Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of Forfar facts for kids
Walter Aston, 1st Lord Aston of Forfar (born in 1584, died in 1639) was an important English courtier and diplomat. He served the King and helped with international relations during his time.
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Walter Aston's Life
Walter Aston was born in Staffordshire, England, around 1584. His father was Sir Edward Aston, and his mother was Anne Lucy Barnes. When his father passed away in 1597, a powerful lawyer named Edward Coke became his guardian. This was arranged by Lord Burghley, who was in charge of the Court of Wards.
Early Years and Royal Honors
In 1603, at the crowning of King James I, Walter Aston received a special honor called the Order of the Bath. A famous poet, Michael Drayton, was his helper for this event. Walter Aston was a supporter of Drayton, and the poet even dedicated some of his works to him.
Later, in 1611, Walter Aston became a Baronet of Tixall. This was a special title he received after paying a large fee. In 1618, King James I also made him the steward of Tutbury, which meant he managed royal lands there.
Diplomatic Missions to Spain
In 1622, Sir Walter Aston was sent to Madrid, Spain. His job was to be the ambassador, representing England at the Spanish court. He had two main goals:
- To arrange a marriage between Prince Charles (who would later become King Charles I) and the Spanish princess, Infanta Maria Anna.
- To discuss how England and Spain could work together to stop pirates at sea.
In 1623, Prince Charles himself traveled to Spain without warning, along with the Duke of Buckingham. However, the Spanish princess did not want to marry him, so the marriage plan failed.
Royal Support and Later Life
Even though the marriage mission failed, Prince Charles was thankful to Sir Walter Aston. Aston had supported Charles's views during his time in Spain. When Charles became King, he helped Sir Walter Aston a lot.
King Charles I forgave Sir Walter for becoming a Catholic while in Spain. This allowed him to continue working in local government. In 1631, he helped the King collect fines from wealthy people who did not attend the King's coronation to receive a knighthood.
Sir Walter Aston said that his trip to Spain cost him a lot of money. To help him, King Charles made him a Scottish noble in 1627, giving him the title Baron Forfar. The King also gave him money to buy land in Scotland. He was also made "keeper of the king's mulberry garden" with a yearly income. The King also gave Sir Walter and his wife a yearly pension.
In 1636, Lord Forfar returned to Spain as an envoy. He helped English merchants with their legal problems in Spanish courts. However, his health started to fail. He came back to England in 1638 but did not get better. He passed away on August 13, 1639, and was buried in Stafford. His son, Walter Aston, became the 2nd Lord Aston of Forfar.
Walter Aston's Family
When Walter Aston's father died, Sir Edward Coke became his legal guardian. In 1600, Walter Aston married Anne Barnes without his guardian's permission. Because of this, the marriage was later ended.
In 1607, Sir Edward Coke finally gave permission for Walter Aston to marry Gertrude Sadler. Gertrude was the granddaughter of a well-known statesman, Sir Ralph Sadler. Walter and Gertrude had several children:
- Walter, who sadly died when he was very young.
- Walter, who became the 2nd Lord Aston. The Aston family were Roman Catholic. This meant they faced challenges during a time when being Catholic was difficult in England.
- Herbert, born in 1614.
- John, who died as a baby.
- Thomas, who also died as a baby.
- Gertrude, who died as a baby.
- Honor, born in 1610. She passed away in Spain during her father's time as ambassador.
- Frances, born in 1612. She married Sir William Peshall.
- Gertrude, who married Henry Thimbleby.
- Constance, who was an author. She married Walter Fowler.
See Also
- Lord Aston of Forfar
