#15361, William STRODE (IV)

William entered the Inner Temple in 1580 and succeeded to his father's estates the following year.  At the time of the Spanish Armada - 1588 - he became a colonel of the stannary of Plympton, in command of a hundred men.  He inherited the family's tin-mining interests which had previously been managed by his uncle Philip (1525-1605) #15354 and was in charge of construction works on Plymouth fort.  His arrival at the Inner Temple coincided with Francis Drake's return to Plymouth as the first Englishman to have circumnavigated the globe.  He was a friend and trustee of Sir Francis Drake; had a secondary family seat at Meavy close by Drake's Buckland Abbey.  William Strode was a trustee of Drake's second marriage settlement in 1585 and the joint executor of Drake's will as well as being involved with a number of Drake's initiatives, including Drake's Leat and the new fortifications on the Hoe.  His daughter Joan (Joanna) Strode married as his second wife Sir Francis Drake, nephew of the great seafarer and inheritor of Buckland Abbey in 1615.

At one time William had plans to erect a number of buildings on land he owned at The Lambhay.  This was probably predicated by the silting up of the Plym due to tinners' activities resulting in increased development of the port of Plymouth but despite overcoming local objections and having encouragement from various friends including Sir Walter Raleigh the land was put down to gardens instead.  In 1595 we find William working with Raleigh's agent, Christopher Harris on construction of the new fort.

He sat on a number of committees of the House of Commons including that relating to Tunnage and Poundage (Customs) and the well known West Country pilchard trade.  He was present when the Commons reassembled on 5th November 1605 and in the wake of the celebrated Gunpowder Plot he made the most of every opportunity to promote his anti-Catholic agenda.  Amongst them was the Sabbath observance bill of 1611.  Throughout this time Sir William had sat as official Recorder for Plymouth - a post he held until 1620, having been elected as MP for Plympton Erle (now St. Maurice) in 1601, 1604, 1614, 1621 and for Devon in 1625 and 1626.  The Mayflower excited some interest when it called in to Plymouth in 1620 for repairs on its way to the New World.  In 1625 Charles I attended his first Parliament - a body which not only included Sir William Strode, but his son William and his son-in-law Sir Francie Drake.  (Sir William was MP for Devon, William MP for Plympton Erle and Drake for Bere Alston).

About 1622 we learn that one, James Bagge, who inherited Saltram from his father two years later, was tasked with victualling the ship that was to take the English ambassador to Spain.  Sir John Digby was happy and commended Bagge who in August that year was appointed Vice-Admiral of South Cornwall by his friend the first Duke of Buckingham.  Despite his suspected dishonesty Bagge quickly became deputy mayor of Plymouth and MP for West Looe and was knighted by King Charles on Roborough Down having provided a healthy purse from the town.  At the same time he was awarded the contract to provide victuals and men for the fleet that was setting out for Spain.  It soon transpired that victuals and men were both inferior and the fleet limped home, unsuccessful, hungry and plague-ridden.  The cost to Plymouth was huge in both human and financial terms.  In April 1628 Sir William Strode claimed in the House that Bagge had embezzled £3,500 delivered to him by Buckingham. Despite Buckingham's assassination (he was stabbed by a disgruntled soldier) and much mud travelling in Bagge's direction he survived.  

Two months earlier an enraged King Charles had resisted a viciferous call to dismiss Buckingham. Relations between king and Commons dereriorated, the Commons becoming increasingly unhappy with the king's appointment of bishops and his toleration of popery. When it emerged that he intended to impose Cutom House taxes, a document of protest was prepared to be read in the House.  having got wind of this the king sent an order to the speaker Sir John Finch to prevent it and before any vote could be taken he was to leave the chair and adjourn the proceedings.  The question coming on, on 2nd March 1629, a scene ensued which has perhaps never been paralleled.  When the speaker announced that he could not hear the paper read and was about to leave the chair he was seized and forcibly held edown by two members.  At this point Mr William Strode "in the heat of disobedience," rose and demanded to have the paper read.  The keys of the House being seized, the doors were locked, so that whilst none could get out, a messenger, sent to stop the proceedings, could not get in.  Mr William Strode then proposed that all who were for the paper should stand up, and in this way it was voted and passed.

The immediate consequence was that the offending Members were ordered on March 4th to attend the Privy Council as prisoners.  Four did so but with them there was no William Strode.  Incensed, the King dissolved Parliament that same day.  It would be 11 years before MPs were able to sit again.

Sir William married secondly in 1624 Dunes Glanville (died 1635) daughter of Nicholas Glanville, who was brother to Sir John Glanville (1542-1600).  William was Dunes' third husband. There were no further children.

He is commemorated by a large memorial in St. Mary's Church, Plympton, of which we show the centre section featuring his kneeling figure.