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About Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham
- 'Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham (22 November 1564 – 24 January 1618 (Old Style)/3 February 1619 (New Style)) was an English peer who was implicated in the Main Plot against the rule of James I of England.
- Life
- 'The son of William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham, he was educated at King's College, Cambridge.[1] In 1597 he succeeded his father as Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports under Queen Elizabeth. Shortly after the accession of James I, he was implicated in the 'treason of the main' in 1603. His brother George was executed, and Henry was imprisoned in the Tower of London by James I, probably in an attempt to obtain the Cobham estates for the Duke of Lennox.
- 'He was the second husband of Lady Frances Howard, daughter of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham and Katherine Carey, Countess of Nottingham.
- 'He may have been the subject of a number of Elizabethan satires such as Thomas Nashe's Lenten Stuffe, Ben Jonson's Every Man in his Humour, and may have been the model of Shakespeare's Falstaff, who was originally given the name 'Oldcastle'. Sir John Oldcastle was an ancestor of Lord Cobham. Though Falstaff is more likely modeled on his father William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham (also descended from John Oldcastle) who was married to Francis Newton, whose family name was originally Caradock; referenced in 2 Henry IV when Falstaff sings "The Boy and the Mantle," a ballad in which Sir Caradoc's wife comes away with her fidelity and reputation intact (McKeen 1981). This could point to William Brooke, being married to a Caradock such as the Sir Cacadoc in the ballad sung by Falstaff, as the model for Falstaff rather than Henry, being the son of a Caradock.
- Cobham and the Main Plot
- 'Contemporary accounts portray Cobham as a good natured but unintelligent man. He opposed the ascension of James I to the throne, along with Lord Grey of Wilton, allegedly for pro-Catholic reasons. In fact, Cobham's dislike of James probably did arise from quarrels over religious policy, but Lord Grey was anti-Catholic and opposed James for his monetary policies. Cobham shows little political activity prior to James's time, and he seems generally to have been an uninvolved peer. His brother, Sir George Brooke, on the other hand, was involved in radical religious politics.
- 'In 1603, the first year of James I's rule, both Brookes were involved in plots against the king. George Brooke entered into the radical and absurd Bye Plot with two Catholic priests, Watson and Clarke, to kidnap the king and privy council, and force them to ease the political persecution of English Catholics.
- 'At the very same time, Grey and Cobham entered into the Main Plot to raise a regiment of soldiers and force a coup d'etat. Cobham and Grey were to raise one-hundred and sixty thousand pounds (a figure that could be safely multiplied by twenty to convert to contemporary money) to bribe or hire an army. Cobham was to be the go-between with the Count of Aremberg, who would do the actual negotiations with the Spanish court for the money. The conspirators, upon seizing government, would depose James and put Lady Arabella Stuart on the throne in his stead.
- 'It is very likely that none of the offers from Aremberg were in good faith, and it is exceptionally unlikely that the Spanish court, already deeply indebted to banks in Belgium and Netherlands and having lost its armada and many of its galleons to English pirates, was in any position to offer such an astronomical sum to an unlikely intrigue. However, Cobham believed the offers. He spoke with Sir Walter Raleigh about contacting Aremberg, and he was readying to set forth.
- 'However, the Bye plot was discovered through its hireling "swordsmen," and the Bye plot conspirators were imprisoned. George Brooke may have sought to avoid a death sentence by informing on his brother. In any case, he provided information on the Main plot, and Grey, Cobham, and Ralegh were imprisoned in the Tower. During the trial, the evidence was shown to be inconsistent, especially in regard to Raleigh. The Bye plot conspirators were executed in 1603, and the Main plot conspirators were left in the Tower. In 1604 (new style), Cobham's honors in the Knights of the Garter were taken down and expelled.
