Roger Wilbraham
Encyclopedia
Sir Roger Wilbraham was a prominent English lawyer who served as Solicitor-General for Ireland
under Elizabeth I
and held positions at court under James I
, including Master of Requests
and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries
. He bought an estate at Dorfold
in the parish of Acton
, near his birthplace of Nantwich
in Cheshire
, and he was active in charitable works locally, including founding two sets of almshouse
s for impoverished men.
, Cheshire
in 1553, the second of four sons of Richard Wilbraham (1525–1611/12) and his first wife, Elizabeth (d. 1589/90), daughter of Thomas Maisterson. The Wilbraham family was a junior branch of the Wilbrahams of Woodhey
, who were prominent in Cheshire affairs from the 13th century onwards. His father served as Master of the Jewel House
to Mary I
and also collected revenues for the queen in the Nantwich Hundred
. In 1580, he built Townsend House on Welsh Row in Nantwich, in which James I
later stayed while visiting the town in 1617. His mother's family, the Maistersons, was one of the most important ones in Nantwich.
Wilbraham became a lawyer, and was admitted to Gray's Inn
in London in 1576. On 13 February 1585, he was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland
, a position he held for 14 years. On 1 May 1600, he became the Master of Requests
, a post he retained under James I, and he also served as the king's surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries
. He received a knighthood before 1613. He kept a journal from 1593 until the year of his death. He was also active in Nantwich's salt-making industry.
He married Mary Baber de Tew of Somerset
in January of 1599/1600. The couple had three girls, Marie, Elizabeth and Catherine. He purchased the Dorfold estate in the parish of Acton
near Nantwich in 1602. Shortly afterwards, he gave the estate to his youngest brother, Ralph, who built the present Dorfold Hall
on the site of the earlier hall in 1616–21.
He died on 31 July 1616, of "an Ague", an acute fever, most likely malaria
.
for six poor men at what was then the end of Welsh Row in Nantwich; they were the town's earliest almshouse
s. He also founded almshouses for two poor men in Acton in the same year. Additionally, he gave £4 to be distributed among the poor of Nantwich on Good Friday
every year.
Solicitor-General for Ireland
The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. At least one holder of the office, Patrick Barnewall played a significant role in...
under Elizabeth I
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...
and held positions at court under James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
, including Master of Requests
Master of Requests
The Master of Requests was a Great Officer of State in Scotland.The office first appeared in the reign of James V. Its functions in Scotland included that of receiving petitions from subjects and presenting them for consideration by the Privy Council...
and surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries
Court of Wards and Liveries
The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and livery issues....
. He bought an estate at Dorfold
Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Acton, near Nantwich, in Cheshire, UK. It is listed at grade I. It was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire.The present owners are the Roundells.-History:...
in the parish of Acton
Acton, Cheshire
Acton is a small village and civil parish lying immediately west of the town of Nantwich in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of...
, near his birthplace of Nantwich
Nantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
, and he was active in charitable works locally, including founding two sets of almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s for impoverished men.
Biography
Roger Wilbraham was born in NantwichNantwich
Nantwich is a market town and civil parish in the Borough of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The town gives its name to the parliamentary constituency of Crewe and Nantwich...
, Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
in 1553, the second of four sons of Richard Wilbraham (1525–1611/12) and his first wife, Elizabeth (d. 1589/90), daughter of Thomas Maisterson. The Wilbraham family was a junior branch of the Wilbrahams of Woodhey
Faddiley
Faddiley is a small village and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The village is located 4 miles to the west of Nantwich. The parish also includes the small settlements of Larden Green and Woodhey or Woodhey Green, with a total...
, who were prominent in Cheshire affairs from the 13th century onwards. His father served as Master of the Jewel House
Master of the Jewel Office
The Master of the Jewel Office is a position in the British Royal Household. The holders are responsible for running the Jewel Office, which holds the Sovereign's jewellry.-Masters of the Jewel Office:*1445–1448: John Merston*1465–1483: Thomas Vaughan...
to Mary I
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
and also collected revenues for the queen in the Nantwich Hundred
Hundreds of Cheshire
The Hundreds of Cheshire, as with other Hundreds in England were the geographic divisions of Cheshire for administrative, military and judicial purposes. They were introduced in Cheshire some time before the Norman conquest...
