Francis Carew (politician, around 1598)

Sir Francis Carew (around 1598, † before June 23, 1628 ) was an English nobleman, naval officer and politician who was elected three times as a member of the House of Commons .

Origin and youth

Francis Carew came from a sideline of the Carew family of Antony . He was the eldest son of the respected official and diplomat Sir George Carew and his wife Thomasine Godolphin. When his father died in 1612, Francis inherited his sizable fortune. Probably through the influence of his mother, a lady-in-waiting in the service of Queen Anna , Carew came into the household of the English heir to the throne Karl , but in May 1613 received permission to travel abroad for three years. He initially belonged to the entourage of Princess Elisabeth , who married the Palatine Elector Friedrich V in London in February 1613 when she traveled to Germany with her husband. Almost nothing is known about Carew's further voyages, except that he allegedly fell into the hands of corsairs during the sea voyage from Livorno in Italy to Spain in 1617 . Probably only after a substantial ransom had been paid he was released and returned to England before October 1618.

Election to MP and service as military

From his father, Carew had also inherited the position of protonotary of the royal chancellery, which was exercised by his uncles Sir Frances Godolphin and John Packer when he was a minor . When he came of age in 1619, he took over the post of pronotary himself, in addition he was justice of the peace for Westminster in 1621 and for Middlesex in 1622 . He also returned to the service of Prince Karl, as his favorite he accompanied the Prince and the Duke of Buckingham to negotiations in Madrid in 1623 . At the end of March 1624, Prince Karl sent him to The Hague to inform his sister Elisabeth about the failure of the negotiations with Spain, which included the return of the Palatinate occupied by Spain . As the advocate of his cousin Francis Godolphin , Carew had been elected as a member of Parliament for the Borough of Helston in Cornwall in early 1624 . He was re-elected in 1625 and 1626, but rarely appeared in the House of Commons . During the Anglo-Spanish War from 1625 Carew took part in the failed attack on Cádiz from October 1625 to January 1626 . For the expedition, he equipped a smaller sailing ship that was lost in the storm, while he himself served on the flagship Anne Royal as captain of the bodyguard of the Commander-in-Chief Sir Edward Cecil . Shortly after his return, he was beaten to Knight of the Bath on February 1, 1626 before the opening of the new Parliament . From 1627 to January 1628, Carew commanded the Esperance in the attack on the French Île de Ré . Probably at the insistence of Francis Godolphin, the governor of the Isles of Scilly , Carew made proposals to the council of war in March 1628 in order to be able to better defend the group of islands threatened by attacks by French and Spanish ships. When the Royal Navy equipped another sea expedition against Spain, Carew expected that he would belong to the commanders as Rear Admiral. Due to his inexperience, however, he was only offered command of nonsuch , which he refused. Thereupon he assisted Sir James Bagg , who was responsible for supplying the fleet with supplies, and should try to maintain the discipline with the soldiers and sailors gathered at Plymouth . He died suddenly. He was buried in St Margaret's Church in Westminster.

Carew died unmarried. He bequeathed the remains of his fortune to his mother so that she could provide for his sisters.

Web links

• John. P. Ferris, Paul Hunneyball: CAREW, Francis I (c.1598-1628), of Westminster (History of Parliament Online, Ref Volumes: 1604–1629)