Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton
Encyclopedia
Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton (1548 – 1628) was an English diplomat and administrator.

From 1612 to 1613, he served as a Lord of the Treasury
Lord of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom, there are at least six Lords of the Treasury who serve concurrently. Traditionally, this board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the Treasury, and four or more junior lords .Strictly they are commissioners for exercising the office of Lord...

. Wotton was Treasurer of the Household
Treasurer of the Household
The position of Treasurer of the Household is theoretically held by a household official of the British monarch, under control of the Lord Steward's Department, but is, in fact, a political office held by one of the government's Deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons...

 from 1616 to 1618, and also served as Lord Lieutenant of Kent
Lord Lieutenant of Kent
This is a list of people who have served as Lord-Lieutenant of Kent. Since 1746, all Lords Lieutenant have also been Custos Rotulorum of Kent.-Lords Lieutenant of Kent:*Sir Thomas Cheney 1551–?*William Brooke, 10th Baron Cobham 3 July 1585 – 6 March 1597...

 from 1604 until 1620.

Life

Wotton, born in 1548, was the eldest son of Thomas Wotton (1521–1587)
by his first wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Sir John Rudston, lord mayor of London.
[see under , 1489-1661]
Sir Henry Wotton
Henry Wotton
Sir Henry Wotton was an English author and diplomat. He is often quoted as saying, "An ambassador is an honest gentleman sent to lie abroad for the good of his country." -Life:The son of Thomas Wotton , brother of Edward Wotton, 1st Baron Wotton, and grandnephew of the diplomat...

 was his half-brother. Edward does not appear to
have been educated at any English university, but made up for the deficiency by long study on the continent. In 1579 Bernardino de Mendoza
Bernardino de Mendoza
Bernardino de Mendoza was a Spanish military commander, a diplomat and a writer on military history and politics.- Life and works :Bernardino de Mendoza was born in Guadalajara, Spain around 1540...

,
the Spanish ambassador, stated that Wotton had spent three or four years among
the Spanish residents at Naples, and described
him as "a man of great learning and knowledge of languages."Cal. Simancas MSS.1568-79, pp. 672, 679 He was certainly
an accomplished French, Italian, and
Spanish scholar; Mendoza also thought him
"a creature of Walsingham
Francis Walsingham
Sir Francis Walsingham was Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security...

's," but was unable
to discover what his religion was. He was
early employed in diplomatic business by
Walsingham, and in 1574-6 was acting as
secretary to the embassy at Vienna, Sir Philip Sidney
Philip Sidney
Sir Philip Sidney was an English poet, courtier and soldier, and is remembered as one of the most prominent figures of the Elizabethan Age...

 being for a time associated
with him in these duties. In May
1579 Wotton was sent to congratulate the
new king of Portugal on his accession, and
on his way back had audience of Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....

 at Segovia
Segovia
Segovia is a city in Spain, the capital of Segovia Province in the autonomous community of Castile and León. It is situated north of Madrid, 30 minutes by high speed train. The municipality counts some 55,500 inhabitants.-Etymology:...

. In January 1583-4 it was proposed
to send him to Spain to protest against
Mendoza's conduct in England, and to explain
his summary expulsion by Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...

.
(Sir) William Waad was, however,
sent instead, and on 9 Nov. following Wotton
was returned to parliament as one of
the knights of the shire
Knights of the Shire
From the creation of the Parliament of England in mediaeval times until 1826 each county of England and Wales sent two Knights of the Shire as members of Parliament to represent the interests of the county, when the number of knights from Yorkshire was increased to four...

 for Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...

,

In May 1586 Elizabeth, alarmed at the
progress of the Catholic League
Catholic League (French)
The Catholic League of France, sometimes referred to by contemporary Roman Catholics as the Holy League, a major player in the French Wars of Religion, was formed by Duke Henry of Guise in 1576...

 in France
and the success of Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma
Alexander Farnese was Duke of Parma and Piacenza from 1586 to 1592, and Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592.-Biography:...

 in
the Netherlands, selected Wotton as envoy
to Scotland to persuade James VI to enter
into an offensive and defensive alliance, and
to take the Dutch under his protection. He
was also to suggest James's marriage to
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark was queen consort of Scotland, England, and Ireland as the wife of King James VI and I.The second daughter of King Frederick II of Denmark, Anne married James in 1589 at the age of fourteen and bore him three children who survived infancy, including the future Charles I...

