Rich, Richard (1496/7 - 1567)

of West Smithfield, Middlesex, Rochford and Leighs, Essex

Born / Died

Birth Date: 1497 (probable year of birth)
Death Date: 1567-06-12

Notes

In France July--Nov. 1544 as Treasurer of the French war

Parents

Marriages/Other Unions

  1. Type: marriage
    Union began: ca. 1535
    Union ended: n.d.
    Note: Union produced at least 3 sons and 9 or 10 daughters
  2. Type: other
    Union began: n.d.
    Union ended: n.d.
    Note: Richard Rich had at least 1 and possibly 3 illegitimate sons [DNB, ODNB, Bindoff]

Offspring

From Jenks, Elizabeth ( - 1558)

  1. Male offspring: Rich, Hugh (d. 1554)
  2. Female offspring: Rich, Mary (d. 1573)
  3. Female offspring: Rich, Winifred (d. 1578)
  4. Female offspring: Rich, Frances (d. 1581)
  5. Female offspring: Rich, Elizabeth (n.d.)
  6. Female offspring: Rich, Audrey (n.d.)

Primary Title

1st Baron Rich

Titles

  • Knight
    Assumed 1533-10-10
    Vacated 1567-06-12
  • 1st Baron Rich
    Assumed 1546/7-02-16
    Vacated 1567-06-12

Details of Offices

Began Ended Notes
JP, Hertfordshire 1528 1567
MP, Essex 1529 n.d.
Commissioner of Gaol Delivery, Essex 1530-6 n.d.
JP, Essex 1530 1567
Attorney-gen, Flintshire 1532-5-13 1538-06-28
Attorney-gen, Wales 1532-5-13 1538-06-28
Attorney-gen, County Palatine of Chester 1532-5-13 1538-06-28
Deputy Chief Steward, Duchy of Lancaster, Northern Parts 1532 1536
Recorder, Essex 1532-9-30 1544
Solicitor-gen, England 1533-10-10 before 1536-04-20
Chirographer, Court of Common Pleas, England 1535-7-27 1537-07-3
Chancellor, Court of Augmentations, England 1536-4-24 1544-04-24
MP and Speaker of the House of Commons, Essex 1536 n.d.
MP, Essex 1539 n.d.
Bailiff, Essex 1540-5-29 n.d.
Chief Steward, various manors, Essex 1540-11-1 n.d.
Privy Councillor, England by 1540-8-10 1558-11
Keeper, various manors, Suffolk 1541-6-1 n.d.
Keeper, various manors, Buckinghamshire 1541-6-1 n.d.
Keeper, various manors, Oxfordshire 1541-6-1 n.d.
MP, Essex 1542 n.d.
Keeper, Essex 1543-7-2 n.d.
Lord Chancellor, England 1544-4-24 1544-07-1 Held jointly
MP, Essex 1545 n.d.
Lord Chancellor, England 1547-10-23 1551-12-21
Lord lieut, Essex 1552-5-16 n.d.
Chief Steward, Essex 1558-7-4 n.d.

Details of Properties

Residence

  • Leighs Priory, Essex
    A gift of Henry VIII
    Acquired: 1536
  • Rochford Hall, Essex
  • Bartholomew Close, Middlesex
  • Islington house, Middlesex
    Patrimony
    Acquired: 1509
  • West Smithfield, Middlesex

Lands

  • Bedfordshire
  • Derbyshire
  • Essex
  • Warwickshire
  • Westmorland

Events Naming Patron

Event Date Location Troupe
Performance 1563-1564 St Mary's Church, Long Sutton , Lincolnshire Lord Rich's Players
Performance 1563-1564 Guildhall, Cambridge , Cambridgeshire Lord Rich's Players
Performance 1563-1564 Guildhall, Cambridge , Cambridgeshire Lord Rich's Players
Performance 1564-1565 Lincoln (Unknown), Lincoln , Lincolnshire Lord Rich's Players

Patronized Troupes

Troupe Name Patron Troupe Type # of events
Lord Rich's Players Rich, Richard (1497 - 1567) Players 4

Bibliographic Sources

Bindoff, S.T. The History of Parliament: The House of Commons, 1509–1558. 3 vols. London: Secker & Warburg, 1982.
Calendar of Patent Rolls, Edward VI [1547–53]. 6 vols. London: HMSO, 1924–9.
Calendar of Patent Rolls, Elizabeth I [1558–78]. 7 vols. London: HMSO, 1939–82.
The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain, and the United Kingdom. 1887–98 (8 vols); 1910–59 (13 vols). 6 vols. Gloucester: Alan Sutton, 1982.
Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Henry VIII [1509–47]. 21 vols and Addenda (2 vols). London: HMSO, 1864–1932.
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. 01/05/2005 (http://www.oxforddnb.com)