Alexander Temple facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sir Alexander Temple
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Sir Alexander Temple by Cornelius Johnson
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| Born | 1583 Stowe House, Buckinghamshire
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| Died | 1629 |
| Occupation | Landowner |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Mary Penistone (nee Sommer); (2) Margaret Griffin; (3) Mary Bankworth (formerly Busbridge nee Reve) |
| Children | 3 |
| Parent(s) | John Temple, Susan (nee Spencer) |
Sir Alexander Temple (born 1583 – died 1629) was an important English landowner and a Member of Parliament (MP). He was born at Stowe House in 1583 and was made a knight in 1603. During his life, he held many public jobs, like being a justice of the peace and an MP for Sussex. He was buried in Rochester Cathedral.
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Who Was Sir Alexander Temple?
Sir Alexander Temple was born at Stowe House in 1583. He was the fourth son of John Temple and Susan Spencer. His older brother was Sir Thomas Temple.
In 1603, King James I made Alexander Temple a knight at the Tower of London. Many other important people were also made knights around this time.
His Family Life
In 1602, Sir Alexander married Mary Penistone. She was from Rochester, Kent. They had three children together:
- John, who sadly died in battle at the Isle of Rhe.
- James Temple, who later became famous for his role in a big historical event.
- Susan or Susanna Temple. People often say she was a maid of honour to Queen Anne of Denmark. However, there are no official records that confirm this. Susan married twice. Her first husband was Sir Gifford Thornhurst. Through this marriage, Susan became the grandmother of Sarah Jennings, Duchess of Marlborough, a very famous and powerful woman in English history. A portrait of Susan was painted by the artist Cornelius Johnson.
When Sir Alexander married Mary, he also gained four stepchildren. One of them was Sir Thomas Penistone.
After his first wife died, Sir Alexander moved to Chadwell St Mary in Essex. There, he created a special park for deer, called a deer park. Later, in the 1620s, he married Mary Bankworth. They then moved to Haremere Hall in Etchingham, Sussex. Sir Alexander Temple died in 1629.
Education and Early Career
Sir Alexander Temple likely went to New College, Oxford in 1599. He then studied law at Lincoln's Inn in April 1600.
Working for the Public
Sir Alexander Temple held several important public jobs during his life.
Justice of the Peace
In 1622, he became a justice of the peace (JP) in Sussex. A JP was a local official who helped keep the peace and dealt with minor legal cases.
Rochester Bridge Trust
In 1604, Sir Alexander was chosen to help manage the Rochester Bridge Trust. This group looked after a very important bridge. He worked with the trust for eleven years. He was even chosen as the senior warden in 1606 and the junior warden in 1612.
Member of Parliament
Sir Alexander Temple tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) several times. An MP is someone elected to represent an area in the country's main law-making body.
- In 1621, he tried to become the MP for Boston but did not win.
- In 1624, he tried to win the Winchelsea parliamentary seat. He managed to get the election result for the other candidate, John Finch, cancelled. However, Sir Alexander lost the new election that followed.
- Finally, in 1626, Sir Alexander Temple was elected as an MP for Sussex. This was for the 2nd Parliament of King Charles I. During his time in this parliament, he made six speeches and was part of 39 different committees.
