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Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585)

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Born / Died

Birth Date: 1526 (possibly born 1527)
Death Date: 1585-07-28

Notes

Imprisoned in the Fleet 29 July 1553

Parents

Marriages/Other Unions

  1. St John, Margaret ( - 1562)
    Type: marriage
    Union began: 1546
    Union ended: n.d.
  2. Hussey, Bridget (1525 - 1600/1)
    Type: marriage
    Union began: 1566-6
    Union ended: n.d.

Offspring

Primary Title

  • Lord Russell
  • 4th Earl of Bedford

Titles

  • Lord Russell
    Assumed: 1551-09
    Vacated: 1554/5-03-14 (date succeeded to title)
  • 4th Earl of Bedford
    Assumed: 1554/5-03-14
    Vacated: 1585-07-28
  • Baron Russell
    Assumed: 1554/5-03-14
    Vacated: 1585-07-28

Details of Offices

Began Ended Notes
MP, Buckinghamshire 1545
Commissioner of Custos Rotulorum, Buckinghamshire 1547 1585
JP, Buckinghamshire 1547
MP, Buckinghamshire 1547
Sheriff, Buckinghamshire 1547 -11 -27
Sheriff, Bedfordshire 1547 -11 -27
Lord Lieut, Buckinghamshire 1552
Keeper, Northamptonshire 1554/5 -3 -14
Keeper & Receiver, various manors & parks, Northamptonshire 1554/5 -3 -14
Keeper & Receiver, various manors & parks, Oxfordshire 1554/5 -3 -14
Keeper & Receiver, various manors & parks, Hertfordshire 1554/5 -3 -14
Lord Lieut, Exeter 1557/8 -3 1585 -07 -28
Lord Lieut, Dorset 1557/8 -3 1585 -07 -28
Lord Lieut, Devon 1557/8 -3 1585 -07 -28
Lord Lieut, Cornwall 1557/8 -3 1585 -07 -28
Privy Councillor, England 1558 -11 -21 1585 -07 -28
Warden of the Stannaries, Cornwall 1559 1580 Stannaries also in Devon
Commissioner of Custos Rotulorum, Berkshire 1561/2
JP, Northamptonshire 1561/2
JP, Dorset 1561/2
JP, Cornwall 1561/2
JP, Bedfordshire 1561/2
JP, Devon 1561/2
JP, Buckinghamshire 1561/2
JP, Somerset 1561/2
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Huntingdonshire 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Dorset 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Devon 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Cornwall 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Buckinghamshire 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Bedfordshire 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Norfolk 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Somerset 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Suffolk 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Wiltshire 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Norwich 1563/4
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Southampton 1563/4
Governor, Northumberland 1563/4 -2 -24 1568 -08 -25 Part of the Marches towards Scotland
Warden, Marches towards Scotland, East March 1563/4 -2 -24 1568 -08 -25
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Newcastle upon Tyne 1564
Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer, Cambridgeshire 1564
JP, Cornwall 1564
JP, Somerset 1564
JP, Bedfordshire 1564
JP, Cumberland 1564
JP, Durham 1564
JP, Northumberland 1564
JP, Westmorland 1564
JP, Northumberland 1564
JP, Yorkshire 1564
JP, Yorkshire: East Riding 1564
JP, Newcastle upon Tyne 1564
JP, Cumberland 1564
JP, York 1564
JP, Cambridgeshire 1564
JP, Devon 1564
JP, Buckinghamshire 1564
JP, Dorset 1564
Governor in the North, England 1565 -8 -1
Lieut-gen in the North, England 1565 -8 -1
Commissioner of Musters, Buckinghamshire 1569
JP, Devon 1569
High Steward, Duchy of Cornwall 1572 -4 -13 1585 -07 -28 For life
High Steward of Lands, Cornwall 1572 -4 -13 1585 -07 -28 For life
High Steward of Lands, Devon 1572 -4 -13 1585 -07 -28 For life
High Steward of Lands, Somerset 1572 -4 -13 1585 -07 -28 For life
High Steward, Duchy of Exeter, England 1572 -4 -13 1585 -07 -28 For life
Keeper, Devon 1572 -4 -13 1585 -07 -28 For life
Master Forester, Devon 1572 -4 -13 1585 -07 -28 For life
Commissioner of Musters, Buckinghamshire 1573
Commissioner of Musters, Cornwall 1574
Commissioner of Musters, Devon 1574
Commissioner of Musters, Exeter 1574
Chief Justice in Eyre, South of Trent 1583/4 -2 -26 1585 -07 -28
JP, Northamptonshire 1584
JP, Somerset 1584

Details of Properties

Residence

  • Woburn Abbey, Bedfordshire
  • Amersham, Buckinghamshire
  • Chenies, Buckinghamshire
  • Russell House, London (city-county)
  • St Clement Danes parish townhouse, London (city-county)

Lands

  • Bedfordshire
  • Berkshire
  • Buckinghamshire
  • Buckinghamshire: Amersham
  • Devon: Tavistock Abbey
    Acquired: 1554/5-03-14
    Patrimony
  • Dorset
  • Essex
  • Herefordshire
  • Lincolnshire
  • Monmouthshire
  • Northamptonshire
  • Somerset

Event Naming Patron

Event Type Date Location Troupe
Performance - Cellar, Exeter, Exeter (city-county) in Devon Earl of Bedford's Players
Performance - Merchants' Court, Newcastle upon Tyne, Newcastle upon Tyne (city-county) Earl of Bedford's Players
Performance - Guildhall (2), Barnstaple, Devon Lord of Tawstock's Minstrels
Court Appearance - Norwich (Unknown), Norwich, Norwich (city-county) in Norfolk Lord Russell's Minstrel
Performance - Dover (Unknown), Dover, Kent Lord Russell's Minstrels
Performance - Rye (Unknown), Rye, Sussex Lord Russell's Minstrels
Performance - Canterbury (Unknown), Canterbury, Kent Lord Russell's Minstrels
Performance - Guildhall (2), Barnstaple, Devon Lord Russell's Players

Patronized Troupes

Troupe Name Patron Troupe Type # of events
Lord Russell's Players Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585) Players 1
Lord Russell's Minstrel Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585) Entertainers/Minstrels 1
Lord of Tawstock's Minstrels Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585) Entertainers/Minstrels 1
Earl of Bedford's Players Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585) Players 1
Earl of Bedford's Players Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585) Players 1
Lord Russell's Minstrels Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585) Entertainers/Minstrels 1
Lord Russell's Minstrels Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585) Entertainers/Minstrels 1
Lord Russell's Minstrels Russell, Francis (1526 - 1585) Entertainers/Minstrels 1

Owned Venues

Venue Name County Type
Bedford House Exeter (city-county) in Devon Private Residence

Bibliographic Sources

View a list of abbreviations.

  • 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
  • Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.