Lewis Prowde

Lewis Prowde (c.1560-1617) was an English barrister, judge and politician, who sat in the House of Commons as MP for Shrewsbury in the Addled Parliament of 1614.

He was born in Shrewsbury, eldest son of George Prowde (died 1591) and Eleanor Lewis. Though he came from an established family of drapers and cloth merchants, he decided on a career in the law. After attending Shrewsbury Grammar School, he matriculated from St. John's College, Cambridge in 1576. He entered Furnivall's Inn, and then Lincoln's Inn in 1578. Most likely he refused to take up the position, about which he had not been consulted in advance, due to his increasing health problems (he was seriously ill in 1605, and unable to act as Reader of his Inn). He fostered Prowde's career (he was probably responsible for Prowde being appointed a Bencher of Lincoln's Inn at an unusually early date)), and Prowde in return had Egerton made an honorary member of Lincoln's Inn in 1602. Ursula survived until 1640. She is buried in St. Margaret's, Westminster, adjacent to the Abbey.