. In 1580, he built Townsend House on Welsh Row in Nantwich, in which James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
later stayed while visiting the town in 1617. His mother's family, the Maistersons, was one of the most important ones in Nantwich.
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 London in 1576. On 13 February 1585, he was appointed Solicitor-General for Ireland
Solicitor-General for Ireland
The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then United Kingdom government office. The holder was a deputy to the Attorney-General for Ireland, and advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. At least one holder of the office, Patrick Barnewall played a significant role in...
, a position he held for 14 years. On 1 May 1600, he became the Master of Requests
Master of Requests
The Master of Requests was a Great Officer of State in Scotland.The office first appeared in the reign of James V. Its functions in Scotland included that of receiving petitions from subjects and presenting them for consideration by the Privy Council...
, a post he retained under James I, and he also served as the king's surveyor of the Court of Wards and Liveries
Court of Wards and Liveries
The Court of Wards and Liveries was a court established during the reign of Henry VIII in England. Its purpose was to administer a system of feudal dues; but as well as the revenue collection, the court was also responsible for wardship and livery issues....
. He received a knighthood before 1613. He kept a journal from 1593 until the year of his death. He was also active in Nantwich's salt-making industry.
He married Mary Baber de Tew of Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
in January of 1599/1600. The couple had three girls, Marie, Elizabeth and Catherine. He purchased the Dorfold estate in the parish of Acton
Acton, Cheshire
Acton is a small village and civil parish lying immediately west of the town of Nantwich in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of...
near Nantwich in 1602. Shortly afterwards, he gave the estate to his youngest brother, Ralph, who built the present Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall
Dorfold Hall is a Jacobean mansion in Acton, near Nantwich, in Cheshire, UK. It is listed at grade I. It was considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in Cheshire.The present owners are the Roundells.-History:...
on the site of the earlier hall in 1616–21.
He died on 31 July 1616, of "an Ague", an acute fever, most likely malaria
Malaria
Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease of humans and other animals caused by eukaryotic protists of the genus Plasmodium. The disease results from the multiplication of Plasmodium parasites within red blood cells, causing symptoms that typically include fever and headache, in severe cases...
.
Charitable works
In 1613, Sir Roger founded Wilbraham's AlmshousesWilbraham's Almshouses, Nantwich
The Wilbraham's Almshouses, also known as the Wilbraham Almshouses, are six former almshouses in Nantwich, Cheshire, England, located on the north side of Welsh Row at numbers 112–116 . Founded by Sir Roger Wilbraham in 1613, they were the town's earliest almshouses. They remained in use as...
for six poor men at what was then the end of Welsh Row in Nantwich; they were the town's earliest almshouse
Almshouse
Almshouses are charitable housing provided to enable people to live in a particular community...
s. He also founded almshouses for two poor men in Acton in the same year. Additionally, he gave £4 to be distributed among the poor of Nantwich on Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
every year.
Sources
- de Figueiredo P, Treuherz J. Cheshire Country Houses (Phillimore; 1988) (ISBN 0-85033-655-4)
- Garton E. Tudor Nantwich: A Study of Life in Nantwich in the Sixteenth Century (Cheshire County Council Libraries and Museums; 1983) (ISBN 0 903017 05 9)
- Hall J. A History of the Town and Parish of Nantwich, or Wich Malbank, in the County Palatine of Chester (2nd edn) (E. J. Morten; 1972) (ISBN 0-901598-24-0)
- Lamberton A, Gray R. Lost Houses in Nantwich (Landmark Publishing; 2005) (ISBN 1 84306 202 X)
- Latham FA, ed. Acton (The Local History Group; 1995) (ISBN 0 9522284 1 6)