Ralph Freeman

Sir Ralph Freeman (6 July 1589 – 12 June 1667) was a wealthy English civil judge born in St Mary-at-Hill, Billingsgate, London and lived at Military St Westminster, he was educated at Eton College then at King's College, Cambridge and was called to the Middle Temple bar in 1606 he later received a knighthood in 1617. He was also known as a dramatist and translator. He should not be confused with another contemporary Sir Ralph Freeman who was lord mayor of London, and died on 16 March 1634. Life He succeeded Robert Naunton in his office of as one of six Masters of Requests in 1618. He had married a relation of George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, through whose influence he had also obtained a grant of [the rights of] pre-emption and transportation of tin for seven years in August 1613. In 1622 he had a grant in reversion of the auditorship of imprests and of the auditorship of the Mint. Freeman hoped that through Lord Buckingham, he would succeed Thomas Murray as provost of Eton, but the appointment was given to Sir Henry Wotton. Freeman then unsuccessfully applied to Buckingham to be allowed to succeed Wotton as ambassador at Venice. In 1626 and 1627 he was on a commission for the arrest of French ships and goods in England. In 1629 he held the office of auditor of imprests after a dispute as to its possession with Sir Giles Monpesson and purchased a large manor in Betchworth, Surrey for £1,080.