Strode was the only son of
Richard Strode (died 1581) of
Newnham,
Plympton St Mary, by his wife Frances Cromwell, first cousin of King
Edward VI. Frances was a daughter of
Gregory Cromwell, 1st Baron Cromwell (c. 1520 – 1551) (only son of
Thomas Cromwell, 1st Earl of Essex (c. 1485 – 1540), chief minister of King
Henry VIII) by his wife
Elizabeth Seymour, sister of Queen
Jane Seymour and sister of
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (c. 1500 – 1552) uncle and
Lord Protector of King Edward VI. He entered
Inner Temple in 1580 and succeeded to the estates of his father the following year. At the time of the
Spanish Armada (1588) he became a colonel of the
stannary of Plympton, in command of one hundred men. He was a
JP for Devon from about 1592. In 1593 he came into possession of the family tin-mining interests which were previously managed by his uncle, Philip Strode and was appointed
High Sheriff of Devon for 1593–94. In 1595 he was in charge of construction works on Plymouth fort. He was a close friend of Admiral
Sir Francis Drake (died 1596) and was one of the executors of Drake's will. In 1597, Strode was elected
Member of Parliament for
Devon. He was appointed surveyor of the house and castle of Templeton, Devon for life. In 1599 he became
Deputy Lieutenant. He was elected MP for
Plympton Erle in 1601 and was re-elected for the seat in 1604. In 1606 he was appointed surveyor of Devon for life. As well as Newnham, Strode also had a residence at
Meavy, about six miles to the north, which was later the residence of his second son
William Strode (1594–1645), MP. Strode died in 1637 and was buried in the church of St Mary's Plympton, where there is a monument to him (see photograph below). His will was proved in February 1639. == Marriages and children ==