Robert Myddelton (died 1616) facts for kids
Robert Myddelton (also spelled Middleton) (born around 1563 – died 1616) was a Welsh politician. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) for two different areas in England: Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and the City of London.
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Robert Myddelton's Early Life
Robert Myddelton was born around 1563 at Denbigh Castle in Denbigh, Wales. His father was the governor of this castle. He was the seventh son of Jane (Dryhurst) Myddelton and Richard Myddelton (born around 1509 – died 1577 or 1578). His father was also an MP for Denbigh Boroughs.
Robert had several famous brothers:
- Sir Thomas Myddelton: He became a Lord Mayor of London.
- William Myddelton: He was a poet and a sailor.
- Sir Hugh Myddelton, 1st Baronet: He was a very rich merchant and clothmaker. King James VI and I even made him the Royal Jeweller!
His grandparents were Fulk Myddelton and Margaret (Smith) Myddelton. His other grandparents were Hugh Dryhurst and Lucy (Grimsditch) Dryhurst.
Robert Myddelton's Career and Business
Robert Myddelton started his career by becoming an apprentice (a trainee) to a "skinner" in London in 1582. A skinner was someone who dealt with animal skins and furs.
After his training, he moved to Weymouth. There, he married the stepdaughter of Thomas Barefoot, who was also an MP for Weymouth. By 1597, Robert was back in London. He lived near his business partner and brother-in-law, Robert Bateman.
Robert Myddelton became involved in shipping cloth to Germany with a group called the Merchant Adventurers. He was also one of the first people to invest in the East India Company. In 1599, he, Robert Bateman, and his brother Sir Thomas Myddelton invested £500 together in this company.
Becoming a Member of Parliament
In 1604, Robert Myddelton was elected to Parliament for Weymouth. This happened when his father-in-law, Thomas Barefoot, was the mayor. His brother Hugh also became an MP for Denbigh Boroughs, which was their father's old seat.
In May 1604, Robert Myddelton took over the job of collecting money from Crown lands (land owned by the King) in Dorset and Somerset. However, he quickly passed this job to Lionel Cranfield, another London merchant.
After the war between England and Spain ended in 1604, Robert Myddelton and his partners became big exporters of cloth. He joined the Levant Company in 1605 and the new Spanish Company in 1606. These were companies that traded with different parts of the world.
In 1611, the East India Company sent Robert Myddelton to Amsterdam. He was part of their governing committee and went to talk with their Dutch partners.
In the 1614 election, Robert's business partner, Bateman, was elected for Weymouth. Robert Myddelton himself was elected as a junior burgess (another term for an MP) for the City of London.
Robert Myddelton's Family Life
On July 27, 1591, Robert Myddelton married Margaret Mounsell (who died in 1610). She was the daughter of John Mounsell, a merchant from Weymouth, and the stepdaughter of Thomas Barefoot. Margaret's sister, Mary Mounsell, married William Whiteway, who was an MP for Dorchester.
Robert and Margaret had ten sons (five of whom died before him) and four daughters. One of their sons was:
- Peter Middleton (1603–1661): He also became an MP for Weymouth in 1659 and 1660.
After Margaret died, Robert Myddelton married Eleanor (Saltonstall) Harvie on February 24, 1612. Eleanor was the widow of Vincent Harvie. She was the daughter of Lord Mayor of London Sir Richard Saltonstall. Eleanor's sister, Hester Saltonstall, was married to Robert's older brother, Sir Thomas Myddelton.
Robert Myddelton passed away in 1616. He was buried with his first wife in the family vault at St Dunstan-in-the-East on June 13, 1616. In his will (a document stating what to do with his money after he died), he left 2,000 marks to his wife. He also left one-third of his belongings to his nine children who were still alive. He also gave £200 to the town of Denbigh and £100 to Weymouth. This money was meant to help young merchants by providing them with loans.
