Christopher Wray (MP)

For the Chief Justice, see Christopher Wray.

Sir Christopher Wray (1601– 8 February 1646) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1646. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.

Life

Wray was the son of Christopher Wray of Ashby and Barlings, Lincolnshire, the Lord Chief Justice. In 1621 he was elected Member of Parliament for Grimsby. ^[1] He was knighted on 12 November 1623. He was re-elected MP for Grimsby in 1624 and 1625. He was elected again in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.^[1] He successfully resisted the levy of ship money in 1636.

In April 1640, Wray was elected MP for Grimsby in the Short Parliament and was re-elected for the Long Parliament in November 1640.^[1] He was Deputy Lieutenant of Lincolnshire under the militia ordinance.^[2] During the First English Civil War he co-operated in the field with John Hotham. He was appointed on 15 April 1645 commissioner of the admiralty, and on 5 December following commissioner resident with the Scottish forces before Newark. He died on 8 February 1646.^[2]

Family

Wray married Albinia Cecil, daughter of Sir Edward Cecil on 3 August 1623. They had six sons and six daughters. The eldest son, Sir William Wray, bart. (so created in June 1660), died in October 1669, leaving, with other issue by his wife Olympia, second daughter of Sir Humphrey Tufton, of The Mote, Kent, a son, Sir Christopher Wray, who on the extinction of the male line of the elder branch of the family succeeded in 1672 to the Glentworth baronetcy, and died without issue in August 1679. On the death about March 1685–6 of his only surviving brother and successor in title, Sir William Wray, the junior baronetcy became extinct.^[2]

Notes

1. ^ ^{a b c} Browne Willis Notitia parliamentaria, or, An history of the counties, cities, and boroughs in England and Wales: ... The whole extracted from mss. and printed evidences 1750 pp229-239
2. ^ ^{a b c} Rigg 1900, p. 77.

References

•  This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Rigg, James McMullen (1900). "Wray, Christopher". In Sidney Lee. Dictionary of National Biography. 63. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 77. 

Parliament of England
Preceded by Sir John Wray Richard Toothby	Member of Parliament for Grimsby 1621–1625 With: Henry Pelham 1621-1625	Succeeded by Henry Pelham William Skinner
Preceded by Henry Pelham William Skinner	Member of Parliament for Grimsby 1628–1629 With: Henry Pelham	Succeeded by Parliament suspended until 1640
Preceded by Parliament suspended since 1629	Member of Parliament for Grimsby 1640–1646 With: Sir Gervase Holles 1640-1642	Succeeded by Sir William Wray, Bt Edward Rossiter

Persondata
Name	Wray, Christopher
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	1601
Place of birth
Date of death	1646
Place of death