Rowland Bulkeley, MP

amily and Education b. c.1526, 2nd s. of Sir Richard Bulkeley, and bro. of Sir Richard. ?m. Elizabeth, da. of Rhys Wynn of Bodychen, Llandrygarn, Anglesey.1

Offices Held Capital burgess, Beaumaris 1562.2

Biography As was stated on his first return to Parliament, Rowland Bulkeley was a son of Sir Richard Bulkeley, late chamberlain of North Wales, and thus the younger brother of Sir Richard Bulkeley, then deputy constable of Beaumaris castle. A leading burgess of Beaumaris, he became a member of the privileged, self-perpetuating town council which was named on its charter of incorporation of 1562. It is thus somewhat surprising that, after sitting in the first two Marian Parliaments, he was not to do so again during the all but 40 remaining years of his life. Nothing is known of his role in the Commons save that he was not among those Members of Mary’s first Parliament who ‘stood for the true religion’, that is, for Protestantism; after 1558 he may have been debarred by religious conservatism, although he is to be distinguished from his namesake of Longslow, Shropshire, who was listed as a recusant in 1590.3

Bulkeley’s life appears to have left little trace save for an unfortunate accident in which he was involved. On 29 Sept. 1564 while practising archery outside the town he accidentally killed John Thickness. It was his cousin William Bulkeley II who as borough coroner conducted the post-mortem examination which he reported at Beaumaris castle on 2 Oct., and within a month Rowland Bulkeley received a pardon. There is no certain evidence of Bulkeley’s death but it is presumably his monument in Beaumaris church which records the death of a Rowland Bulkeley on 20 Aug. 1592. His widow may have married Richard Bulkeley, knight of the shire for Anglesey in the Parliament of 1589.4

Ref Volumes: 1509-1558 Author: P. S. Edwards