Family and Education

b. 1538, s. of William, 1st Baron Howard by his 2nd w., and bro. of Charles Howard I. m. Frances, da. of William Goldwell of Goldwell, Kent, 3s. inc. Edward. Kntd. 1596.

Offices Held

J.p. Surr. by 1580, q. by 1584; dep. lt. by 1582; keeper of Byfleet park 1585; master of the hawks; v.-adm. Yorks.2

Biography

After acquiring Lingfield in 1569, following the death of a younger brother, Howard served on several commissions dealing with recusancy, subsidies, and the military organisation of the county. He sat in each Parliament of the reign until his death and was a member of committees dealing with Jesuits (18 Feb. 1585), privileges and returns (26 Feb. 1593), the subsidy (26 Feb. 1593) and monopolies (10 Nov. 1597). He spoke once in the House, reporting ‘the great disorder of serving-men and boys in hurting and misusing of other persons’, on 3 Dec. 1584. He twice sought the county seat, unsuccessfully in 1584 when his elder brother failed to get him the nomination against competition from (Sir) William More I, and successfully in 1589. On other occasions, he was returned for the family borough of Reigate.3

Howard accompanied the Duke of Anjou to the Low Countries in 1580, and was a member of the Cadiz expedition of 1596. Three years later, he was granted a sum of £500 for his long service. He died at Haling, Croydon in 1600, and was buried in Reigate. His estate at that date included the manors of Great Bookham and Billeshurst, and the rectory and manor of Lingfield. The heir was Edward, eldest of three sons.4

Ref Volumes: 1558-1603

Author: H.G.O.

Notes

• 1. Folger V. b. 298.
• 2. Surr. Arch. Colls. ix. 436; SP12/145; Harl. 474; PRO Index 6800; HMC Hatfield, x. 270; K. Andrews, ‘Economic Aspects of Eliz. Privateering’ (London Univ. PhD thesis 1951), 185.
• 3. Harl. 474; APC, xxiv. 474; xxix. 464; Surr. Rec. Soc. xiii. 382; D’Ewes, 335, 352, 471, 474, 555.
• 4. CSP Dom. 1598-1601, p. 355; Manning and Bray, Surr. ii. 356, 543, 690.