F is for Faringdon, Berkshire: Cavaliers and roundheads – the Pye family on opposite sides

My 10th great grandfather was Robert Pye (1585-1662).

Pye was a financial advisor to George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham (1592-1628). He became wealthy through Buckingham’s patronage, gaining various government positions including Auditor of the Receipt of the Exchequer for both King James 1 and King Charles 1. In 1621, at the age of 29, he entered Parliament and was knighted.

Two years later, Pye, now Sir Robert Pye, purchased the Berkshire manor of Faringdon.

During the English Civil War Pye supported the King, and garrisoned his mansion at Faringdon for the Royalists. In May 1646 at Faringdon Pye was besieged by his own eldest son, Robert (1620-1701), who espoused the Parliamentary cause. Faringdon surrendered, with Oxford, on 25 June 1646.

The mansion was damaged during the Civil War and the current, smaller house was built on the site from 1780.

A portrait miniature of the younger Sir Robert Pye (c. 1620 – 1701), my 9th great grandfather, retrieved from historicalportraits.com

Sources

Thrush, Andrew. “History of Parliament Online.” PYE, Robert (c.1586-1662), of St. Stephen’s Court, Westminster and Richmond, Surr.; Later of Faringdon, Berks. | History of Parliament Online. The History of Parliament Trust, 2010. Web. 04 Apr. 2017. <http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1604-1629/member/pye-robert-1586-1662>.
Helms, M. W., Leonard Naylor, and Geoffrey Jaggar. “History of Parliament Online.” PYE, Sir Robert (c.1622-1701), of Faringdon, Berks. | History of Parliament Online. The History of Parliament Trust, n.d. Web. 04 Apr. 2017. <http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/pye-sir-robert-1622-1701>.
Burke, John (1835), A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland, enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank; but uninvested with heritable honour, 1, London, H. Colburn, p. 351
Royal Berkshire History

Anne's Family History