The Phelips Family and House

Sir , the builder of , and his son Sir knew many of the courtiers who are represented in portraits on this floor.Sir William Petre (Room 2) was granted the lease of the monastic lands at Montacute after the dissolution of the priory here in 1539. The Phelips family became sub-tenants of the Petres for much of the sixteenth century. The lease was held briefly by Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester (Room 3) whose former home, Blount House at Wanstead in , was also rented by Sir Edward Phelips.

Edward Phelips trained as a lawyer and like many successful Tudor gentlemen was attracted to political and court life. His career in both law and politics blossomed and in 1603, with his eldest son Robert, he was knighted by James I (Room 5). In the same year he took part in the trial of Sir Walter Ralegh () when the latter was accused of treason. Further Sir William Petre preferment followed in 1604 when he was By an unknown artist, 1567 (NPG 3816) selected as first speaker of the House in the first – Room 2 parliament of James I. Sir Edward was almost certainly chosen because he could be relied upon to support the Crown’s interest.

He remained in royal favour and in 1610 was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Cornwall in the court of Henry, Prince of Wales (Long Gallery). In the portrait of Sir Edward Phelips (located downstairs in the Screens Passage above the east door), Edward is shown with the seal bag of the young Prince Henry. Sadly, Prince Henry died of typhoid fever in 1612 when he was eighteen. The following year Sir Edward organised the masque that formed part of the marriage celebrations of James I’s daughter, Elizabeth (Crimson Bedroom), to Frederick, Count Palatine of the Rhine in the Chapel Royal at Whitehall . The Phelips Family and Montacute House

Sir Robert Phelips (c.1585–1638), son of the builder of Montacute, was a lawyer and Member of Parliament. However, unlike his father he frequently found himself in opposition to the crown. In 1621 he was chairman of the committee that examined the charges of bribery against the Lord Chancellor , Viscount St Albans (Long Gallery), as a result of which Bacon was stripped of his offices and sent to the Tower. Sir Roberts’ role in the enquiry was one of the key achievements of his professional life, and when he had his portrait painted in 1632 (), he chose to be depicted holding the Petition against Bacon in his hand.

In the same year James I was planning to marry his son, Charles I, to a Spanish princess. Sir Robert Phelips supported the House of Sir Robert Phelips Commons petition against the marriage, and Attributed to Hendrik Gerritsz Pot, 1632 as a result was arrested at Montacute on – Great Hall 1st January 1622 and sent to the Tower of , where he remained until August. During his imprisonment Sir Robert wrote several letters to George Villiers, Duke of Buckingham (Room 5) to plead his case and appeal for clemency. However, by the first parliament of Charles I’s reign in 1625 he had joined the ranks of those hostile to Buckingham and later lost his seat. His opposition to the King continued for the rest of his life. Robert Phelips died in April 1638 ‘of a cold, choked with phlegm, convinced of the wicked folly of Charles I’.