Endymion Porter

Endymion Porter was born in 1587. His father was a large landowner in Gloucestershire but he was brought up by his grandparents in Spain.

Porter returned to England as a young man and was employed by the Duke of Buckingham. He also joined the royal court and in 1623 accompanied Charles on a visit to Madrid. After the war with Spain he took part in peace negotiations which led to the treaty of 1630.

Porter was appointed as Groom of the Bedchamber and received fees as collector of fines in the Star Chamber and the surveyor of customs in the port of London. He also became involved in companies that held monopolies in the production of soap and writing paper.

In 1640 Porter was elected to the House of Commons. A strong supporter of Thomas Wentworth, Porter was accused of corruption by the Puritans and was one of the eleven men named as "delinquents" who Parliament was unwilling to pardon.

On the outbreak of the Civil War Porter supported Charles I and the Royalists. He was with Charles I in Oxford until escaping to France in 1645. Later he moved to the Spanish Netherlands. Endymion Porter died in 1649.