11. Raleigh was elected to Parliament in 1593
Although still in disfavor as regarded the Queen, Raleigh stood for and won election to Parliament in 1593, representing a district in Cornwall. An agreement with the Queen allowed him to leave the Tower and take up residence at his estate at Sherborne, which had been granted to him by Her Majesty as a reward for earlier services. Away from the court and the intrigues which surrounded the Queen, Raleigh established himself in the area as a gentleman of standing, although his often frankly stated views on the subject of religion were found offensive by some, and he was charged for a time with being an atheist, a serious crime in Elizabethan England, though the charges were eventually dropped. In Parliament Raleigh became an expert on naval affairs.