Edward Rodney
Encyclopedia
Sir Edward Rodney was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
at various times between 1621 and 1642.
Rodney was the son of Sir John Rodney of Rodney Stoke
Somerset, and his wife Jane Seymour, daughter of Sir Henry Seymour and niece of Queen Jane Seymour
. He was educated at Trowbridge Grammar School and at Magdalen College, Oxford
. He was then a student at Middle Temple
where he "saluted only the law at a distance and mispent his time." In 1611 he accompanied William Seymour
overseas after he escaped from the Tower of London
to meet his wife Arbella Stuart
. Seymour and Arbella were both in close line to the throne and they married secretly and without the King's consent, resulting in Seymour's imprisonment. Arbella was captured and later died in prison. Rodney returned to England later in 1611 leaving Seymour overseas for another four years. Rodney was knighted in May 1614 on the occasion of his marriage to a Lady in waiting to the Queen.
In 1621, Rodney was elected Member of Parliament
for Wells
. He was re-elected MP for Wells in 1624, 1625 and 1626. In 1628 he was elected MP for Somerset
and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. He was re-elected MP for Wells in April 1640 for the Short Parliament
. He was re-elected MP for Wells in the Long Parliament
in November 1640, but was disabled from sitting in August 1642 for supporting the King
Rodney died at the age of 67 and was buried at the Church of St Leonard, Rodney Stoke
where there is a monument.
Rodney married Frances Southwell at Somerset House
in May 1614. She was the daughter of Sir Robert Southwell of Woodrising Norfolk and his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard. She was a Lady of the Privy Chamber to Queen Anna. They had thirteen children, and only one son, George, reached his majority although he died aged 22. Their daughter Penelope married Peter Glenne of Norfolk and their daughter Ann married Sir Thomas Brydges of Keynsham.
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
at various times between 1621 and 1642.
Rodney was the son of Sir John Rodney of Rodney Stoke
Rodney Stoke
Rodney Stoke is a small village and civil parish, located at , 5 miles north-west of Wells, in the English county of Somerset. The village is on the A371 between Draycott and Westbury-sub-Mendip....
Somerset, and his wife Jane Seymour, daughter of Sir Henry Seymour and niece of Queen Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour
Jane Seymour was Queen of England as the third wife of King Henry VIII. She succeeded Anne Boleyn as queen consort following the latter's execution for trumped up charges of high treason, incest and adultery in May 1536. She died of postnatal complications less than two weeks after the birth of...
. He was educated at Trowbridge Grammar School and at Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
. He was then a student at Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
where he "saluted only the law at a distance and mispent his time." In 1611 he accompanied William Seymour
William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset
Sir William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War....
overseas after he escaped from the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
to meet his wife Arbella Stuart
Arbella Stuart
Lady Arbella Stuart was an English Renaissance noblewoman who was for some time considered a possible successor to Queen Elizabeth I on the English throne....
. Seymour and Arbella were both in close line to the throne and they married secretly and without the King's consent, resulting in Seymour's imprisonment. Arbella was captured and later died in prison. Rodney returned to England later in 1611 leaving Seymour overseas for another four years. Rodney was knighted in May 1614 on the occasion of his marriage to a Lady in waiting to the Queen.
In 1621, Rodney was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Wells
Wells (UK Parliament constituency)
Wells is a county constituency centred on the city of Wells in Somerset. It elects one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, by the first past the post voting system...
. He was re-elected MP for Wells in 1624, 1625 and 1626. In 1628 he was elected MP for Somerset
Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)
Somerset was a parliamentary constituency in Somerset, which returned two Members of Parliament , known traditionally as knights of the shire, to the House of Commons of England until 1707, the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from...
and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. He was re-elected MP for Wells in April 1640 for the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
. He was re-elected MP for Wells in the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
in November 1640, but was disabled from sitting in August 1642 for supporting the King
Rodney died at the age of 67 and was buried at the Church of St Leonard, Rodney Stoke
Church of St Leonard, Rodney Stoke
The Church of St Leonard in Rodney Stoke, Somerset, England was built around 1175 and is a Grade I listed building.The interior of the church contains a screen, bearing the date 1624, the gift of Sir Edward Rodney, which includes a representation of the martyrdom of St Erasmus, who was killed by...
where there is a monument.
Rodney married Frances Southwell at Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
in May 1614. She was the daughter of Sir Robert Southwell of Woodrising Norfolk and his wife Lady Elizabeth Howard. She was a Lady of the Privy Chamber to Queen Anna. They had thirteen children, and only one son, George, reached his majority although he died aged 22. Their daughter Penelope married Peter Glenne of Norfolk and their daughter Ann married Sir Thomas Brydges of Keynsham.