The lord deputy’s deputy: Christopher Wandesford’s role in Sir Thomas Wentworth’s Irish administration of Charles I’s reign

Abstract This article explores the difficult role played by Christopher Wandesford (1592–1640) when he acted as deputy to Sir Thomas Wentworth (later earl of Strafford), lord deputy and then lord lieutenant of Ireland from 1632–40. Wentworth was reliant on a small group of close associates whom he could trust to act on his behalf during time away from Ireland. Much of their work was carried out behind the scenes, meaning it has received limited attention from historians who have focused on Wentworth himself. This article foregrounds for the first time the importance of Christopher Wandesford, who acted as a lord justice during the 1630s, and then lord deputy of Ireland in 1640. This was an unenviable basis on which to represent the king’s interests, since being the ‘deputy’s deputy’ did not afford him the authority to keep the Irish parliament in check. Wandesford tried, and failed, to control the Irish parliament in Wentworth’s absence. This article demonstrates the difficulties of governing Ireland from afar, especially when Wentworth was absent, and the limits of the role of the king’s representative’s representative.