William Twysden, who married Elizabeth Roydon, eventual heiress of Roydon Hall in East Peckham, Kent. The Roydon estates passed by this marriage to the Twysdens, themselves an ancient Kentish family. The antiquary's father was William Twysden (1566–1629), who in 1591 was married by Alexander Nowel [q. v.], dean of St. Paul's, to Anne (d. 1638), eldest daughter of Sir Moyle Finch of Eastwell, Kent, and sister of Sir Heneage Finch [q. v.] In 1597 he bore part in the ‘Island Voyage,’ and in 1603 was selected to accompany James I into London, being knighted by that king at the Charterhouse on 11 May (Metcalfe). He became a gentleman usher of the privy chamber, and in 1619 was one of the canopy-bearers at the funeral of Queen Anne of Denmark (Nichols, Progresses of James I, iii. 609). Upon the creation of the order of baronets Sir William was included in the number on 29 June 1611. He died at his house in Redcross Street, London, on 8 Jan. 1628–9, leaving behind him, as his son records, the memory not only of a soldier and a courtier, but also of a devout upholder of the English church and of a ripe scholar. He was well acquainted with Hebrew, and formed the nucleus of the collection of Greek and Hebrew manuscripts so highly treasured by his son. His correspondence with Lord Wotton, 1605–8, is among the Additional manuscripts at the British Museum (34176 passim). The first baronet's sister, Margaret Twysden, married Henry Vane of Hadlow, and was mother of Sir Henry Vane (1589–1654) [q. v.], who was thus first cousin to the subject of this article. Sir Edward Dering [q. v.] was his second cousin (see pedigree in Proceedings in Kent, Camden Soc. p. 3). To his mother, Lady Anne Twysden, of whom Sir Roger left a wonderfully attractive portrait among his manuscript memoranda, Johan Hiud dedicated his ‘Storie of Stories,’ 1632 (some of her letters to her husband are in Addit. MS. 34173). Of Sir Roger's two sisters, Elizabeth (1600–1655) married in 1622 Sir Hugh Cholmley [q. v.]; while Anne (1603–1670) married Sir Christopher Yelverton, bart. (d. 1654), the grandson of the speaker. Of his brothers, Sir Thomas [q. v.] and John [q. v.] are separately noticed.
Roger was educated at St. Paul's school under Alexander Gill the elder [q. v.], and was entered as a fellow commoner on 8 Nov. 1614 at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, where he does not appear, however, to have proceeded to a degree. He was entered at Gray's Inn on 2 Feb. 1622–3 (Foster, Regist. p. 169). He succeeded his father as second baronet in 1629, and he was much occupied for some years in building and planting, and otherwise improving the property on his estate. He obtained from Charles I a charter of free warren to make a park at East Peckham. But he seems also during these years to have cultivated the friendship of John Philipot (see the latter's Villare Cantianum, p. 105), and to have laid the foundation of his linguistic attainment. As with a number of the more enlightened country gentlemen of his time, the law of the constitution was a favourite study, and it was the conclusions he drew from it that inspired him to resist any infringement of ancient rights from whatever quarter it might come.
Though no action seems to have been taken against him, he obstinately refused to pay ship-money, and in reference to the events of 1650 he wrote at the commencement of his journal: ‘Never did any man with more earnest expectation long for a parlyament than I did.’
There is a very interesting memorandum in Twysden's own hand concerning the general election preceding the Short parliament. ‘When first the speech of a parlyament so long neglected began about the end of Mychaelmas terme 1639, many men were spoken of as fit to stand to bee knights for Kent. Amongst the rest myselfe was invyted to be one, which I declyned, as beeing a matter of great expence, and indeede not thinking the county would chuse me; so I ever put it off as alltogether unworthy of it, yet professing I would bee most glad to doe the country all service.’ Twysden determined to support Sir Henry Vane, and tried to enlist his kinsman, Sir Edward Dering, in the same interest; Dering at first consented, but eventually decided to stand himself. Twysden rejoined by writing round to his friends and announcing his own candidature, with the result that he was returned on 16 March 1640 in conjunction with (Sir) Norton Knatchbull (Members of Parl. i. 481). Sir Giovanni Francesco Biondi [q. v.] wrote him a letter of congratulation from Switzerland upon his election, which was moreover, as might have been anticipated, the occasion of ‘a great contestation’ between Twysden and Dering. The result of this antagonism was clearly seen when, after the dissolution of the Short parliament and the fresh election of October 1640, Twysden lost his seat and Dering was returned in his stead.
The proceedings of the Long parliament rapidly wrought a change in Twysden's political attitude. Staunch as he had been in his resistance to illegal taxation by the
