George Brooke, 9th Baron Cobham
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George Brooke, 9th Baron Cobham (c. 1497-1558) was an aristocrat during the early Tudor dynasty in England. A soldier and magnate, he participated in the English wars of his days and in the political turmoil following the death of Henry VIII.
Brooke was the oldest surviving son of the eighth baron and Dorothy Haydon. As a teenager, he accompanied his father to the marriage of Mary Tudor to Louis XII of France. He returned to France during the 1520s, fighting with some distinction around Calais. At home in Kent, he fulfilled his feudal duties, serving as justice of the peace for the county. In 1544, he occupied a high position in the English army that invaded Scotland; later that year, he was appointed commanding officer of English-controlled Calais. Early the following year he became a Knight of the Garter.
He resigned his post in 1550 and became a member of the Privy Council of Edward VI. After Edward's death, Brooke supported Dudley's attempt to place Lady Jane Grey on the throne. He was pardoned by Mary, but subsequently fell under suspicion again. During Wyatt's rebellion, Wyatt besieged and took Cobham in the latter's home, Cooling Castle; Brooke claimed to have resisted, but after the rebellion failed, he was imprisoned in the Tower of London for a brief period. The next year, however, he was assigned to entertain Cardinal Pole during the papal legate's visit to England during a formal reconciliation with Rome. The entertainment is recorded as having taken place at Cooling Castle in 1555.
After his release, Brooke limited himself to local affairs in Kent. He died in 1558, closely followed by his wife. He was succeeded in the barony by his son, William.
A drawing of Brooke by Hans Holbein is held by the Royal Collection.
| Preceded by: Thomas Brooke |
Baron Cobham 1558–1597 |
Succeeded by: Henry Brooke |
