Francis Carew (MP for Castle Rising)

His father was executed for his supposed part in the Exeter Conspiracy in March 1539 and his lands were forfeited to the Crown.

However his mother was a sister of Sir Francis Bryan, an intimate friend of the King, and through his goodwill, the family were able to live in reasonable comfort.

Little is known of Carew's early life, but he is thought to have been attached to the household of Queen Catherine Parr.

He never married and on his death, most of his estates passed to his nephew Nicholas Throckmorton, son of his sister Anne, who married the leading diplomat Sir Nicholas Throckmorton, on condition that he take the name Carew.

In general, he took little interest in politics, and avoided taking any public office; he prided himself on not asking for favours from the Crown, either for himself or others.