Biography of Henry Brooke 11th Baron Cobham 1564-1619

In 1545 [his father] William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 17) and Dorothy Neville Baroness Cobham (age 20) were married. He had been a ward of her father George Neville 5th and 3rd Baron Abergavenny. They were half second cousin once removed. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England. She a great x 4 granddaughter of King Edward III of England.

On 25th February 1560 [his father] William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 32) and [his mother] Frances Newton Baroness Cobham (age 21) were married at Whitehall Palace [Map]. She by marriage Baroness Cobham. They were fourth cousins. He a great x 5 grandson of King Edward III of England.

On 22nd November 1564 Henry Brooke 11th Baron Cobham was born to [his father] William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 37) and [his mother] Frances Newton Baroness Cobham (age 25).

On 14th April 1585 [his father] William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 57) was appointed 367th Knight of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 51).

Before 12th February 1586 [his father] William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 58) was appointed Privy Council.

Before 1592 [his step-father] John Poyntz (age 31) and [his mother] Frances Newton Baroness Cobham (age 52) were married. The difference in their ages was 21 years; she, unusually, being older than him. They were first cousin once removed.

In August 1596 [his father] William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 68) was appointed Lord Chamberlain.

On 6th March 1597 [his father] William Brooke 10th Baron Cobham (age 69) died. His son Henry (age 32) succeeded 11th Baron Cobham.

In 1599 Henry Brooke 11th Baron Cobham (age 34) was appointed 389th Knight of the Garter by Queen Elizabeth I of England and Ireland (age 65).

In 1601 Henry Brooke 11th Baron Cobham (age 36) and Frances Howard Countess Kildare were married. She the daughter of Charles Howard 1st Earl Nottingham (age 65) and Katherine Carey Countess Nottingham (age 51). They were third cousin once removed.

Calendar of the Carew Manuscripts. The 19th of February [1601] the Earl [of Essex] was arraigned (together with Southampton) in Westminster Hall before 25 peers, the Lord Treasurer (age 66) [Buckhurst] sitting as Lord Steward. At the bar the Earl laboured to extenuate his ftiult, by denying that ever he meant any harm to her Majesty's person, and by pretending that he took arms principally to save himself from my Lord Cobham (age 37) and Sir Walter Ralegh (age 48), who (he gave out) should have murdered him in his house on Saturday night. He pretended also an intention he had to have removed me with some others from the Queen, as one who would sell the kingdom of England to the Infant of Spain, with such other hyperbolical inventions. But before he went out of the Hall, when he saw himself condemned, and found that Sir John Davys (age 40), Sir Ferdinando Gorges (age 37), Sir Charles Davers, and Sir Christopher Blunt had confessed all the conferences that were held at Drury House, by his directions, for the surprising of the Queen and the Tower, which argued a premeditated treason (which he laboured to have had it prove only a sudden putting himself into strength, and flying into the city for fear of being committed over night when the Lords sent for him, which upon my faith to you, to whom I will not lie, was only to have reproved him for his unlawful assemblies, and to have wislied him to leave the city and retire into the country), he then break out to divers gentlemen in these words, that his confederates wlio now had accused him had been principal inciters of him, and not he of them, even ever since August last, to work his access to the Queen with force.

In 1603 Henry Brooke 11th Baron Cobham (age 38) was attainted for his part in a plot to overthrow King James I. Baron Cobham abeyant or forfeit?

Before October 1606 Rory O'Donnell 1st Earl of Tyrconnell (age 31) and [his step-daughter] Bridget Fitzgerald Viscountess Barnewell (age 16) were married. She the daughter of Henry Fitzgerald 12th Earl of Kildare and [his wife] Frances Howard Countess Kildare.

Before 7th July 1617 Nicholas Barnewall 1st Viscount Barnewell (age 25) and [his step-daughter] Bridget Fitzgerald Viscountess Barnewell (age 27) were married. They had five sons and four daughters. She the daughter of Henry Fitzgerald 12th Earl of Kildare and [his wife] Frances Howard Countess Kildare.

Diary of Anne Clifford. 1st January 1619. The 1st of this month I began to have the curtain drawn in my chamber and to see light. This day the Child did put on her crimson velvet coat laced with silver lace, which was the 1st velevt coat she ever had. I sent the Queen a New Year's gift, a cloth of silver cushion embroidered richly with the King of Denmark's arms, and all one with stripes of tent stitch.

Note. About this time died my Lord Cobham (age 54), he being lately come out of the Tower [Map]. He being the last of the three that was condemned for the first conspiracy [Main and Bye Plots] against the King at his first coming to England.

On 24th January 1619 Henry Brooke 11th Baron Cobham (age 54) died. His nephew William (age 20) de jure 12th Baron Cobham but he was unable to claim the title since it was suject to an attainder.

In 1628 [his former wife] Frances Howard Countess Kildare died.

Henry Fitzgerald 12th Earl of Kildare and [his former wife] Frances Howard Countess Kildare were married. She by marriage Countess Kildare. She the daughter of [his former father-in-law] Charles Howard 1st Earl Nottingham and [his former mother-in-law] Katherine Carey Countess Nottingham. He the son of Gerald "Wizard Earl" Fitzgerald 11th Earl of Kildare and Mabel Browne Countess Kildare. They were fifth cousin once removed.