• Sir George Chudleigh, 1st Baronet (c. 1578 – 15 January 1658) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1625. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War after opposing the king initially.
• Chudleigh was the son of 'John Chudleigh, of Ashton, Devon, and his wife Elizabeth Speke, daughter of George Speke, of West Lackington, Somerset. He succeeded his father when he was eleven years old'. He matriculated at New College, Oxford on 26 November 1596, aged 18. In 1601 he was elected Member of Parliament for St. Michaels. He was elected MP for East Looe in 1614 and for Lostwithiel in 1621. He was created baronet of Ashton on 1 August 1622. In 1624 he was elected MP for Tiverton. He was elected MP for Lostwithiel again in 1625.
• Chudleigh opposed the King at the start of the Civil War, but later, with his son, took up arms for the King and published, in 1643, a declaration of his reasons for doing so. He is said "to have paid dear" for his loyalty.
• Chudleigh married Mary Strode, daughter of Sir William Strode, of Newnham, Devon in or before 1606.
• From: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_George_Chudleigh,_1st_Baronet
• ______________________