- Cobham, aged and sick, was released from the Tower in 1618, and died a year later in a "dingy apartment in the Minories."[2]
- References
- 1.^ Brooke or Brookes, Henry in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
- 2.^ Mark Nicholls. "Brooke, Henry, eleventh Baron Cobham (1564-1619)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (2004)
- McKeen, David (1981). A Memory of Honour: The Life of William Brooke, Lord Cobham V.1 Institut Fur Anglistik und Amerikanistik Universitat Salzburg
- Lex Scripta on the Bye and Main plots
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Brooke,_11th_Baron_Cobham
- _____________
- 'Henry BROOKE (6° B. Cobham)
- 'Born: 22 Nov 1564, Cobham Hall, Cobham, Kent, England
- 'Died: 24 Jan 1618/9, Tower of London, London, Middlesex, England
- 'Notes: Knight of the Garter. 8th Lord Cobham. Member of Parliament for Kent from 1588 to 1589. Member of Parliament for Hedon, East Riding of Yorkshire in 1593. Warden of the Cinque Ports between 1597 and Jul 1603. He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Bath. Implicated together with his brother George Brooke; Markham; Watson and Sir Walter Raleigh in the Bye Plot, probably in an attempt to obtain the Cobham estates for the Duke of Lennox. Joined in the plot in support of Lady Arabella Stuart's claim to the throne, known as "the Treason of Maine". Condemned to death, his achievements as K.G. were taken down and kicked out of the west doors of St. George's Chapel, 16 Feb 1604. He was not executed but remained a prisoner in the Tower until his death. He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.
- Father: William BROOKE (5° B. Cobham)
- Mother: Frances NEWTON (B. Cobham)
- 'Married: Frances HOWARD (C. Kildare/B. Cobham) contract 27 May 1601
- http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/BROOKE1.htm#Henry BROOKE (6° B. Cobham)
- __________
- 'Sir Henry Brooke, 11th Lord Cobham (of Kent)1
- 'M, #11819, b. 22 November 1564, d. 24 January 1618/19
- Last Edited=20 Feb 2011
- Consanguinity Index=0.0%
- ' Sir Henry Brooke, 11th Lord Cobham (of Kent) was born on 22 November 1564.3 He married Lady Frances Howard, daughter of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham and Katherine Carey, circa 27 May 1601.3 He died on 24 January 1618/19 at age 54 at Tower of London, The City, London, England, without issue.4
- ' He was the son of Sir William Brooke, 10th Lord Cobham (of Kent) and Frances Newton.1 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Kent from 1588 to 1589.3,5 He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Bath (K.B.).1 He held the office of Member of Parliament (M.P.) for Hedon, East Riding of Yorkshire in 1593.3,5 He held the office of Warden of the Cinque Ports between 1597 and July 1603.5 He succeeded to the title of 11th Lord Cobham [E., 1313] in October 1597.3 He was invested as a Knight, Order of the Garter (K.G.) on 23 April 1599.3,5 In 1604 he was attainted with his brother George and his honours forfeited (including the Order of the Garter). He was not executed but remained a prisoner in the Tower until his death.1 He has an extensive biographical entry in the Dictionary of National Biography.6
- Citations
- 1.[S6] G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume II, page 288. Hereinafter cited as The Complete Peerage.
- 2.[S3409] Caroline Maubois, "re: Penancoet Family," e-mail message to Darryl Roger Lundy, 2 December 2008. Hereinafter cited as "re: Penancoet Family."
- 3.[S21] L. G. Pine, The New Extinct Peerage 1884-1971: Containing Extinct, Abeyant, Dormant and Suspended Peerages With Genealogies and Arms (London, U.K.: Heraldry Today, 1972), page 78. Hereinafter cited as The New Extinct Peerage.
- 4.[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume III, page 350.
- 5.[S6] Cokayne, and others, The Complete Peerage, volume III, page 349.
- 6.[S18] Matthew H.C.G., editor, Dictionary of National Biography on CD-ROM (Oxford, U.K.: Oxford University Press, 1995), reference "Henry Brooke". Hereinafter cited as Dictionary of National Biography.
- http://thepeerage.com/p1182.htm#i11819
- __________________
- Henry Brooke, 8th Lord Cobham (d.1619), engraved by R. Cooper (engraving) (b/w photo)
- http://www.bridgemanart.com/image/Garrard-Marc-19th-century/Henry-B...
- _______________
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Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham's Timeline
| 1564 |
November 22, 1564
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Cobham, Kent,England
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| 1618 |
January 24, 1618
Age 53
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London, Middlesex,England
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