Endymion Porter
was born in 1587. His father was a large landowner in Gloucestershire
but he was brought up by his grandparents in Spain.
Porter returned to England
as a young man and was employed by the Duke
of Buckingham. He also joined the royal court and in 1623 accompanied
Charles
on a visit to Madrid. After
the war with Spain he took part in peace negotiations which led to
the treaty of 1630.
Porter was appointed as
Groom of the Bedchamber and received fees as collector of fines in
the Star Chamber and the surveyor of customs in the port of London.
He also became involved in companies that held monopolies in the production
of soap and writing paper.
In 1640 Porter was elected
to the House of Commons. A strong supporter
of Thomas Wentworth, Porter was accused
of corruption by the Puritans
and was
one of the eleven men named as "delinquents" who Parliament
was unwilling to pardon.
On the outbreak of the
Civil War Porter supported Charles
I and the Royalists.
He was with Charles
I in Oxford
until escaping to France in 1645. Later he moved to the Spanish Netherlands.
Endymion Porter died in 1649.
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