Fulke Greville 1st Baron Willoughby of Broke [3201]

   Cause of his death was murdered by his own servant in London.

   FamilySearch ID: L4HD-L39.

  General Notes:

Brooke, Fulke Greville, 1st Baron , 1554–1628, English author and statesman. A favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, he held many official positions during his lifetime. His Life of Sir Philip Sidney (1652) was more a historical and personal commentary than a biography. The bulk of his work (published posthumously) reflects his concern with the degeneration of the monarchy, foreshadowed by the death of Elizabeth. Many young poets of the time were indebted to him for his patronage.
See his Poems and Dramas ed. by G. Bullough (1939) and selected writings ed. by J. Rees (1973); biographies by J. Rees (1971) and R. A. Rebholz (1971).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2004, Columbia University Press.
http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/people/A0809074.html

Brooke, Fulke Greville, 1st Baron </tracker_reg.asp?target=Brooke,%20Fulke%20Greville,%201st%20Baron> </tracker_reg.asp?target=Brooke,%20Fulke%20Greville,%201st%20Baron>
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(foolk gr?v´?l) , 1554-1628, English author and statesman. A favorite of Queen Elizabeth I, he held many official positions during his lifetime. His Life of Sir Philip Sidney (1652) was more a historical and personal commentary than a biography. The bulk of his work (published posthumously) reflects his concern with the degeneration of the monarchy, foreshadowed by the death of Elizabeth. Many young poets of the time were indebted to him for his patronage.

http://www.encyclopedia.com/html/b/brookef1.asp

Fulke Greville
1554-1628

Profile
Poet, dramatist and biographer; educated at Shrewsbury School <shrewsbu.htm> where he was a contemporary and close friend of Sir Philip Sidney <sidney.htm> . He wrote a Life of Sidney after his friend's untimely death, but it was not published until 1652. Greville was murdered by his own servant in London and his body brought back to his home at Warwick Castle - his ghost is said to haunt his old apartments to this day. Most of his literary works were published posthumously: a collection of poetry and prose in 1633 and Remains (1670) together with the Life of Sidney mentioned above.
From An Illustrated Literary Guide to Shropshire by Gordon Dickins, published by Shropshire Libraries, 1987. © Gordon Dickins, 1987.

Fulke Greville III was the son of F.G. II and grandson of F.G. I. Born in 1554 at Beauchamp Court, for which he seems to have had a life-long affection, he was educated at Shrewsbury Grammar School, Cambridge and Oxford. His attempt to rise in favour at Queen Elizabeth's court was successful because of his literary attainments, his intelligence, his fluency and general happy disposition. As well as receiving a knighthoodjulke got several state appointments under both Elizabeth and James 1. He had a large circle of friends, many of them famous in their own rights; they included Shakespeare, John son and Spencer. He devoted his mornings to his books and we learn that on one occasion, when temporarily out of favour with the Queen, he retired for 6 months to Alcester, where he devoted himself to writing. His books and his writing were his chief love, for he never married. Few people today read Fulke's poetry and this is not too surprising, for his poems are often very long and, I think, little in accord with modern taste. Around 1600, however, they were probably highly regarded.
Sir Phillip Sidney was a particular friend of Fulke Greville and King James used him as a counsellor. It is not too surprising that he became Chancellor of the Exchequor. After the death of his father in 1606, Fulke made a determined effort with the King to obtain Warwick Castle, then in a state of some disrepair: this he succeeded in doing and spent £20,000 on repairs (probably over £2 million today.) This underlines the vastness of his estates and income. He was made Lord Brooke, eventually Earl Brooke, and lived to a reasonable age 74. He would have lived even longer had not a servant of his become enraged at being left out of Fulke's will and murdered him at Holborn in 1628.
Alcester remembers him for his initial gift of £300 which enabled the town to build the lower part of the Market (or Town) Hail. The small portrait in the upper storey there today is from a contemporary painting of Fulke Greville III
http://www.alcester.dial.pipex.com/localpast/85sp/worth1.htm