 or Arabella Stewart, but
it was not till six years later that the former
scheme was adopted. Wotton received his
instructions at the hands of his friend Sir
Philip Sidney on 15 May, was at Berwick
Berwick
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a border town in the north of England.Berwick may also refer to:- England :*Berwick Street Market, London*Berwick, Sussex**Berwick railway station*Berwick St John, Wiltshire...


on the 26th, and was received by James VI
at Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...

 on the 30th. "Doué de qualités brillantes, et qui excellait dans tous
les exercices que Jacques VI aimait de prédilection,
il ne tarda pas à prendre le plus
grand ascendant sur l'esprit du jeune prince."
, Papiers d'État, ii, 728) At first
Wotton's success appeared complete; James
agreed to the proposal for an offensive and
defensive league, and on 28 June the lords
and estates approved. In the same month,
however, the exiled Scots in England made
a raid into Scotland, supported by an English
force, and, though Elizabeth ordered the
arrest of the offenders, James, with some
reason, suspected the complicity of the English
government, and feared a repetition of
the attempts to restore the exiled lords by
force. Moreover Arran
James Stewart, Earl of Arran
Captain James Stewart, Earl of Arran was created Earl of Arran by the young King James VI, who wrested the title from James Hamilton, 3rd Earl of Arran...

's influence over the
king was still supreme, and Arran was
strenuously supported by the French party.
A fresh complication arose with the murder
of Francis, lord Russell, on 27 July.see
under , second

Fernihurst was the criminal, but
Arran was implicated, and Elizabeth now
sought to use the circumstance to ruin him.
Wotton demanded his arrest and removal to
England for trial, but James merely confined
him in St. Andrews
St Andrews Castle
St Andrew's Castle is a picturesque ruin located in the coastal Royal Burgh of St Andrews in Fife, Scotland. The castle sits on a rocky promontory overlooking a small beach called Castle Sands and the adjoining North Sea. There has been a castle standing at the site since the times of Bishop Roger...

, whence he was soon
released and resumed his ascendancy over
James. Wotton's position was now precarious,
and in August Arrans ally, Sir
William Stewart
William Stewart of Houston
Sir William Stewart of Houston was a Scottish soldier, politician and diplomat.-Life:He began his career as a soldier in the Netherlands, where he became a colonel and entered into communications with Lord Burghley on the progress of affairs. In the year 1582 he was in Scotland, where James VI...


openly insulted him in the king's presence.
Elizabeth, however, hesitated to risk an open
breach with James by effective support of
her ambassador, but the despatch of Castelnau de Mauvissière
Michel de Castelnau
Michel de Castelnau, Sieur de la Mauvissière , French soldier and diplomat, ambassador to Queen Elizabeth, was born in Mauvissière, , Touraine about 1520...

 by Henri III to Scotland
reinforced French influence at Edinburgh,
strengthened James in his refusal to give up
Arran, and made Wotton's success hopeless.
He now advocated an incursion by the
exiled lords, supported by an English force,
and the seizure of James and Arran as the
only means of restoring English prestige;
but, aware of the danger to himself in such
an event, he begged for his recall. This
was granted on 11 Oct., but before Walslngham's
letters could arrive Wotton had on his
own authority crossed the border, and on
the 12th he was at Berwick.full details of Wotton's negotiations are given in Cotton MSS.
Calig. C. viii-ix
Addit. MS. 32657, ii. 83-223Hamilton Papers, 1343-99. pp.
643-708
Border Papers, 1560-94, Nos. 335-876Thorpe, Cal. Scottish State Papers, i.
495-5l2
Teulet, Papiers d'État, Bannatyne Club
Bannatyne Club
The Bannatyne Club was founded by Sir Walter Scott to print rare works of Scottish interest, whether in history, poetry, or general literature. It printed 116 volumes in all. It was dissolved in 1861....

