February 26 – George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon

On this day in Tudor history, 26^th February 1548, in the reign of King Edward VI, George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, was born. He was the eldest son of Henry Carey, 1^st Baron Hunsdon, and Anne Morgan, and the grandson of Mary Boleyn.

Here are some facts about him:

• Hunsdon was educated at Trinity College Cambridge.
• In May 1570, he was knighted for his military service during the 1569 Northern Rebellion.
• In 1578, he was made Marshal of the household, and in 1583, he was made Constable of Bamburgh Castle and Captain of the Isle of Wight.
• Hunsdon served as a Member of Parliament for Hertfordshire in 1571, for Canterbury I 1572, and for Hampshire on several occasions. He was also a Justice of the Peace for Hertfordshire in the 1580s and Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire in the 1590s.
• He served Queen Elizabeth I on missions to the Low Countries in 1578 and to Scotland in 1582.
• Following his father’s death in July 1596, George succeeded him as captain of the queen’s gentleman pensioners, and then in 1596 as a privy councillor and lord chamberlain. He also became 2^nd Baron Hunsdon.
• Like his father, George was a patron of the theatre and supported the company known as the Lord Chamberlain’s Men.
• George was elected to the Order of the Garter in 1597.
• Ill health led to him giving up his post as Lord Chamberlain in May 1603 and he died on 8^th September 1603. As George only had a daughter, his younger brother, John, became 3^rd Baron Hunsdon.
• His wife was, of course, Elizabeth Spencer, daughter of Sir John Spencer and Katherine Kitson. See yesterday's post for more on Elizabeth.

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Image: Miniature of George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon, by Nicholas Hilliard