CHANDOS (OF SUDELEY), GREY BRYDGES, 5TH BARON

born c. 1579, /80 died Aug. 10, 1621, Spa [now in Belgium] British nobleman whose lavish lifestyle earned him the nickname King of the Cotswolds. Brydges was member of Parliament for Cricklade in 159798. Because of his family's friendship with Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, Brydges was imprisoned in 1601 after Essex' unsuccessful revolt against Queen Elizabeth I; he was soon released. He succeeded to the barony on the death of his father in 1602. With this succession, Sudeley House was opened to neighbours three times a week, and it gained a reputation as the site of generous and extravagant parties. About 1613 Chandos' health began to fail, and he took the waters in Spa, where he died in 1621. He was succeeded by his eldest son, George.