Robert Needham, 1st Viscount Kilmorey (c. 1565 – 1631) was an English politician and a peer in the peerage of Ireland.
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Biography
He was the eldest son of Robert Needham of Shavington Hall, near Adderley, in Shropshire, educated at Shrewsbury School (1577) and St John's College, Cambridge (1582) and trained in the law at the Inner Temple in 1583. He served in Ireland and was knighted by the Lord Deputy of Ireland in 1594. He succeeded his father in 1603, inheriting Shavington Hall at Adderley, Shropshire.
He was appointed a Justice of the Peace for Shropshire by 1596, a deputy lieutenant of the county in 1600 and High Sheriff of Shropshire for 1606–07. He was a member of the Council in the Marches of Wales in 1609 and vice-president of the council in 1614. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Shropshire in 1593 and 1604. He was created Viscount Kilmorey in 1625.
He died in 1631 and was buried at Adderley. He was succeeded by his elder son, Robert.
Family
Viscount Kilmorey was married four times:
He married, firstly, Jane Lacy, daughter of John Lacy, circa 10 August 1586. They had a son Robert.
He married, secondly, Anne Doyley before 14 October 1594.
He married, thirdly, Catherine Robinson, daughter of John Robinson.
He married fourthly 1629/31 the twice widowed Dorothy, daughter of Ambrose Smith of Cheapside.
Estate
In 1613, Needham received a grant of the Barony of Orhera (also known as Orier Bar) and other lands in County Armagh from King James I, recognizing his service and loyalty. This grant established him as the 1st Feudal Baron of Orhera, County Armagh. He was created Viscount Kilmorey in the Peerage of Ireland by King Charles I on 18 April 1625.
Family
Needham was married four times. His first marriage was to Jane Lacy, daughter of John Lacy, around 10 August 1586, with whom he had a son, Robert. He subsequently married Anne Doyley before 14 October 1594, then Catherine Robinson, daughter of John Robinson, and finally, between 1629 and 1631, he married Dorothy, daughter of Ambrose Smith of Cheapside, who had been widowed twice before.
Needham's will, dated 22 December 1630 and probated on 2 March 1631/1632, mentions his wife Dorothy, his son Robert, his sisters Dorothy Chetwood, Mary Vernon, Jane Hocknell, and Maude Aston, as well as his grandchildren Robert Needham, Charles Needham, George Needham, Eleanor Needham, Mary Needham, Susanna Needham, and Frances Cotton. His sons-in-law, Sir Rowland Cotton and Sir William Owen, are also referenced.