Alexander Popham (1605 – 1669) was an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
politician. He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher
John LockeJohn Locke was an English physician and philosopher regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered the first of the British empiricists, he is equally important to social contract theory. His work had a great impact upon the development of epistemology and political...
.
He was born at
Littlecote HouseLittlecote House is a large Elizabethan country house and estate in the civil parishes of Ramsbury and Chilton Foliat in the English county of Wiltshire . The estate includes 34 hectares of historic parklands and gardens, including a walled garden from the 17th and 18th centuries...
in
WiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in the south west of England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers 3,485 km²...
, the son of Francis Popham and Anne Dudley, and grandson of Sir John Popham. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and admitted to the Middle Temple in 1622. He was a prominent figure and
Justice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in
SomersetSomerset is a county in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The ceremonial county of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west...
. He sat in the
Long ParliamentThe Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its...
for the constituency of
BathBath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
, and in the
firstThe First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....
and
secondThe Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...
Parliaments of the Protectorate for
WiltshireWiltshire, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832.-Boundaries:The constituency...
.
Alexander Popham (1605 – 1669) was an
EnglishThe English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity as a people is of early medieval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn....
politician. He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher
John LockeJohn Locke was an English physician and philosopher regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered the first of the British empiricists, he is equally important to social contract theory. His work had a great impact upon the development of epistemology and political...
.
He was born at
Littlecote HouseLittlecote House is a large Elizabethan country house and estate in the civil parishes of Ramsbury and Chilton Foliat in the English county of Wiltshire . The estate includes 34 hectares of historic parklands and gardens, including a walled garden from the 17th and 18th centuries...
in
WiltshireWiltshire is a ceremonial county in the south west of England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers 3,485 km²...
, the son of Francis Popham and Anne Dudley, and grandson of Sir John Popham. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and admitted to the Middle Temple in 1622. He was a prominent figure and
Justice of the PeaceA justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice and deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
in
SomersetSomerset is a county in South West England. The county town is Taunton, which is in the south of the county. The ceremonial county of Somerset borders the counties of Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west...
. He sat in the
Long ParliamentThe Long Parliament is the name of the English Parliament called by Charles I, on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its...
for the constituency of
BathBath is a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is an ancient constituency which has been constantly represented in Parliament since boroughs were first summoned to send members in the 13th century...
, and in the
firstThe First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....
and
secondThe Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...
Parliaments of the Protectorate for
WiltshireWiltshire, was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832.-Boundaries:The constituency...
. He also fought in the Parliamentary army with the rank of colonel and had a garrison stationed at
Littlecote HouseLittlecote House is a large Elizabethan country house and estate in the civil parishes of Ramsbury and Chilton Foliat in the English county of Wiltshire . The estate includes 34 hectares of historic parklands and gardens, including a walled garden from the 17th and 18th centuries...
. After the restoration of the monarchy, he made his peace with
Charles IICharles II was the King of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father King Charles I was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War. The English Parliament did not proclaim Charles II king at this time. Instead they passed a statute making such a...
and entertained him to a "costlie dinner" at
LittlecoteLittlecote may refer to:*Littlecote House in Wiltshire*Littlecote Roman Villa in Wiltshire*Littlecote in Buckinghamshire...
.
This Alexander is not to be confused with his nephew Alexander Popham, son of Alexander's brother
Edward PophamEdward Popham was a General-at-Sea during the English Civil War.Edward Popham was son of Sir Francis Popham and supported parliament in the English Civil War. He was elected M.P. for Minehead, 1644. He commanded a force in Somerset and Dorset. He was appointed a commissioner for the immediate...
, who was born deaf and was taught to speak by two scientists,
John WallisJohn Wallis was an English mathematician who is given partial credit for the development of modern calculus. Between 1643 and 1689 he served as chief cryptographer for Parliament and, later, the royal court. He is also credited with introducing the symbol ∞ for infinity...
and
William HolderWilliam Holder FRS was an English clergyman and music theorist of the 17th century. His most notable work was his widely known 1694 publication A Treatise on the Natural Grounds and Principles of Harmony.-Life:...
. He is considered to be one of the earliest cases of a born deaf person to learn to talk.
He married Letitia Carre, daughter of William Carre of Ferniehurst, Scotland, half brother to Robert Carre, favourite of King
James IJames VI & I was King of Scots as James VI from 1567 to 1625, and King of England and Ireland as James I from 1603 to 1625....
. His daughter Letitia, one of eight children, married
Sir Edward Seymour, 4th BaronetSir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet was a Royalist and Tory politician.-Life:Born at Berry Pomeroy Castle of a family greatly influential in the Western counties, he was a descendant of Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, in the senior line...
, who served as
Speaker of the British House of CommonsIn the United Kingdom, the Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, and is seen historically as the First Commoner of the Land. The present Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin.The Speaker...
.
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