Benjamin Rudyerd
Sir Benjamin Rudyerd was a prominent English figure born in 1572, recognized for his contributions as a politician and poet during the early 17th century. Educated at Winchester School and St. John's College, Oxford, his early academic path remains somewhat ambiguous. Rudyerd entered the legal profession by being called to the bar in 1600 and was later knighted in 1618, the same year he assumed the role of surveyor of the court of wards. His political career included serving in Parliament, where he represented various boroughs.
Rudyerd was also noted for his literary contributions, particularly his witty poetry, which aligns him with the Cavalier poets of his era. His poetic works were published posthumously in two collections in 1660, though it is unclear which specific poems he authored. His literary reputation was bolstered by his connections with notable contemporaries, including the celebrated writer Ben Jonson. In addition to his political and literary endeavors, Rudyerd played a role in the colonization of America as one of the original incorporators of the Providence Company in 1630. He passed away in 1658 and is interred in Berkshire, England.
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Benjamin Rudyerd
Writer
- Born: December 26, 1572
- Died: May 31, 1658
Biography
Sir Benjamin Rudyerd was born in 1572 to James and Margaret Rudyerd. He attended Winchester school and matriculated at St. John’s College, Oxford, though it is not known whether he graduated. He married Elizabeth Harington and they had one son, William. On October 24, 1600, he was called to the bar. Knighted on March 30, 1618, Rudyerd was then granted the post of surveyor of the court of wards on April 17, 1618.
While Rudyerd’s work as a member of Parliament, the boroughs he represented there at various times, and the speeches he gave are clearly recorded, his poetic output is not. Rudyerd wrote witty lyrics in the tradition of the Cavalier poets of the seventeenth century. The volumes in which his poems were published, Le Prince d’Amour and Poems, Written by the Right Honorable William Earl of Pembroke, Lord Steward of his Majesties Houshold, Whereof Many of Which are Answered by Way of Repartee, by Sr Benjamin Ruddier, Knight: With Several Distinct Poems, Written by Them Occasionally and Apart, both appeared in 1660, two years after his death. Both volumes contain poems by Rudyerd and William Herbert, third Earl of Pembroke, but the books do not specify the poems written by each author. However, Rudyerd’s reputation as a witty and learned poet is attested to not only by his association with the third Earl of Pembroke but also his friendship with writer Ben Jonson, who praised Rudyerd in several of his epigrams published in the collection Workes in 1616. In addition to his political involvement and writing, Rudyerd helped to finance the colonization of America, becoming one of the original incorporators of the Providence Company on December 4, 1630. He died in 1658 and is buried in Berkshire, England.