Gawain Carew

Sir
Gawain Carew
JP DL
Portrait c.1565
Member of Parliament
for Devon
In office
11 January 1563 – 2 January 1567
Preceded byJohn St. Leger
Succeeded byPeter Edgcumbe
In office
16 January 1542 – 15 April 1552
Preceded byRichard Pollard
Succeeded byPeter Carew
Member of Parliament
for Plympton Erle
In office
23 January 1559 – 8 May 1559
Preceded byThomas Southcote
Succeeded byNicholas Ogle
Personal details
Bornc.1503
Diedc.1585 (aged 81–82)
Resting placeExeter Cathedral
Spouse(s)Anne Brandon
Mary Wotton
Elizabeth Norwiche
RelativesWilliam Huddesfield (grandfather)
George Carew (brother)
Peter Carew (nephew)
George Carew (nephew)
Peter Carew (nephew)
George Carew (nephew)
OccupationPolitician

Sir Gawain Carew JP DL (c. 1503 – 1585) was an English politician. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Devon and for Plympton Erle.

Biography

Early life and ancestry

Gawain Carew was born c. 1503 as the fourth son of Sir Edmund Carew and Katherine Huddesfield.[1] His maternal grandfather, William Huddesfield, was an English statesman who served as the Attorney General for England and Wales under Edward IV and Henry VII.[1][2]

Gawain Carew's father made special provisions for Gawain and his brother George in his will before his death in 1513. They were placed in the custody of the elder brother Nicholas who appeared to have attached them to the household of Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exeter, where they received a livery of cloth as household members in 1525. Their father also provided for their maintenance, and left them £200 to be paid at their marriage.[1]

Later life and career

Despite being widely connected in Devon,[1][3] Carew's early career centred around court and the capital. In October 1532, Carew's brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, recommended him to be the sheriff of Devon to Thomas Cromwell; but he did not hold the office for another 15 years. In April 1538, he was imprisoned in the Compter after he and his servant had killed an adversary and seriously wounded another, but by January 1540 he was sufficiently in favour enough that he was appointed to receive Anne of Cleves at Blackheath.[1]

Following the outbreak of war with France in 1543, Carew was ordered to accompany Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, to the Netherlands, and he brought with him four horsemen and four footmen. In 1544, he took part in the Boulogne campaign and in 1545 he captained the Matthew Gonson in naval engagements. He received a knightood in 1545.[1]

Carew testified against Queen Catherine Howard at her trial in 1542, and also testified against Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey in January 1547.[1]

Carew was the Sheriff of Devon from 1547 to 1548, and Deputy Lieutenant of Cornwall and Devon in 1569. He was also the MP for Devon and for Plympton Erle.[1] Carew was a Justice of the peace for Devon from 1547 to 1553 and again from c. 1558 until his death.[1][4][5]

Family and death

Carew was married three times. He was firstly married to Anne Brandon, daughter of William Brandon, and sister of Charles Brandon. He married secondly Mary Wotton, who was the widow of Henry Guildford. His third marriage was to Elizabeth Norwiche. He had no children.[1]

Carew lived to be over 80 and died in 1585. He was buried in Exeter Cathedral, where a monument of him was later built.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "CAREW, Gawain (c.1503-85), of Exeter and Wood, Devon and London. | History of Parliament Online". 2023-06-30. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
  2. ^ Norton-Kyshe, James William (1897). The Law and Privileges Relating to the Attorney-General and Solicitor-General of England: With a History from the Earliest Periods, and a Series of King's Attorneys and Attorneys and Solicitors-General from the Reign of Henry III. to the 60th of Queen Victoria. Stevens and Haynes.
  3. ^ Duncan, Anthony (October 2011). Faversham's Dream. Skylight Press. ISBN 978-1-908011-11-4.
  4. ^ Bindoff, Stanley Thomas (1982). The House of Commons, 1509-1558: Appendices, constituencies, members A-C. Boydell & Brewer. ISBN 978-0-436-04282-9.
  5. ^ Gray, Todd; Rowe, Margery M.; Erskine, Audrey M. (1992). Tudor and Stuart Devon: The Common Estate and Government : Essays Presented to Joyce Youings. University of Exeter Press. ISBN 978-0-85989-384-8.