Gregory Norton
Encyclopedia
Sir Gregory Norton, 1st Baronet (1603 – 26 March 1652) was an English
politician who sat in the House of Commons
from 1645 to 1652. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War
and was one of the regicide
s of King Charles I
.
Norton was the eldest surviving son of Henry Norton of Wantage in Berkshire, and probably grew up in Ireland where his father held an administrative post. He acquired an estate in Sussex upon his marriage to Martha Gunter around 1621, and was made a baronet in 1624. During the 1630s, Norton held a position as a minor official at the court of King Charles I.
Like his friend and fellow courtier Humphrey Edwards
, Norton supported Parliament on the outbreak of the First Civil War
. He became active in local administration in Sussex and the Isle of Wight
, and was elected as recruiter Member of Parliament
for Midhurst
in Sussex in October 1645. Norton emerged as a radical Independent, with a particular interest in Irish affairs. He was active in the legal proceedings against King Charles in 1649, sitting as a member of the High Court of Justice
and signing the King's death warrant.
During the Commonwealth, Norton was associated with the republican Henry Marten
, but he also came under suspicion of profiteering from the sale of confiscated Royalist estates and properties. He died in 1652.
Norton disinherited his son Henry
because he opposed the trial and execution of the King. Henry however inherited the baronetcy on the death of his father.
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...
politician who sat in the House of Commons
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
from 1645 to 1652. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
and was one of the regicide
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
s of King 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...
.
Norton was the eldest surviving son of Henry Norton of Wantage in Berkshire, and probably grew up in Ireland where his father held an administrative post. He acquired an estate in Sussex upon his marriage to Martha Gunter around 1621, and was made a baronet in 1624. During the 1630s, Norton held a position as a minor official at the court of King Charles I.
Like his friend and fellow courtier Humphrey Edwards
Humphrey Edwards
Humphrey Edwards was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.Edwards was a regicide; he joined the parliamentarian side in the English Civil War, finding loyalty to Charles I pecuniarily unprofitable; he was M.P...
, Norton supported Parliament on the outbreak of the First Civil War
First Civil War
First Civil War may refer to:* the First English Civil War * the first civil war in the French Wars of Religion* the First Sudanese Civil War * the first Liberian Civil War...
. He became active in local administration in Sussex and the Isle of Wight
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight is a county and the largest island of England, located in the English Channel, on average about 2–4 miles off the south coast of the county of Hampshire, separated from the mainland by a strait called the Solent...
, and was elected as recruiter Member of Parliament
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 Midhurst
Midhurst (UK Parliament constituency)
Midhurst was a parliamentary borough in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1311 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the constituency was abolished...
in Sussex in October 1645. Norton emerged as a radical Independent, with a particular interest in Irish affairs. He was active in the legal proceedings against King Charles in 1649, sitting as a member of the High Court of Justice
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
and signing the King's death warrant.
During the Commonwealth, Norton was associated with the republican Henry Marten
Henry Marten (regicide)
Sir Henry Marten was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1640 and 1653...
, but he also came under suspicion of profiteering from the sale of confiscated Royalist estates and properties. He died in 1652.
Norton disinherited his son Henry
Sir Henry Norton, 2nd Baronet
Sir Henry Norton, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1659.Norton was the son of Sir Gregory Norton, 1st Baronet one of the regicides of King Charles I. He was disinherited by his father for opposing the trial and execution of the King...
because he opposed the trial and execution of the King. Henry however inherited the baronetcy on the death of his father.