, ii. 728, iii. 404-6
Cal. Simancas MSS. 1580-6, pp. 646-52

For some time after his return Wotton
was occupied in local administration in
Kent. In 1586, however, he was sent to
France to explain to Henry III the intrigues
against Elizabeth of Mary Queen of Scots,
certified transcripts of her letters in connection
with the Babington plot
Babington Plot
The Babington Plot was a Catholic plot in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the English throne. It led to the execution of Mary. The long-term goal was an invasion by the Spanish forces of King Philip II and the Catholic league in...

 being sent him
with directions how to use them.(Addit. MS.
33256, ff. 172-205
Cal. Simancas MSS.
1587-1603, p. 178
his instructions dated
29 Sept. in Cotton. MS. Calig. E. vi. 302
Bernard, Cat. MSS. Anglica, iii. 5270, f. 240) On 16 Feb. 1586-7 he was one of the pallbearers at Sidney's funeral, and later
in the year he succeeded his father at Boughton Malherbe
Boughton Malherbe
For other "Boughtons" in Kent see Boughton under Blean; Boughton Malherbe; and Boughton MonchelseaBoughton Malherbe is a village and civil parish in the Maidstone district of Kent, England, situated between Maidstone and Ashford...

, and on 5 January 1567-6 he was
admitted student of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...

. In 1591
he was knighted, and in 1594-5 he served
as High Sheriff of Kent
High Sheriff of Kent
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post have been transferred elsewhere or are now defunct, so that its functions...

. Addit. MS. 33924, f. 16
In 1595-6 he vainly petitioned Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley
William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley , KG was an English statesman, the chief advisor of Queen Elizabeth I for most of her reign, twice Secretary of State and Lord High Treasurer from 1572...

 for
the treasurership of the chamber, (Lansd. MS.
lxxix. 19)
and in March 1597 he was
an unsuccessful candidate for the post of Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports
The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century but may be older. The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports was originally in charge of the Cinque Ports, a group of five port towns on the southeast coast of England...

. About the same time it was proposed
to make him secretary of state,Collins, Letters and Mem. ii. 25, 27, 30,54 but, this
failing, Wotton made strenuous but vain
efforts to secure a peerage.ib. ii. 85-8 In
1599, on an alarm of a Spanish invasion, he
was appointed treasurer of a 'camp' to be
formed, and in May 1601 he was offered but
declined the post of ambassador in France.
On 23 Dec. 1602 he was made comptroller of the household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...

 and was sworn of the privy council; on 17 January 1602-3 Chamberlain
Chamberlain (office)
A chamberlain is an officer in charge of managing a household. In many countries there are ceremonial posts associated with the household of the sovereign....


wrote: "The court has flourished more than
ordinary this Christmas. The new comptroller
has put new life into it by his example,
being always freshly attired and chiefly in
white." On 19 Feb. following he was appointed
to negotiate with Scaramelli, the
Venetian ambassador.Cal. State Papers,
Venetian, ix. 1135


James I continued Wotton in the office
of comptroller, and on 13 Mar created him
Baron Wotton
Baron Wotton
Baron Wotton was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1603 for Sir Edward Wotton, of Boughton Place, Boughton Malherbe, Kent, a descendant of Nicholas Wotton , twice Lord Mayor of London, who married Joan Corbye, heiress of Boughton Malherbe and...

 of Marley, co. Kent.Addit. MS.
34218, f. 190b
In November he was
one of the lords who tried Sir Walter Raleigh
Walter Raleigh
Sir Walter Raleigh was an English aristocrat, writer, poet, soldier, courtier, spy, and explorer. He is also well known for popularising tobacco in England....

.Addit. MS. 6177, f. 137The Arraignment of Sr Walter Rawliegh . . . before Lord Wotton . . ., London, 1643, 4toEdwards, Life of Raliegh) During the early years of
James I's reign Wotton was lord-lieutenant
of Kent,Egerton MS. 880, passim; Harl. MS.
6846, f. 42
but in August 1610 he
was sent as ambassador extraordinary to
France to congratulate Louis XIII on his accession.John Sherren Brewer
John Sherren Brewer
John Sherren Brewer was an English clergyman, historian and scholar. He was a brother of E. Cobham Brewer, compiler of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable.- Birth and education :Born in Norwich, the son of a Baptist schoolmaster...

