Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon

Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon KG PC, was an English nobleman, courtier, and the patron of the Lord Chamberlain’s Men, William Shakespeare’s playing company. Born to William Carey and Mary Boleyn, he was a cousin of Elizabeth I. Educated in a Cistercian monastery and tutored by Nicholas Bourbon, he became a Member of Parliament for Buckingham and was knighted and created Baron by Elizabeth I. His Baronial estate included Hunsdon and Eastwick, Hertfordshire, and possessions in Kent. He served as Captain of the Gentlemen Pensioners, Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed, and was appointed Lieutenant General of the Queen’s forces during the Northern Rebellion. He successfully quashed the rebellion, was named Warden of the Eastern March, and later became Lord Chamberlain of the Household, a position he held until his death. He was also Chief Justice in Eyre, south of the River Trent, and served as High Steward of Oxford for life.

Carey had an affair with Emilia Lanier, with whom he fathered a child. He was married to Anne Morgan and had several children, including George Carey, 2nd Baron Hunsdon. He died at Somerset House and was buried at Westminster Abbey. On his deathbed, he refused the title of Earl of Wiltshire offered by Elizabeth I.