bottle Grimston inherited the law library. Croke's portrait by Hollar is extant, and another by R. Vaughan precedes the third volume of the ‘Reports’ (1661). A painting is described by Sir Alexander Croke [q. v.] as in his possession in 1823, and Granger mentions two other engraved portraits by Gaywood and R. White respectively.
‘Mr. George Croke's wife was Mary Bennet, one of the daughters of Sir Thomas Bennet, late mayor of London. She was married [about 1610] to Mr. George Croke, being an ancient bachelor within a year or thereabouts of 50, and she being 20 years of age. This fell out unexpected to his friends, that had conceived a purpose in him never to have married’ (Sir James Whitelocke's Liber Famelicus, 21). To Lady Croke's influence was ascribed her husband's firm stand in the ship-money case. She died 1 Dec. 1657. By her Croke had a son, Thomas, who studied law at the Inner Temple 1619, and inherited Studley under his father's will; but he seems to have died soon after his father. Wood calls him ‘a sot or a fool or both.’ Croke's eldest daughter, Mary, married Sir Harbottle Grimston; the second daughter, Elizabeth, married first Thomas Lee of Hartwell, Buckinghamshire, and second, Sir Richard Ingoldsby; and Frances, the third daughter, was wife of Richard Jervois, esq.
[Croke's Hist. of Croke Family, i. 552–605; Wood's Athenæ, iii. 269; Foss's Judges; Gardiner's Hist. of England, viii.; Whitelocke's Liber Famelicus (Camd. Soc.); Cal. State Papers, 1625–41; State Trials.]
CROKE, JOHN (d. 1554), lawyer and author, was the son of Richard Croke of Easington, Buckinghamshire, descended from the family of Blount or Le Blount [see Blount, Sir Thomas, ad fin.] His mother was named Alicia. He was educated at Eton, whence he proceeded to Cambridge in 1507 as scholar of King's College. He left the university without taking a degree to study law at the Inner Temple. He became one of the six clerks in chancery in 1522, comptroller and supervisor of the hanaper 19 Sept. 1529, and clerk of the enrolments in chancery 11 Jan. 1534–5. Croke became a serjeant-at-law in 1546; was elected M.P. for Chippenham in 1547, and was master in chancery in 1549. He purchased an estate at Chilton in Buckinghamshire, where he built a large mansion, and was granted many monastery lands, including Studley Priory. He died 2 Sept. 1554, and was buried in Chilton church. Croke's wife, Prudentia, third daughter of Richard Cave and sister of Sir Ambrose Cave [q. v.], died before him. By her he had a son, Sir John Croke, the father of Sir John and Sir George Croke, two judges, both of whom are separately noticed. Croke wrote: 1. ‘Ordinances upon the Estate of the Chancery Court, 1554,’ printed in Sir Alexander Croke's ‘Hist. of Croke Family,’ from Brit. Mus. MS. Lansd. 163. 2. ‘Thirteen Psalms and the first chapter of Ecclesiastes translated into English verse,’ printed by the Percy Society in 1844.
[Harwood's Alumni Eton., p. 132; Cooper's Athenæ Cantab., i. 118; Sir A. Croke's Geneal. Hist. of Croke Family, i. 393, ii. 819, 821, 908.]
CROKE, Sir JOHN (1553–1620), judge and recorder of London, eldest son of Sir John Croke (1530–1608), by Elizabeth, daughter of Sir Alexander Unton of Chequers, Buckinghamshire, and grandson of John Croke [q. v.], was born in 1553, and entered the Inner Temple 13 April 1570. After being called to the bar, he became bencher of his inn in 1591, Lent reader in 1596, and treasurer in 1597. Sir Christopher Hatton employed him in legal business, and in 1585 Croke was elected M.P. for Windsor. On 11 Nov. 1595 he was appointed recorder of London, and in 1597 and again in 1601 he was elected M.P. for London. In the latter parliament, which met in October 1601, Croke was chosen speaker. When presented to the queen, he spoke of the peace of the kingdom having been defended by ‘the might of our dread and sacred queen,’ and was interrupted by Elizabeth with the remark, ‘No, by the mighty hand of God, Mr. Speaker.’ In the course of the monopoly debates, Croke was directed to announce the queen's voluntary renunciation of monopoly patents, and her intention to confer no more of them. In the division on the bill for the enforcement of attendance at church, the ‘ayes’ numbered 105 and the ‘noes’ 106, and the former, expecting that Croke would side with them, claimed that he should record his vote, but he asserted that ‘he was foreclosed of his voice by taking that place which it had pleased them to impose upon him, and that he was indifferent to both parties.’ At the close of the session, 19 Dec., the lord keeper conveyed to Croke the queen's compliments on his wisdom and discretion.
After some delay caused by the death on 24 March 1603 of the queen, who had nominated him for the office, Croke became serjeant in Easter term 1603, and was knighted. He soon afterwards resigned the recordership of London, on becoming a Welsh judge, and acted as deputy for the chancellor of the exchequer, Sir George Hume, in 1604. On 25 June 1607
