Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley facts for kids
Edward Sutton, 5th Baron Dudley (born 17 September 1567 – died 23 June 1643) was an English nobleman, a politician, and a landowner. He was briefly a member of the House of Commons. Edward Sutton faced many money problems and was the last person in his family line to hold the title of Baron Dudley.
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Early Life and Family
Edward Sutton's father was Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley. His father was a respected soldier who had managed to get the family's lands back. These lands had been lost due to debts. Edward's mother was Jane Stanley, who was the daughter of Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby. Edward also had a younger brother named John.
Edward Sutton was born in September 1567. When he was 13, he went to Lincoln College, Oxford, which is part of Oxford University. The next year, at only 14 years old, he married Theodosia Harington. She was from Exton, Rutland.
Lord Dudley's Acting Group
Edward Sutton supported a group of actors known as Lord Dudley's players. He also had a performing bear! In 1595, he gave his acting company, led by Francis Coffyn and Laurence Bradshaw, permission to travel and perform.
Later, Sutton changed his mind and supported a different group of actors. However, some actors tried to use the old permission in Chester in 1602, but they were not successful. Lord Dudley's players were also in Newcastle in March 1600. By 1615, a person named Dishley was leading the company.
Political Life
Edward Sutton was chosen to represent Staffordshire in Parliament in 1584. He was only 17 years old at the time. He did not speak much in Parliament. In 1586, he became Baron Dudley after his father passed away. This meant he could no longer be elected to the House of Commons. He later took his seat in the House of Lords in 1593.
One important event in his political life was the Staffordshire election in 1597. Edward Sutton was in a land disagreement with the Lyttelton family. He tried to stop Sir Edward Littleton from being elected. Sutton tried to help his brother, John, win the election instead.
Sutton was accused of voting for his brother in the election. As a nobleman, he was not supposed to vote in elections for the House of Commons. This was an important rule that was being discussed for the first time. Even though he caused some trouble, the Parliament ended soon after. Edward Sutton did not face serious consequences for his actions.
Landowner and Business Ventures
Edward Sutton spent most of his life dealing with large debts. These debts were partly inherited from his father and partly due to his own way of managing money.
Lord Dudley owned a lot of land around Dudley Castle. This included areas like Dudley, Sedgley, and Kingswinford. He tried to use the natural resources on his land. He built about five blast furnaces, which are used to make iron. In 1619, he got permission to use a special method for making iron with coal. He renewed this permission in his own name in 1622.
Edward Sutton was known for trying new things. He was said to have set up an early type of furnace that used coal. He also had a glass factory where coal was used as fuel instead of wood for the first time. However, these projects did not make him any money.
To help with his ironworks, Edward Sutton brought his son, Dud Dudley, home from Oxford University. But this plan did not fully solve his money problems. Eventually, Edward Sutton and Dud had a disagreement. Edward even made Dud leave the new coal-fired furnace he had built.
The family's debts were so big that Edward's father had planned for all the money from his ironworks to go to paying off creditors for 21 years. This meant his wife and younger children received less money. These money problems also caused tension with Edward Sutton's younger brother, John. John was promised money from Edward, but Edward never paid him.
Edward Sutton often had disagreements over his land and money. He sometimes used force to try and solve these problems. He had a big disagreement with Gilbert Lyttelton over a farm called Prestwood. Sutton tried to take control of the farm by force. He also claimed the right to take goods from other Lyttelton lands. He even raided their farms, taking sheep and cattle. He also claimed one of Lyttelton's coal mines. He had the miners arrested, took their coal, and even set the mine on fire.
The King's advisors, called the Privy Council, tried to talk to Lord Dudley, but it did not help. Lyttelton complained to a special court, which ruled against Sutton. Sutton was fined for his actions. This is why Sutton later tried to stop Edward Littleton, a relative of Gilbert Lyttelton, from being elected to Parliament.
Marriage and Children
Edward Sutton married Theodosia Harington when he was 14 years old. She was the daughter of James Harington, a lawyer and a member of Parliament. Theodosia's older brother, John, became a nobleman in 1603. Edward and Theodosia had one son and four daughters:
- Sir Ferdinando Sutton (1588-1621): He married Honora Seymour.
- Mary Sutton (1586–1645): She married Alexander Home, 1st Earl of Home.
- Anne Sutton (1589-1615): She married Hans Meinhard von Schönberg, who was an ambassador. Their son was Frederick Schomberg, 1st Duke of Schomberg.
- Margaret Sutton (1597-1674): In 1627, she married Sir Miles Hobart. They had several sons and a daughter.
- Theodosia Sutton (1599-1615).
Edward Sutton also had other children with Elizabeth Tomlinson. He made sure to provide for these children. His oldest son with Elizabeth, Robert Dudley otherwise Tomlinson, was given a small piece of land. Another son, Dud Dudley, was given a lease for a lodge. One of his daughters, Jane, later became the grandmother of a famous ironmaker, Abraham Darby I.
Because of his money problems, Edward Sutton was ordered to pay his wife, Theodosia, an allowance. He sometimes failed to pay this. In 1597, he was briefly sent to Fleet Prison until he agreed to pay.
Edward's only legitimate son, Ferdinando, passed away before him. Ferdinando left a daughter named Frances. Edward Sutton arranged for his granddaughter Frances to marry Humble Ward, 1st Baron Ward. Humble Ward's father was a rich goldsmith and one of Edward's creditors.
Edward Sutton died on 23 June 1643. He was buried in St Edmund's Church in Dudley. His granddaughter, Frances Ward, inherited his lands and the remaining debts. Humble Ward helped pay off these debts, which benefited Frances and their future family.
Images for kids
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Portrait of Sutton
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Dudley Castle, now ruined, was Lord Dudley's main home.
