George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon

George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon KG (1547 – 9 September 1603) was the eldest son of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon and Anne Morgan. His father was first cousin to Elizabeth I of England. In 1560, at the age of 13, George matriculated at Trinity College, Cambridge.[1] In 1566 he accompanied the Earl of Bedford on an official mission to Scotland, to attend the baptism of the future King James VI.

George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, by Nicholas Hilliard, 1601

Arms of Sir George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, KG

Ivory seal matrix, c.1586, of George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, with 20 quarterings (most notably Beaufort, 3rd quarter), inscribed: SIGIL(LUM) GEO(RGII) CAREY MIL(ITIS) CAPP(ITANUS) INS(ULAE) VECTIS E(..) ADMIRALLUS COM(ITATIS) SOWTHAMTO(N) ("Seal of George Cary, Knight, Captain of the Isle of Wight and Admiral of the County of Southampton"). British Museum. (This photo a mirror image to display arms correctly, matrix designed to impress corrected image in wax)

Military and political career

During the Northern Rebellion of 1569, George was knighted in the field by Thomas Radcliffe 3rd Earl of Sussex for bravery. George had challenged Lord Fleming, the commander of Dunbar Castle, to single combat.

George served as a member of Parliament in the Commons for several terms (for Hertfordshire in 1571, for Hampshire in 1584, 1586, 1589, and 1593).

George was sent to Carisbrooke Castle on the Isle of Wight and later assumed command of the Isle's defenses during the Spanish Armada threat.

In July 1596, when his father died, George became the second Baron Hunsdon, and the following year he was appointed Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, a position which had been held by his father.

Theatre

Both Henry and George Carey were patrons of the professional theatre company in London known as "the Lord Chamberlain's Men". Talents such as William Shakespeare and Richard Burbage were among the writers and performers of the company. In 1597 George was invested as a Knight of the Garter, and it is sometimes proposed that the first performance of William Shakespeare's Merry Wives of Windsor was held to commemorate the occasion.[2]

Family

George married Elizabeth Spencer (related to poet/author Edmund Spenser), who like her husband was a patron of the arts. They had one daughter, Elizabeth.

Death

He died on 9 September 1603 (from venereal disease and mercury poisoning), and his brother John (the next eldest) became the third Lord Hunsdon.

References

"Carey, George (CRY560G)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
Duncan-Jones, Katherine (2001). Ungentle Shakespeare: scenes from his life. London: Arden Shakespeare. p. 97. ISBN 1-903436-26-5.

Baldacci, Tony (2005). "Sir George Carey's biography". Retrieved 16 July 2005.

Political offices
Preceded by Sir Francis Walsingham	Custos Rotulorum of Hampshire 1590–1603	Succeeded by The Earl of Southampton
Preceded by The Lord Hunsdon	Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners 1596–1603	Succeeded by The Earl of Northumberland
Preceded by The Marquess of Winchester The Lord Blount	Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire jointly with The Marquess of Winchester 1597–1598 The Earl of Devonshire 1597–1603	Succeeded by The Earl of Devonshire
Preceded by The Lord Cobham	Lord Chamberlain 1597–1603	Succeeded by The Earl of Suffolk
Peerage of England
Preceded by Henry Carey	Baron Hunsdon 1596–1603	Succeeded by John Carey

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.

[1] "Carey, George (CRY560G)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.

[2] Duncan-Jones, Katherine (2001). Ungentle Shakespeare: scenes from his life. London: Arden Shakespeare. p. 97. ISBN 1-903436-26-5.