Francis Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Trowbridge
Encyclopedia
Francis Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Trowbridge (c. 1590-12 July 1664) was an English statesman, a Member of Parliament
raised to the peerage by Charles I
and a Royalist during the English Civil War
.
Seymour was the third son of Lord Beauchamp, and was knighted in 1613. He entered Parliament in 1621 as member for Wiltshire
; he also represented that county in the Parliaments of 1625 and 1628 and in the Short Parliament
of 1640, and was elected for Marlborough
in the 1624 and the Long Parliament
of 1640. He was also High Sheriff of Wiltshire
in 1625, and was one of the leaders of opposition in the county to the arbitrary rule of the King
, backing the Habeas Corpus
bill of 1628 and later refusing to pay ship money
. In the Short Parliament he spoke powerfully against granting any subsidies to the King before receiving any redress of grievances, and apparently compared "our affayres to the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt".
Nevertheless, as events moved toward civil war, Seymour placed himself firmly on the Royalist side, and in 1641 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Seymour of Trowbridge
. He was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
by the King in 1644, and was re-appointed after the Restoration
, serving from 1660 until 1664.
He married Frances Prinne, daughter of Sir Gilbert Prinne, of Allington, Wiltshire, in 1620. They had two children:
In 1635, after the death of his first wife, Seymour remarried, to Catherine Lee (died 1701), daughter of Sir Robert Lee and Anne Lowe of Billesley, Warwickshire.
Seymour's house at Marlborough was used as an inn until the 19th century, when it became Marlborough College
.
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
raised to the peerage by Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
and a Royalist during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
Seymour was the third son of Lord Beauchamp, and was knighted in 1613. He entered Parliament in 1621 as member for Wiltshire
Wiltshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Wiltshire was a constituency of the House of Commons of England from 1290 to 1707, of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament , elected by the bloc vote...
; he also represented that county in the Parliaments of 1625 and 1628 and in the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
of 1640, and was elected for Marlborough
Marlborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Marlborough was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.e-1295-1640:-1640-1868:...
in the 1624 and the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made 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 dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
of 1640. He was also High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
in 1625, and was one of the leaders of opposition in the county to the arbitrary rule of the King
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
, backing the Habeas Corpus
Habeas corpus
is a writ, or legal action, through which a prisoner can be released from unlawful detention. The remedy can be sought by the prisoner or by another person coming to his aid. Habeas corpus originated in the English legal system, but it is now available in many nations...
bill of 1628 and later refusing to pay ship money
Ship money
Ship money refers to a tax that Charles I of England tried to levy without the consent of Parliament. This tax, which was only applied to coastal towns during a time of war, was intended to offset the cost of defending that part of the coast, and could be paid in actual ships or the equivalent value...
. In the Short Parliament he spoke powerfully against granting any subsidies to the King before receiving any redress of grievances, and apparently compared "our affayres to the bondage of the Israelites in Egypt".
Nevertheless, as events moved toward civil war, Seymour placed himself firmly on the Royalist side, and in 1641 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Seymour of Trowbridge
Baron Seymour of Trowbridge
The title Baron Seymour of Trowbridge was created in the Peerage of England on 19 February 1641 for Francis Seymour, a younger son of Edward Seymour, Lord Beauchamp, for his support of Charles I in Parliament...
. He was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
by the King in 1644, and was re-appointed after the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
, serving from 1660 until 1664.
He married Frances Prinne, daughter of Sir Gilbert Prinne, of Allington, Wiltshire, in 1620. They had two children:
- CharlesCharles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of TrowbridgeCharles Seymour, 2nd Baron Seymour of Trowbridge was the son of Francis Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, whom he succeeded in the barony in 1664....
(c. 1621-1665), who succeeded to the peerage - Frances Seymour (died 1679), who married Sir William Ducie
In 1635, after the death of his first wife, Seymour remarried, to Catherine Lee (died 1701), daughter of Sir Robert Lee and Anne Lowe of Billesley, Warwickshire.
Seymour's house at Marlborough was used as an inn until the 19th century, when it became Marlborough College
Marlborough College
Marlborough College is a British co-educational independent school for day and boarding pupils, located in Marlborough, Wiltshire.Founded in 1843 for the education of the sons of Church of England clergy, the school now accepts both boys and girls of all beliefs. Currently there are just over 800...
.