Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick

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Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick (1587–1658) was an English nobleman, a skilled naval commander for Parliament, and a key figure in the colonial ventures of his time. A Puritan by faith, he used his power in politics and in the sea to advance both religious ideas and English influence abroad.

He was born at Leez Priory in Essex, the eldest son of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick, and Penelope Devereux. He entered public life as a Member of Parliament for Maldon (1604–1611) and later for Essex in 1614. He became the Earl of Warwick in 1619 and later held offices such as Lord Lieutenant of Essex (1625–1642) and Governor of Guernsey (1643–1645).

Rich was an energetic businessman who helped start and run several colonies. He pushed for English settlements in the Americas and the Caribbean, including Bermuda (the Somers Isles) and Providence Island. He supported privateering ventures and played a role in early slave trading in 1619 when his ship, the White Lion, carried enslaved Africans to Virginia. He also clashed with the East India Company and the Virginia Company over his colonial activities. He helped win patents for Massachusetts Bay (1628) and Saybrook, Connecticut (1631), though he later resigned from leading the New England council.

Politically, Rich opposed King Charles I’s policies and loans to raise money. He helped organize opposition in Parliament, signing the Petition of Twelve in 1640 and leading a wing of the anti-royalist faction. In 1642 he was made commander of Parliament’s fleet, and in 1643 he headed a colonial government commission that helped shape Rhode Island’s development and religious liberty. In 1648 he recaptured the Castles of the Downs for Parliament, and he served as captain of Deal Castle (1648–1653). He was removed from power in 1649 when the House of Lords was abolished, and he then retired from national life, though he stayed near Oliver Cromwell and his circle.

Rich married three times and had several children, including Anne, Robert, and Charles. He died on 18 April 1658 in London and was buried at Felsted. His name lives on in places in the American colonies and Bermuda, which remember his role in the early growth of English influence abroad.