Robert Killigrew

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Robert Killigrew (Lothbury, London 1580 - Bath, Somerset 1633) was a knight of Arwenack in Falmouth, Cornwall.

He was born the son of William Killigrew and Margery (Mary) Saunders. In January 1591, he matriculated at Christchurch, Oxford and later became a chamberlain to Queen Elizabeth I. He was elected MP for St Mawes in 1601 and, in the next reign, was knighted by King James I in 1603. It is possible that he travelled to Jamestown in 1604. His name appears in the Second Charter of Virginia as a backer. In June 1612, he was noted as one of "Carr's favourites" according to John Chamberlain. The following May, he was committed to the Fleet Prison for an unknown offence. In 1614, he was again elected to Parliament, this time as MP for Helston. On May 12 that year, he was involved in an altercation in the House of Commons. In July, he was appointed Keeper of Pendennis Castle, Falmouth, and a JP that same year. He clearly had a temper, as he is recorded as fighting a duel with Captain Burton in 1618. In October that year he was appointed an Officer of Protonotary of Chancery, and in December the following year was mentioned favourably by Buckingham. He was subsequently returned as MP for various constituencies: 1621 Newport, 1624 Penryn, 1625 Cornwall, 1628 Bodmin, while being appointed Deputy Lieutenant for Cornwall in 1624. He was also appointed Ambassador to the United Provinces in September 1625, but this was not taken up by December that year. The following year, he was appointed Vice-Chamberlain to Queen Henrietta Maria. He died in 1633 in Bath, Somerset, with the probate of his will on May 12.