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

  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.
Political offices
Preceded by
Sir Francis Walsingham
Custos Rotulorum of Hampshire
15901603
Succeeded by
The Earl of Southampton
Preceded by
The Lord Hunsdon
Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners
15961603
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 15971598
The Earl of Devonshire

15971603
Succeeded by
The Earl of Devonshire
Preceded by
The Lord Cobham
Lord Chamberlain
15971603
Succeeded by
The Earl of Suffolk
Peerage of England
Preceded by
Henry Carey
Baron Hunsdon
15961603
Succeeded by
John Carey
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