Paul Foley (1644/5 – 13 November 1699), also known asSpeaker Foley, was the second son ofThomas Foley ofWitley Court,[1] the prominentMidlandsironmaster.
He took over his father'sironworks in and around theForest of Dean in the early 1670s and continued them until 1685 when he let them to John Wheeler and Richard Avenant, who had managed ironworks for his brotherPhilip Foley. In 1692, the two brothers entered into a partnership with these managers and John Wheeler's brother, Richard. This lasted until after Paul's death.[2]
Paul Foley had the resources from his father and the profits of his ironworks to buy himself asubstantial estate aroundStoke Edith in Herefordshire, part of which still belongs to a descendant. Important purchases included Stoke Edith from the trustees of SirHenry Lingen in 1670 (made by his father),[3] and other property from Sir Thomas Cooke in 1683.[4] He rebuilt the house at Stoke Edith and laid out formal gardens and a park (which he had a royal licence to empark.[3][5]
Paul Foley was elected MP forHereford in 1679. He was elected again for the same seat in 1689.[6] He actively campaigned for theexclusion of the Duke of York from the throne. He was imprisoned at the time of theRye House Plot and again during theMonmouth Rebellion. However,James II later favoured him during his own later difficulties. During the reign ofWilliam III, he took an anti-court position, leading the"Country Whigs" faction with his nephewRobert Harley. During the early 1690s, he sat on several importantParliamentary committees, including being a commissioner of accounts. He was electedSpeaker of the House of Commons on 14 March 1695,[7] a post he held until his death.[5] He was (like the Harleys and his elder brotherThomas) aPresbyterian and used hispatronage rights in theChurch of England to appoint clergy of that persuasion to churches.[8]
He married Mary daughter of Alderman John Lane of London. Their eldest son wasThomas Foley. His younger sonPaul,[1] was also briefly an MP.[6]
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Speaker of the House of Commons 1695–1698 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of England | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forHereford 1679–1685 With:Bridstock Harford 1679–1681 Herbert Aubrey 1681–1685 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forHereford 1689–1699 With:Sir William Gregory 1689 Henry Cornewall 1689–1695 James Morgan 1695–1698 James Brydges 1698–1699 | Succeeded by |
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