Family and Education

bap. 28 Nov. 1635, 4th but 1st surv. s. of John, later 1st Earl of Radnor by 1st w. Lady Lucy Rich, da. and coh. of Robert Rich^†, 2nd Earl of Warwick; bro. of Robert Robartes and half-bro. of Francis Robartes. educ. Felsted; Christ’s, Camb. 1650; travelled abroad (France) 1655-7. unm.1

Offices Held

J.p. Cornw. July 1660-?d., commr. for assessment 1664-80, recusants 1675; freeman, Bodmin and Tintagel 1685.2

Gent. of the privy chamber 1661-85.3

Biography

At the general election of 1660 Robartes stood for the family boroughs of Bodmin and Truro, and was involved in double returns for each. He was allowed to take his seat for the former constituency on the merits of the return. Lord Wharton marked him as a friend, but he was not active in the Convention, and may have voted with the Court. He was probably appointed to the committee for the assessment ordinance on 5 May, and certainly added on 20 Dec. to that for settling wine licences.4

Robartes was seated after another double return for Bodmin in 1661. Again inactive in the Cavalier Parliament, he was appointed by full name to only 20 committees, most of them in the opening session. He acted as teller for a Lords’ amendment to the security bill, and was named to the committees to consider the shortfall in revenue, the corporations bill, the bill against tumultuary petitioning and the uniformity bill. He was added to the committee of elections and privileges, an appointment which was renewed in three later sessions. Another 38 references in the Journals probably relate to his brother. A court dependant in 1664, he was listed in 1669 among the Members to be gained by the Duke of Buckingham. His name appeared in the working lists in 1675, and Sir Richard Wiseman hoped that his support could be retained through his more active brother. But he seems to have followed his father into opposition, for he was classed as ‘worthy’ by Shaftesbury in 1677. His name does not appear on either the government or opposition lists of the court party drawn up in the following year, and he defaulted on a call of the House. Reelected to the three Exclusion Parliaments, he was again listed as ‘worthy’ by Shaftesbury, but, his father having rejoined the Privy Council, Robartes abstained from the division on the bill, and probably came to oppose exclusion since he remained on the commission of the peace. He was totally inactive in all three Parliaments, except to complain on 2 Dec. 1680 that his servant had been injured by an officer. In 1685 he was made a freeman of both Bodmin and Bossiney under the new charters, and was returned for Bodmin to James II’s Parliament, where he was again inactive. He was buried at Lanhydrock on 31 Jan. 1688.5

Ref Volumes: 1660-1690

Authors: M. W. Helms / Paula Watson / Basil Duke Henning

Notes

• 1. Vivian, Vis. Cornw. 398; Add. 34015, f. 95.
• 2. J. Maclean, Trigg Minor, iii. 207; J. Wallis, Bodmin Reg. 169.
• 3. Carlisle, Privy Chamber, 173.
• 4. CJ, viii. 12, 69.
• 5. CJ, viii. 250, 261; ix. 558, 669; Soc. of Genealogists, Lanhydrock par. reg.