Robert Foley (MP)
Encyclopedia
Robert Foley of Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...

 was the son of Robert Foley
Robert Foley (ironmonger)
Robert Foley of Stourbridge was a son of Richard Foley, the most important ironmaster of his time in the west Midlands, by his second marriage ....

 (d. 1676).

Biography

He succeeded to his father's business as an ironmonger and naval
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...

 contractor for ironware. His contract with the Navy Board
Navy Board
The Navy Board is today the body responsible for the day-to-day running of the British Royal Navy. Its composition is identical to that of the Admiralty Board of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom, except that it does not include any of Her Majesty's Ministers.From 1546 to 1831, the Navy...

 has been printed, and lists 30 different kinds of nails and nearly 60 other species of iron goods. However, he lost his contract to the rising Ambrose Crowley
Ambrose Crowley
Sir Ambrose Crowley III was a 17th century English ironmonger.-Early years:He was the son of Ambrose Crowley II , a Quaker Blacksmith in Stourbridge but rose Dick Whittington-style to become Sheriff of London .-Career:...

.

He also inherited from his father a fine house in Stourbridge
Stourbridge
Stourbridge is a town within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley, in the West Midlands of England. Historically part of Worcestershire, Stourbridge was a centre of glass making, and today includes the suburbs of Amblecote, Lye, Norton, Oldswinford, Pedmore, Wollaston, Wollescote and Wordsley The...

 High Street (next door to the Talbot Inn, but now incorporated into the Talbot Hotel); an estate at Netherton
Netherton, West Midlands
Netherton is a town in the West Midlands within the Metropolitan Borough of Dudley. It lies around south of the town of Dudley and north of Cradley Heath...

 in Dudley; and the manor of Kenswick
Kenswick, Worcestershire
Kenswick is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England.-External links:*...

 in Knightwick
Knightwick
Knightwick is a village and civil parish in the Malvern Hills District in the county of Worcestershire, England.-External links:*...

. He settled the latter (at least) on his marriage to Anne daughter of Dudley Lord North
Dudley North, 4th Baron North
Dudley North, 4th Baron North K.B. was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1660.-Life:...

. There were several children including Dudley Foley and his heir North Foley.

The second Robert represented the rotten borough
Rotten borough
A "rotten", "decayed" or pocket borough was a parliamentary borough or constituency in the United Kingdom that had a very small electorate and could be used by a patron to gain undue and unrepresentative influence within Parliament....

 of Grampound
Grampound (UK Parliament constituency)
Grampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...

 from 1685 to 1689, a period when his ironmaster relatives (such as Paul Foley
Paul Foley (ironmaster)
Paul Foley , also known as Speaker Foley, was the second son of Thomas Foley of Witley Court, the prominent Midlands ironmaster.-Ironmaster:...

) were out of Parliament.
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