Ralph Eure, 3rd Baron Eure (24 September 1558 – 1 April 1617), of
Ingleby and
Malton, Yorkshire, was an English nobleman and politician. The surname, also given as Evers, was at that time probably pronounced "Ewry".[1]
Eure served as
Warden of the Middle March from 1586[7] to 1588 and again in 1595, a troubled position. He came into conflict with
Thomas Scrope, 10th Baron Scrope of Bolton, Warden of the West March, siding with
Thomas Carleton over the
Kinmont Willie affair.[8] In another quarrel, he allegedly tried to poison John Browne (MP for Morpeth), following an attack on Browne by his servants, and the loss of his position in 1598.[9]
In the case of
Thomas Posthumous Hoby, whose house had been made the scene of rowdy and threatening behaviour by Eure's son William and others in 1600, Eure's position as Vice-president of the
Council of the North came into play. Hoby sought and received some redress through the
Star Chamber. This was after Eure had suggested
duelling as the manly way.[10][11]
In 1602 Eure led a diplomatic mission to
Bremen. With
Daniel Donne and
Sir John Herbert he met Danish representatives there, on commercial matters concerned with the law of the sea. He took
Thomas Morton with him as chaplain, in addition to
Richard Crakanthorpe. The mission ended with the death of the queen in 1603.[12][13][14]
Eure became the President of the Council of Wales and the Marches in 1607, a position based at
Ludlow Castle in
Shropshire.[6] His time as President was marked by a campaign from
Sir Herbert Croft to remove the council's jurisdiction over a number of English counties.[15] He died on 1 April 1617 aged 58, and was buried at Ludlow's
St Laurence's Church, where his first wife was already buried.[16]
Family
Eure married first, by 1578, Mary, daughter of Sir John Dawnay (of Sessay, Yorkshire), who was MP for
Thirsk.
William Eure, 4th Baron Eure was his son by this marriage.[17][18] They had at least one daughter, Barbara, who married William Ireland: their son was the Catholic
martyrWilliam Ireland. Mary died in March 1612 and was buried at Ludlow, where a tomb effigy was erected in St Laurence's Church.[16]
Quarterly of six 1st quarterly Argent and Gules on a bend Sable three escallops Argent (Eure) 2nd Or two bars Azure between six martlets Gules (Painel) 3rd Or three bars Azure on a canton Gules a cross flory Argent 4th quarterly Or and Argent a border compony Or and Azure for (Mandeville) 5th Or a cross Sable (Aton) 6th Vert three lions rampant Argent (Warwick) overall a label of three points Azure.[19]