Robert Shirley 1629-1656

Sir Robert SHIRLEY, 4th bart 1629-56

Armorial stamp of Sir Robert Shirley (British Armorial Bindings).

Biographical Note

Of Eatington, Warwickshire, son of Sir Henry Shirley, 2nd baronet (1589-1633). Admitted to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge in 1645 and inherited the baronetcy in 1646 following his brother's death. A royalist, he supported the future Charles II during his exile and was subsequently imprisoned in the Tower of London in 1650 and again in 1654. He rebuilt the church at Staunton Harold and, attempting to reconcile the royal cause with the Church of England, employed many of the deprived clergy as his chaplains, including Robert Mapletoft, Gilbert Sheldon, Henry Hammond and Peter Gunning.

Books

Books with his armorial stamps survive. The family library is said to have been founded by his grandfather Sir George Shirley, 1st Bart (1559-1622).

Sources

• British Armorial Bindings.
• Dorman, M. "Shirley, Sir Robert, fourth baronet (1629–1656), royalist conspirator." Oxford Dictionary of National Biography.
• Maggs 1075 (1987)/53; 1212 (1996)/32.