Kingsmill Eyre

Kingsmill Eyre (23 May 1682–1743) was Secretary of Chelsea Hospital, a garden designer, and the patentee of a process for making iron. Family Kingsmill was the youngest of five children of Samuel and Martha Eyre of New House, Whiteparish, Wiltshire. His elder brother was Robert Eyre, Solicitor-General in 1708–10 and then Chief Justice of the Common Pleas in 1725–35. Career His mother was looking for a place of employment for him in 1702, and sought the help of John Locke, the philosopher. He had served eight years (including time in Holland) as an apprentice to a Mr Chitty, a merchant, supplying stores to the Navy Board. The outcome of this has not been discovered. Somehow, Eyre entered the circle of Robert Walpole; the point of contact may have been his brother Robert. This led to Eyre's appointment as Agent to the Four Companies of Invalids of Chelsea Hospital in 1716, a post in the gift of Walpole as its treasurer. This was followed in 1718 by his appointment as Secretary to the Commissioners of Chelsea College.