Charles le Grosse

Sir Charles Le Grosse was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1653.

Le Grosse was the son of Sir Thomas Le Gros (d.1613) of Crostwight Hall near North Walsham, Norfolk and was knighted on 6 December 1616.^[1] He was appointed High Sheriff of Norfolk for 1626–27.

In 1628, Le Grosse was elected Member of Parliament for Orford and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.^[2] In April 1640, Le Grosse was re-elected MP for Orford in the Short Parliament and re-elected MP for Orford for the Long Parliament in November 1640, retaining his seat until 1653.^[2]

He acquired by marriage a moiety of the manor of Eccles, which allowed him to hold court there.^[3] In 1637 he and Dr. Thomas Lushington were instrumental in persuading the physician and philosopher Thomas Browne, to re-locate to Norwich.^[4] In 1658 Browne dedicated his Hydriotaphia, Urn Burial to Le Grosse's eldest son, Thomas.

Le Grosse died before 31 May 1660. He had married Muriel, the daughter of Sir Thomas Knyvet and his wife Elizabeth^[3] and had 2 sons and 6 daughters.^[5]

The poet Ralph Knevet had dedicated the following poem to him.^[6]

The King of Pyrrhus shewd the Muses nine

And Phoebus portraited by sculpture fine:

But thou faire Knight-hoods fairer ornament

Conspicuously dost to our eyes present

Phoebus, the Muses nine, the Graces three,

Mercurie, and Mars, yea more Gods then bee

In Homers Iliads; or at least much greater:

For thy mind's a Pantheon, or a Theater,

Wherein all vertues, and all graces stand,

In decent order link'd, with hand in hand.

The[e] 'mongst the chiefest of the Arts few friends

I list: and so adore thy noble ends,

That if my Quill to vertue can life give,

Thy honourd fame shall Nestors age outlive.

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