Sir John Coke | |
|---|---|
 Sir John Cokec. 1639 | |
| Secretary of State | |
| In office September 1625 – January 1640 | |
| Member of Parliament forCambridge University | |
| In office February 1626 – March 1629 | |
| Lord Privy Seal | |
| In office 1625–1628 | |
| Member of Parliament forSt Germans | |
| In office 1624–1625 | |
| Master of Requests | |
| In office November 1622 – 1625 | |
| Member of Parliament forWarwick | |
| In office January 1621 – January 1622 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 March 1563 Trusley,Derbyshire,Kingdom of England |
| Died | 8 September 1644(1644-09-08) (aged 81) Tottenham,Middlesex, Kingdom of England |
| Spouse(s) | (1) Mary Powell (1604–1624) (her death) (2) Joan Lee (1624–his death) |
| Children | Joseph (ca.1605–1624);John (1607–1650);Thomas (1610–1656); Ann (1617–1686); |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Civil servant and politician |
Sir John CokeMPJPPC (5 March 1563 – 8 September 1644) was an English civil servant and naval administrator, described by one commentator as "theSamuel Pepys of his day".[1] He wasMP for various constituencies in theHouse of Commons between 1621 and 1629, and served asSecretary of State underCharles I, playing a key part in government during the eleven years ofPersonal Rule from 1629 to 1640.
The younger son of aDerbyshire lawyer, Coke owed his career to the patronage ofFulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke andGeorge Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, both of whom valued his efficiency and capacity for hard work. This brought him to the attention of Charles I, who appointed him Secretary of State in 1625 with responsibility for implementing his domestic policy. TheRoyalist statesmanEdward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon later wrote that he was "unadorn’d with any parts of vigour or quickness",[2] but he retained this position until dismissed at the age of 77 in January 1640.
When theFirst English Civil War began in August 1642, his eldest sonJohn supportedParliament while his younger sonThomas joined theRoyalists. Too old to take part and with his country house ofMelbourne Hall occupied by a Parliamentarian garrison, Coke moved toTottenham, where he died on 8 September 1644.
John Coke was born inTrusley on 5 March 1563, second son of Richard Coke (ca.1540–1582), a prominentDerbyshire lawyer, and his wife Mary.[3] He was one of at least four children, the others being his elder brother Francis (1561–1639), who inherited the family estates,George Coke (1570–1646), laterBishop of Hereford, and Dorothy, wife ofValentine Cary (ca. 1570–1626),Bishop of Exeter from 1621 to 1626.
Coke married twice, the first time in 1604 to Mary or Marie Powell (ca.1578–1624), with whom he had six surviving children; Joseph (ca.1605–1624),John (1607–1650),Thomas (1610–1656), Ann (1617–1686);
Thought to have attendedWestminster School, Coke enteredTrinity College, Cambridge in 1576, where he remained for the next fifteen years, serving as a lecturer inrhetoric from 1584 to 1591. During this period, he became loosely acquainted with a circle of friends aroundRobert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex includingFulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, for whom he seems to have acted as an accountant. He left Cambridge in 1591 to work for Greville full time, then spent the years from 1593 to 1597 travelling inEurope, almost certainly on behalf of Essex who was seeking to establish a network of agents there.[4]
In 1621 Coke was elected Member of Parliament forWarwick.[5] He was appointed aMaster of Requests in 1622 and wasknighted in 1624. In 1624 he was elected MP forSt Germans and was re-elected for the seat in 1625.[5] In the parliament of 1625 Coke acted as asecretary of state; in this and later parliaments he introduced the royal requests for money, and defended the foreign policy ofCharles I andBuckingham, and afterwards the actions of the king. His actual appointment as secretary dates from September 1625. He was elected MP forCambridge University in 1626 and 1628. Disliked by the leaders of the popular party, his speeches in the House of Commons did not improve the king's position.[6]
Coke married Marie Powell, and they set up home at Hall Court,Kynaston,Much Marcle. Several of their letters to each other survive.[7]
King Charles ruled without a parliament from 1628 and he found Coke's industry very useful to him. Coke kept his post until 1640. Dismissed from office, he retired tohis estate atMelbourne in Derbyshire, which he had bought in 1628. He died at his house inTottenham near London, on 8 September 1644.[6]
Coke in his earlier years had been a defender of absolute monarchy and greatly disliked the papacy. He was described byClarendon as "a man of very dumb education and a narrower mind"; and again he says, "his cardinal perfection was industry and his most eminent infirmity covetousness."[6]
Coke's elder son,Sir John Coke was aParliamentarian in theEnglish Civil War, while his younger sonThomas Coke was aRoyalist.
The Coke family continued to ownMelbourne Hall untilGeorge Lewis Coke, an ambiguous figure who died childless in 1777. His sister married the family's lawyer and the Coke name was lost.
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Coke, Sir John".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 6 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 655.| Parliament of England | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forWarwick 1621–1622 With:Sir Greville Verney | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forSt Germans 1624–1625 With:Sir John Stradling 1624 Sir Henry Marten | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forCambridge University 1626–1629 With:Thomas Eden | Parliament suspended until 1640 |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Secretary of State 1625–1640 With:Sir Edward Conway 1625–1628 Dudley Carleton, 1st Viscount Dorchester 1628–1632 Sir Francis Windebank 1632–1640 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Privy Seal 1625–1628 | Succeeded by |
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| People | |
| Other | |
