He was son of John Trumbull of
Craven,
Yorkshire, and his wife, Elizabeth Brogden or Briggden. He seems to have been introduced at court by
Sir Thomas Edmondes. Early in James I's reign he was a court messenger, and probably he was attached to Edmondes's embassy to the
Archduke Albert of Austria, regent of the Netherlands. When Edmondes was recalled from
Brussels in 1609, Trumbull was promoted to succeed him as resident at the archduke's court, and retained the post for sixteen years, On 6 June 1611 he was instructed to demand the extradition of
William Seymour and
Arabella Stuart should they land in the archduke's dominions. On 17 February 1614, he was granted an ordinary
clerkship to the privy council; a sinecure, given that Trumbull remained at his post at Brussels. In 1620 he protested against the Spanish invasion of the
Palatinate. In 1624 he requested the reversion of one of the six clerks' places for himself and a clerkship of the privy seal for his eldest son. He was recalled in 1625 on the
open rupture with Spain and on 16 February 1626 he was returned to parliament for
Downton in
Wiltshire. He assumed active duties as clerk of the privy council, devoting himself especially to naval matters. On 28 March 1629, he was granted
Easthampstead Park,
Berkshire, on condition of maintaining a deer-park for the king's recreation. Soon afterwards he was appointed muster-master-general. He died in London in September 1635, being succeeded as clerk to the council by his godson
Edward Nicholas, and was buried in Easthampstead church, where a monument was erected to his memory. ==Works==