Edmund Tremayne facts for kids
Edmund Tremayne (born around 1525, died 1582) was an important English figure. He was known for supporting Protestant beliefs. This was at a time when Catholic Queen Mary Tudor ruled England.
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Early Life and Family
Edmund Tremayne was born in Devon, England, around 1525. He was one of sixteen children! His parents were Thomas Tremayne and Phillipa Grenville. The Tremayne family was an old and respected family from Cornwall.
Edmund later inherited the family home, Collacombe, in Lamerton, Devon. This happened when his older brother, Roger, passed away in 1572. Edmund then made many improvements to the manor house.
A Time of Danger: Supporting Protestants
During the reign of Queen Mary I, England was mostly Catholic. Edmund Tremayne, being a strong Protestant, found himself in a difficult position. He worked for Edward Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon. Courtenay was a distant relative of King Edward IV. This meant he had a claim to the English throne.
Queen Mary suspected Courtenay of being involved in a rebellion against her. This was called Wyatt's rebellion. Because of his connection to Courtenay, Edmund Tremayne was arrested in 1554. He was taken to the Tower of London. Even though he was questioned, he bravely kept silent.
After nearly a year in prison, Edmund was released. He paid a fine and then left England for Italy with Courtenay. Courtenay died in Italy in 1556. After this, Tremayne joined other English rebels in Rouen, France. They were planning another uprising against Queen Mary. He then became close to Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, who was also against the Queen.
Serving Queen Elizabeth I
When Elizabeth I became Queen, things changed for Edmund Tremayne. She rewarded him for his loyalty and courage.
He was chosen to be a Member of Parliament for Tavistock. This meant he helped make laws for the country. From 1561 to 1574, he was also the main person collecting royal taxes in nine different counties.
Edmund was very interested in helping Ireland. William Cecil, a key advisor to the Queen, asked him to study the problems there. Tremayne wrote a paper called Causes why Ireland is not Reformed. He even served as the Chief Secretary for Ireland from 1569 to 1571. In 1571, he became a clerk for the Privy Council. This was a group of important advisors to the Queen. He continued to care about Irish affairs and visited Ireland again in 1573.
Family Life and Connection to Francis Drake
Edmund Tremayne married later in life, in 1576. His wife was Eulalia St. Leger. They had two children. Sadly, their son Francis passed away only a few weeks after Edmund. After this, the Collacombe estate went to Edmund's next brother, Degory.
Edmund Tremayne was very good friends with Sir Francis Drake, the famous explorer. They were cousins. When Drake returned from his voyage around the world on the ship Golden Hind, he brought back a lot of treasure. Queen Elizabeth asked Edmund to record all of it. She secretly told him to set aside a large amount of treasure for Drake himself.
Later, the Spanish Ambassador made accusations against Drake. He claimed Drake had been too cruel to Spanish prisoners. Edmund Tremayne was chosen to investigate these claims. As expected, he found Drake innocent of all charges.
