Preceded By Sir Charles Shirley |
4th Baronet Shirley of Staunton Harold 1646 - 1656 |
Succeded By Sir Seymour Shirley |
Sir Robert Shirley, 4th Bt. was born after 1623. He was the son of Sir Henry Shirley, 2nd Bt. and Lady Dorothy Devereux.[1]
Sir Robert married Catherine Okeover, daughter of Humphrey Okeover.[2]
In 1645, Robert was admitted a fellow commoner of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. The following year upon the premature death of his brother, Sir Charles Shirley, succeeded him in the baronetcy and estates, being at that time about fifteen years old, and a ward, as also his brother had been of his uncle Lord Essex.
Sir Robert Shirley built a church at Staunton Harold during the time Cromwell made it penal for any persons to keep in their houses any of the sequestered or ejected ministers in the capacity of chaplains or tutors, which forbade them likewise to preach to any others than the members of their own families, to perform of the offices of religion, or to use the book of Common Prayer.
Staunton Harold continued to be during Sir Robert's life, an asylum to many of the distressed divines. So upsetting was this that an order was issued to Sir Robert saying, "He that could afford to build a church, could no doubt afford also to equip a ship;" Sir Robert Shirley refused, and was sent to the Tower of London, dying at age 27, suspicion of poisoning.[3]
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Categories: Baronets Shirley of Staunton Harold | Prisoners of the Tower of London | Corpus Christi College, Oxford | Staunton Harold, Leicestershire