Paul Foley (ironmaster)

[2] Paul Foley had the resources from his father and the profits of his ironworks to buy himself a substantial estate around Stoke Edith in Herefordshire, part of which still belongs to a descendant.

[4] He rebuilt the house at Stoke Edith and laid out formal gardens and a park (which he had a royal licence to empark.

During the reign of William III, he took an anti-court position, leading the "Country Whigs" faction with his nephew Robert Harley.

During the early 1690s, he sat on several important Parliamentary committees, including being a commissioner of accounts.

He was elected Speaker of the House of Commons on 14 March 1695,[7] a post he held until his death.