Francis Knollys (admiral)

Sir Francis Knollys (c. 1552^[1] – 1648^[2]) was an English privateer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1575 and 1648.

Life

Knollys was the son of Sir Francis Knollys, of Greys Court in Oxfordshire, and of Reading, in Berkshire, and his wife, Catherine Carey^[3] and was generally known as Francis Knollys the younger. He attended Magdalen College, Oxford in and around 1564. He was a student of Gray's Inn in 1565.^[4]

In December 1575 Knollys was elected Member of Parliament for Oxford following the death of Edward Knollys, and held the seat unit 1589.^[5] In those early years he was involved in piracy with Sir Francis Drake, serving as a rear-admiral on privateering activities in the Caribbean, returning in 1586 with considerable booty.^[3] He soon after served with his brother-in-law, the Earl of Leicester, in the Netherlands campaign and was knighted by him at Flushing on 7 December 1587.^[3][6]

Knollys was once again elected MP in 1597, this time for Berkshire.^[3][5] He was awarded MA at Oxford on 10 July 1598.^[4] In 1604 he was re-elected MP for Berkshire and sat until 1611. He was elected MP for Berkshire again in 1625.^[5] In April 1640, Knollys was re-elected MP for Reading in the Short Parliament with his son, and was re-elected for the Long Parliament in November 1640. He sat until his death in 1648.^[5]

Knollys died before May 1648 at the age of about 90, described by his colleagues as "the ancientest Parliament man in England". He was one of the oldest ever members of parliament and has the record for the longest span of service as an MP, 73 years between first being elected and his death. He was buried at St Laurence's Church, Reading.^[3] He had married in 1588 Lettice Barrett, daughter of John Barrett, of Hanham in Gloucestershire.^[3] Knollys had three sons and six daughters, amongst them, Francis,^[3][4] Robert^[4] and Lettice who married the parliamentarian, John Hampden.^[3]

Ancestry

Ancestors of Francis Knollys (admiral)

Sir Richard Knollys               Robert Knollys                       Margaret D'Oyley               Sir Robert Knollys                             Sir JohnTroutbeck               Elizabeth Troutbeck                       Margaret Hulse               Sir Francis Knollys                                   Sir Richard Penystone               Sir Thomas Penystone                       Margaret Herris               Lettice Penystone                             Richard Bulstrode               Alice Bulstrode                       Alice Knyffe               Sir Francis Knollys                                         Sir William Carey               Sir Thomas Carey                       Alice Furford               Sir William Carey                             Sir Robert Spencer               Margaret Spencer                       Eleanor Beaufort               Catherine Carey                                   William Boleyn               Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire                       Lady Margaret Butler               Mary Boleyn                             Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk               Lady Elizabeth Howard                       Elizabeth Tilney

References

1. http://thepeerage.com/p34150.htm#i341491 gives 1553 as the year of his birth.
2. http://thepeerage.com/p34150.htm#i341491 gives 1646 as the year of his death.
3. Ford, David Nash (2008). "Sir Francis Knollys Junior". Royal Berkshire History. Nash Ford Publishing. Retrieved 1 April 2011.
4. Alumni Oxonienses, 1500–1714: Kandruth-Kyte, Alumni Oxonienses 1500–1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 837–867. Date accessed: 23 February 2011
5. Browne Willis Notitia parliamentaria, or, An history of the counties, cities, and boroughs in England and Wales: ... The whole extracted from mss. and printed evidences 1750 pp89-239
6. Knights of England