Background
He was the eldest son and heir of Sir Thomas Speke (1507-1551) of Whitelackington, Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1545, twice Sheriff of Somerset and Dorset in 1540 and 1550, and a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber to King Edward VI. His mother (his father"s 1st wife) was Alice Berkeley, daughter of Richard Berkeley and sister of Sir Maurice Berkeley.
