Dudley North, 4th Baron North facts for kids

Lord North

Dudley North, 4th Baron North (1602–1677) was an English politician. He came from Kirtling Tower in Cambridgeshire. He was a member of the House of Commons, which is like today's Parliament, at different times between 1628 and 1660. He was also made a Knight of the Bath.

Who Was Dudley North?

Dudley North was the older son of Dudley North, 3rd Baron North. His mother was Frances Brockett. In 1616, he was given the special title of a Knight of the Bath.

He went to St John's College, Cambridge, in 1619. He also studied law at Gray's Inn in London. In 1620, he joined a group of volunteers. They went to help in a war in Holland, called the Dutch–Portuguese War. He also traveled a lot in Europe, visiting Italy, France, and Spain.

His Time in Parliament

In 1628, Dudley North was chosen to be a member of parliament for Horsham. He served until 1629. At that time, King Charles I of England decided to rule the country without Parliament for eleven years. This period was known as the "Personal Rule."

Later, in April 1640, North was again elected as an MP for Cambridgeshire. This was for the Short Parliament. He was re-elected in November 1640 for the Long Parliament. He continued to serve in Parliament even after the king returned to power in 1660. This event was called the Restoration of the monarchy.

When his father passed away in 1667, Dudley North became the 4th Baron North.

His Writings and Legacy

Dudley North was a very smart and studious person. He enjoyed writing about money matters and religion. One of his books was called Passages relating to the Long Parliament. This book was special because he had been a member of that Parliament himself. He also wrote Observations and Advices Oeconomical, which was about managing money and households. Besides these, he wrote poems just for his family and friends.

Dudley North passed away in 1677. He was buried in Kirtling, Cambridgeshire.

Dudley North's Family

Kirtling Tower, from, A series of picturesque views of seats of the noblemen and gentlemen of Great Britain and Ireland (1840)

Dudley North married Anne Montagu. Her father was Sir Charles Montagu. This marriage helped the North family become even wealthier. Dudley and Anne had 14 children together!

Many of their children became famous in their own right:

• His oldest son, Charles (around 1636–1691), became the 5th Baron North after his father.
• His third son, Francis North, became a very important judge, known as the Lord Chancellor.
• His fourth son was Sir Dudley North, who was a well-known economist. An economist studies how money and goods are made and used.
• His fifth son was John North (1645–1683). He was the head of Trinity College, Cambridge, and a professor of Greek at the university.
• His sixth son was Roger North. He was a lawyer and a historian. A historian studies and writes about the past.

One of Dudley's granddaughters, Dudleya North, was also very smart. She studied languages from the Middle East and ancient Greek and Latin.