Walter Pye (lawyer)

Sir Walter Pye (1571 – 26 December 1635) of The Mynde, Herefordshire was an English barrister, courtier, administrator and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1621 and 1629.

Walter Pye in 1631

Biography

Pye was the son of Roger Pye of The Mynde[1] at Much Dewchurch in Herefordshire. He was educated at St John's College, Oxford and became a barrister at Middle Temple.

He was elected MP for Scarborough in 1597.[1] He was favoured by Buckingham and was made justice in Glamorgan, Breconshire and Radnorshire on 8 February 1617. In 1621 he became attorney-general of the Court of Wards.[2] Also in 1621 he was elected Member of Parliament for Brecon. He was re-elected for Brecon in 1624 and in 1625. In 1626 he was elected MP for Brecon and for Herefordshire and chose to sit for Herefordshire. He was re-elected MP for Herefordshire in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.[3] He was knighted at Whitehall on 29 June 1630.[4]

Pye died at the age of 64 and was buried at Much Dewchurch where there is an elaborate alabaster monument to his memory.[2]

Family

Pye married Joan, daughter of William Rudshall of Rudshall, Gloucestershire and had a son Walter. His brother Robert Pye was also an MP.[1]

Notes

1. Ferris & Coates 2010.
2. Firth 1896, p. 71.
3. Willis 1750, p. 232
4. Shaw 1906, p. 198.

References

• Ferris, John. P.; Coates, Ben (2010), "Pye, Walter I (1571-1635), of The Mynde, Much Dewchurch, Herefs. and Greyfriars, Christchurch, London.", in Thrush, Andrew; Ferris, John P. (eds.), The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1604-1629
• Firth, Charles Harding (1896), "Pye, Robert" , in Lee, Sidney (ed.), Dictionary of National Biography, 47, London: Smith, Elder & Co, pp. 71–72CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Shaw, William Arthur (1906), The Knights of England: A complete record from the earliest time to the present day of the knights of all the orders of chivalry in England, Scotland, and Ireland, and of knights bachelors, incorporating a complete list of knights bachelors dubbed in Ireland, 2, London: Sherratt and Hughes, p. 198
• Willis, Browne (1750). Notitia Parliamentaria, Part II: A Series or Lists of the Representatives in the several Parliaments held from the Reformation 1541, to the Restoration 1660 ... London. pp. 229–239.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)

Further reading

• Atherton, Ian (2004), "Pye, Sir Walter (bap. 1571, d. 1635)", Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.), Oxford University Press, doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/22924 (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)

Parliament of England
Preceded by Edward Gate Edward Cary	Member of Parliament for Scarborough 1597 With: Thomas Posthumous Hoby	Succeeded by Edward Stanhope William Eure
Preceded by Sir John Crompton	Member of Parliament for Brecon 1621–1626	Succeeded by Sir Humphrey Lynde
Preceded by John Rudhale Sir Giles Brydges	Member of Parliament for Herefordshire 1626–1629 With: Sir Robert Harley 1626 Sir Giles Brydges 1628–1629	Succeeded by Parliament suspended until 1640