| Authorised form of name | Harley; Sir; Robert (1626 - 1673); courtier |
| Dates | 1626 - 1673 |
| Nationality | British |
| Date of birth | 06 April 1626 |
| Date of death | 6 November 1673 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial:
Brampton Bryan, Herefordshire, England, Europe |
| Occupation | politician; soldier; enslaver |
| Activity | Education:
Educated privately by Mr Simons
Career:
Served in the Parliamentary Army (1643-1647, 1660); Colonel of a Regiment at Dunkirk (1661); MP for New Radnor Boroughs (1647, 1660); Commissioner for Assessment for Herefordshire and Radnor; Keeper of the Seals of Barbados (1663-1664); Receiver of fee-farm rents for Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Staffordshire (1670-1671)
Honours:
Kt 1660
|
| Membership category | Original Fellow |
| Date of election | 20/05/1663 |
| Proposer | Henry Slingsby |
| RSActivity | Committee and panels:
Mechanical Committee (1664) |
| Relationships | Parents: Sir Robert Harley and Brilliana Conway
Siblings: Sir Edward Harley (FRS 1663) and Thomas Harley (FRS 1667); four sisters
Married: Edith Hinton (née Pembrugge)
Additional relatives: cousin Edward Conway (FRS 1668); nephew Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford (FRS 1712) |
| OtherInfo | Harley played an active role in suppressing the royalist uprising led by Sir Henry Lingen but after August 1648, he became an active royalist himself. He did not stand for re-election in 1661 and during the 1660s became involved in property development and ownership in Barbados, Surinam, and Antigua. He financially profited from colonial office and was additionally involved in the payment for two enslaved people. For a plantation near Taurarica, Harley was in charge of delivering enslaved people as a 'workforce' to the site. Upon returning to England, Harley successfully petitioned Charles II for a pension, listing, amongst others, the loss of his property and plantation in Surinam as a reason. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll; Le Neve; DNB (Father's entry); Dalton; Henning
Seymour, Susanne et al. 2010. 'Slavery Connections of Bolsover Castle (1600-c.1830); Final Report for English Heritage'
Notes:
The election date is Harley's re-election date into the Society after the grant of the second charter in April 1663. All Fellows admitted in a two-month window after this charter, until 22 June 1663, are considered Original Fellows. He was previously elected on 21 August 1661. |
| Code | NA3755 |