William Strode (1562–1637)

Sir William Strode (1562–1637) of Newnham in the parish of Plympton St Mary, Devon, England, was a member of the Devon landed gentry, a military engineer and seven times a Member of Parliament elected for Devon in 1597 and 1624, for Plympton Erle in 1601, 1604, 1621 and 1625, and for Plymouth in 1614. He was High Sheriff of Devon from 1593 to 1594 and was knighted in 1598. In 1599 he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Devon. His monument with effigy exists in Plympton St Mary Church.

Strode was the eldest son of Richard Strode (died 1581) of Newnham, Plympton St Mary, by his wife Frances Cromwell, first cousin of King Edward VI (1547–1553). Frances was a daughter of Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (c. 1520 - 1551) (only son of Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (c. 1485 – 1540), chief minister of King Henry VIII) by his wife Elizabeth Seymour, sister of Queen Jane Seymour and sister of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (c. 1500 - 1552) uncle and Lord Protector of King Edward VI.

He entered Inner Temple in 1580. In 1581, he succeeded to the estates of his father.

At the time of the Spanish Armada (1588) he became a colonel of the stannary of Plympton, in command of one hundred men. He was a JP for Devon from about 1592. In 1593 he came into possession of the family tin-mining interests which were previously managed by his uncle, Philip Strode and was appointed High Sheriff of Devon for 1593-94. In 1595 he was in charge of construction works on Plymouth fort. He was a close friend of Admiral Sir Francis Drake (died 1596) and was one of the executors of Drake’s will.

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