Gervase Clifton, 1st Baron Clifton
Encyclopedia
Gervase Clifton, 1st Baron Clifton (c. 1579 – 14 October 1618) was an English
nobleman.
Clifton was a son of Sir John Clifton of Barrington Court
, Somerset
and was educated at St Alban Hall, Oxford. In 1591, he became a Knight of the Shire of Huntingdonshire
, settled in Leighton Bromswold
and married Katherine, a daughter of Sir Henry Darcy (a previous Knight of the Shire) that year and was knighted by 1597. From 1597-98 and also in 1601, Clifton was MP
for Huntingdonshire
and was raised to the Peerage
by writ of summons in 1608 as Baron Clifton, of Leighton Bromswold, County Huntingdon
.
On 30 December 1617, Lord Clifton was imprisoned in the Tower of London
for threatening Sir Francis Bacon
when the latter ordered a survey of Clifton's land. He was then prosecuted by the Star Chamber
on 17 March 1618 and moved to Fleet Prison
, where he stabbed himself to death in the following October. His only son had died in 1602 after the result of wounds received from a bear
, which had broken free during a bear-baiting
show at Nottingham
and so Clifton's title passed to his daughter, Katherine
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
nobleman.
Clifton was a son of Sir John Clifton of Barrington Court
Barrington Court
Barrington Court is a Tudor manor house begun c. 1538 and completed in the late 1550s, with a vernacular 17th-century stable court , situated in Barrington, near Ilminster, Somerset, England...
, Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
and was educated at St Alban Hall, Oxford. In 1591, he became a Knight of the Shire of Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
, settled in Leighton Bromswold
Leighton Bromswold
Leighton Bromswold is a small village in west Cambridgeshire in the historical county of Huntingdonshire around west of Huntingdon and north of Kimbolton. The civil parish of which it is part is called Leighton and in 2001 had a population of 224...
and married Katherine, a daughter of Sir Henry Darcy (a previous Knight of the Shire) that year and was knighted by 1597. From 1597-98 and also in 1601, Clifton was MP
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,...
for Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Huntingdonshire was a Parliamentary constituency covering the county of Huntingdonshire in England. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then in the House of Commons the Parliament of the United...
and was raised to the Peerage
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
by writ of summons in 1608 as Baron Clifton, of Leighton Bromswold, County Huntingdon
Huntingdonshire
Huntingdonshire is a local government district of Cambridgeshire, covering the area around Huntingdon. Traditionally it is a county in its own right...
.
On 30 December 1617, Lord Clifton was imprisoned in the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
for threatening Sir Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Albans, KC was an English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and pioneer of the scientific method. He served both as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England...
when the latter ordered a survey of Clifton's land. He was then prosecuted by the Star Chamber
Star Chamber
The Star Chamber was an English court of law that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster until 1641. It was made up of Privy Counsellors, as well as common-law judges and supplemented the activities of the common-law and equity courts in both civil and criminal matters...
on 17 March 1618 and moved to Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
, where he stabbed himself to death in the following October. His only son had died in 1602 after the result of wounds received from a bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
, which had broken free during a bear-baiting
Bear-baiting
Bear-baiting is a blood sport involving the worrying or tormenting of bears.-Bear-baiting in England:Bear-baiting was popular in England until the nineteenth century. From the sixteenth century, many herds of bears were maintained for baiting...
show at Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
and so Clifton's title passed to his daughter, Katherine
Katherine Clifton, 2nd Baroness Clifton
Katherine Clifton, 2nd Baroness Clifton was an English-born Scottish peeress ....
.