[Wotton's Baronetage, ii. 209; Dugdale's Orig. p. 164; Chron. Ser. p. 89; Metcalfe's Book of Knights; Lists of Members of Parliament (Official Keturn of); Willis's Not. Parl. iii. 112; Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, Hen. VIII, vol. iv. pt. iii. 2928, v. 704, vii. 596, viii. 49, xi. 659; Wriothesley's Chron. i. 116, ii. 101; Lansd. MS. 125, if. 91, 105; Ormerod's Cheshire, ed. Helsby, i. 65; Parl. Hist. i. 546-7 (the dates are incorrectly given); Lords' Journ. i. 161; Proceedings and Ordinances of the Privy Council, vii. 46; Strype's Mem. (fol.) vol. ii. pt. i. p. 319, vol. iii. pt. i. p. 219; Cobbett's State Trials, i. 887; Archæologia, xviii. 181; Rymer's Fœdera (Sanderson), xv. 426; Blomefield's Norfolk, ed. Parkin, vii. 256, 269, 316, 375, 441; Oldfield and Dyson's Tottenham, pp. 30-1. There are also biographies of Hare in Manning's Lives of the Speakers and Foss's Judges of Eneland.]
HARE, ROBERT (d. 1611), antiquary, and benefactor to the university of Cambridge, the second of the three sons of Sir Nicholas Hare [q. v.], master of the rolls, and Catharine, daughter of Sir John Bassingbourn, was matriculated as a fellow-commoner of Gonville Hall, Cambridge, 12 Nov. 1545. His elder brother, Michael, was matriculated as a fellow-commoner of that house on the same day. Robert Hare took no degree, and on leaving the university was admitted a student of his father's inn of court, the Inner Temple, on 2 Feb. 1547-8 (Cooke, Students of the Inner Temple, p. 4). He was one of the gentlemen appointed to bear the bannerols at the funeral of the Lady Anne of Cleves on 15 July 1555, and on 29 March 1558 he was in the service of William Paulet, marquis of Winchester, lord high treasurer to Mary and Elizabeth. It would appear that his office under the marquis was connected with his office of lord treasurer. On 14 June 1560 he was admitted clerk of the pells on the nomination of the marquis, and he was returned for Dunwich in Suffolk to the parliament which met on 11 Jan. 1562-3. In or about 1571 he vacated the clerkship of the pells, Chidioc Wardour occurring as the holder of the office in that year.
The remainder of Hare's long life was chiefly spent in collecting and arranging the numerous documents which elucidate the history, rights, and privileges of the university and town of Cambridge. The result was a series of valuable volumes, now preserved among the academical archives. These he presented to the university, receiving its special thanks and being enrolled among its chief benefactors. Hare's noble collections afford historical materials of the highest value. Although he bore no particular relation to Oxford, he presented to that university two volumes of collections relating to its rights, privileges, and history.
In a list of papists in London, drawn up in October 1578, his name occurs, and it is stated that he used to repair to the house of Lord Paulet to hear mass (Cal. of State Papers, Addenda 1566-79,p. 551). On 21 Jan. 1583-4 he joined his brothers Michael and William in conveying to their cousin, Nicholas Hare of London, the hundred of Clackclose in Norfolk.
Hare was residing in Norton Folgate at some period between 1581 and 1594. In 1600 he was in some trouble, probably on account of his religion. On 23 Jan. 1600-1 the senate passed a grace that a letter should be written in the name of the university to Sir Robert Cecil, the chancellor, praying for his favour towards Hare so that he might not be hindered in his good works touching the highways, and other matters of value to the university. His brother Michael died on 11 April 1611, and, though he had been twice married, left no issue. Hare consequently inherited the estate at Bruisyard in Suffolk, but survived only till 2 Nov. in that year. He was buried in old St. Paul's Cathedral. The estates passed to his uncle John, father of Hugh Hare (1606?–1667) [q. v.], first lord Coleraine.
In 1568 he gave to Caius College, Cambridge, a volume or roll, written on parchment, treating principally of the church of Winchester, and referring also to the origin of the university of Cambridge. The library of Caius College contains two volumes of his collections. It is supposed they were given by him. He presented also to the university library two curious ancient manuscripts (Ff. 6-11 and Ff. 6-13), and his name is to be found on rare printed books there, but whether they were his gift or otherwise acquired is not apparent. To the library of St. Paul's Cathedral he presented a manuscript of considerable interest, which had belonged to the monastery of Syon. To the library of Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he gave many books, including Thomas de Elmham's 'History of St. Augustine's, Canterbury,' stipulating that the volume should be restored to that monastery in the event of its being, Deofavente, refounded. He also gave to Trinity Hall 600l. in augmentation of a fund for repairing highways in and near Cambridge. In 1594 he gave to the university a valuable book relating to its privileges, written by Thomas Marhaunt, B.D., early in the fifteenth century. It is supposed that he was also a benefactor to Great St. Mary's Church, Cambridge, inasmuch as his arms are over the south door of that edifice.