, Court and Times of James I,
i. 131
instructions in Stowe MS. 177, ff.
131-8)
On his return in October he brought
Isaac Casaubon
Isaac Casaubon
Isaac Casaubon was a classical scholar and philologist, first in France and then later in England, regarded by many of his time as the most learned in Europe.-Early life:...

 to England in his
suite.Casaubonorum Epistoler, pp. 361-2
In June 1612 he was nominated commissioner
of the treasury on Salisbury's death.
In November 1616 he was made treasurer of
the household, but on 23 Dec. 1617 he was
"persuaded" to retire from that office by the
payment of five thousand pounds. This did
not satisfy him, and he clung to office some
weeks longer in the vain hope of extracting
a viscountancy as a further compensation. He
was excluded from the council on Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...

's
accession on the ground of being a catholic., v. 419; , Court and Times of Charles I, i. 8) He retired to
Boughton Malherbe, where he died early in
1626; the inquisitio post mortem was taken
on 12 April.6 Charles I, vol. iii. no. 92

Family

Wotton married, first, on 1 Sept. 1575,
Hester, daughter of Sir William Puckering,
who died on 8 May 1592, and was buried in
Boughton Malherbe church; and secondly,
Margaret, daughter of Philip Wharton, 3rd Baron Wharton
Philip Wharton, 3rd Baron Wharton
Philip Wharton, 3rd Baron Wharton was an English peer of the Wharton barony. He was named after his godfather, Philip II of Spain. He inherited the title of Baron when he was 17 years old....

, who survived until 1652.see
Calendar of the Committee far Compounding,
p. 2309; Addit. MS. 5494, f. 197; and
Lords' Journals, vii. 302, 388, viii. 254, 315,
ix. 118
Wotton had issue by his first wife
only, a son Thomas and a daughter Philippa,
who married Sir Edmund Bacon
Sir Edmund Bacon, 2nd Baronet
Sir Edmund Bacon, 2nd Baronet was an English baronet and politician.He was the oldest son of Sir Nicholas Bacon, 1st Baronet of Redgrave, Suffolk and his wife Anne Butts, only daughter of Edmund Butts. His younger brother was Sir Butts Bacon, 1st Baronet. He was educated at Corpus Christi College,...

. Thomas
succeeded as second baron, but, being of weak
health and a catholic, took little part in politics.
He died, aged 43, on 2 April 1630, and
was buried in Boughton Malherbe church; his
widow was in February 1632-3 fined 500 pounds
by the court of high commission for removing
the font in the church to make room for her
husband's tomb and for inscribing on it "a
bold epitaph" stating that he died a Roman Catholic.Court and Times of Charles I, ii.
227; , Works, v. 311
He married, on
(6 June 1608, Mary (1590–1658), daughter of
Sir Arthur Throckmorton
Arthur Throckmorton
Sir Arthur Throckmorton was an English courtier and politician.He was the second son of the diplomat Sir Nicholas Throckmorton of Beddington, Surrey and was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. His sister Elizabeth incurred the Queen's displeasure by secretly marrying Sir Walter Raleigh...

, and had issue four
daughters: Katherine
Katherine Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield
Katherine Stanhope, Countess of Chesterfield was the governess and confidante of Mary, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange.She was born eldest daughter to Thomas Wotton, 2nd Baron Wotton and his wife, Mary, daughter of Sir Arthur Throckmorton of Paulerspury, Northamptonshire.She first married...

, who inherited Boughton
Malberbe, and married, first, Henry Stanhope, Lord Stanhope
Henry Stanhope, Lord Stanhope
Henry Stanhope, Lord Stanhope KB , known as Sir Henry Stanhope until 1628, was an English noble and politician.He was the second and next surviving son of Philip Stanhope, 1st Earl of Chesterfield and his wife first Catherine, daughter of Francis Hastings, Lord Hastings, oldest son of George...

, by whom she was mother of Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield
Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield PC was a peer in the peerage of England.-Personal life:He was the son of Henry Stanhope, Lord Stanhope and his wife, Katherine Wotton. He inherited the title of Earl of Chesterfield on the death of his grandfather in 1656...

;
secondly. John Polyander à Kirkhoven; and, thirdly,
Daniel O'Neill
Daniel O'Neill (royalist)
Daniel O'Neill was an Irish army officer, politician and courtier.-Early life:O'Neill was the eldest son of Con MacNiall O'Neill, lord of Clandeboye and his wife, Ellis...

; Hester (d. 1649), who
was third wife of Baptist Noel, third viscount Campden; Margaret, who married
Sir John Tufton; and Anne, who married
Sir Edward Hales, father of Sir Edward Hales, titular earl of Tenterden.
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