Sir Gerrard Napier, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Gerrard Napier, 1st Baronet (19 October 1606 – 14 May 1673), of Middle Marsh and Moor Crichel
in Dorset
, was an English Member of Parliament
(MP) who supported the Royalists during the English Civil War
.
Napier was the eldest son of Sir Nathaniel Napier
, also an MP, and the grandson of Sir Robert Napier
, a judge who had been Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland. He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford
. He entered Parliament in 1628 as member for Wareham
, and was elected for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
in the Long Parliament
.
Napier seemed frequently somewhat equivocal in his loyalties. In 1640, as Deputy Lieutenant
of Dorset, he was accused of being insufficiently enthusiastic in pressing men for the King's
service, and was summoned for questioning by the House of Lords and Attorney General, but apparently was able to explain himself sufficiently that in the following year, on 25 June 1641, he was created a baronet. On the outbreak of the Civil War
, he remained loyal to the Crown, and stopped attending the Commons, yet made a £500 loan to Parliament when ordered to do so.
He joined the Royalist army, being one of the commissioners who demanded the surrender of Dorchester, and in January 1644 was disabled from sitting in the Commons for adhering to the King, and subsequently sat in the King's Oxford Parliament
. But in September 1644 he submitted to Parliament, and advanced £500 for the relief of Parliamentary garrisons. He was fined a comparatively small amount,£3,514, although his estates in Dorset
and Kent
were sequestered and in total is said to have lost more than £10,000. Nevertheless, he managed to gather together a further £500 to contribute to the court in exile of the young Charles II
, but the man entrusted with secretly transmitting the money to the King, Sir Gilbert Taylor, kept it for himself. However, the facts were uncovered after the Restoration
, and Taylor was arrested.
In token of his loyalty, the King ordered that Sir Gerrard should be annually sent a number of deer from the New Forest
, and in 1662 he was also appointed Commissioner for Crown Lands in Dorset. In 1665, when the court had moved temporarily to Salisbury
because of the plague
in London
, Sir Gerrard had the honour of entertaining the King and Queen at his house at Moor Crichel
.
Napier married Margaret Colles, and they had one son and two daughters who survived to adulthood. He died in 1673 and was buried at Minterne
Church. He was succeeded by his son, Sir Nathaniel.
Moor Crichel
Moor Crichel is a village and civil parish in East Dorset, England situated on Cranborne Chase five miles east of Blandford Forum. The village has a population of 181 ....
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, was an English 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,...
(MP) who supported the Royalists 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...
.
Napier was the eldest son of Sir Nathaniel Napier
Nathaniel Napier
Sir Nathaniel Napier , of Middlemarsh Hall and Moor Crichel in Dorset, was an English Member of Parliament . He was born c.1587, the only son of Sir Robert Napier, a judge and MP, who held the office of Lord Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, and his second wife Magdalen Denton. He was knighted in...
, also an MP, and the grandson of Sir Robert Napier
Robert Napier (judge)
Sir Robert Napier was an English-born judge in Ireland.. He was High Sheriff of Dorset in 1606 and Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland. He was a Member of Parliament for Dorchester , Bridport and Wareham ....
, a judge who had been Chief Baron of the Exchequer in Ireland. He was educated at Trinity College, Oxford
Trinity College, Oxford
The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope , or Trinity College for short, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It stands on Broad Street, next door to Balliol College and Blackwells bookshop,...
. He entered Parliament in 1628 as member for Wareham
Wareham (UK Parliament constituency)
Wareham was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1302 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-History:...
, and was elected for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis (UK Parliament constituency)
Weymouth and Melcombe Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset represented in the English House of Commons, later in that of Great Britain, and finally in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It was formed by an Act of Parliament of 1570 which amalgamated the existing boroughs of Weymouth and...
in 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...
.
Napier seemed frequently somewhat equivocal in his loyalties. In 1640, as Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Dorset, he was accused of being insufficiently enthusiastic in pressing men for the King's
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...
service, and was summoned for questioning by the House of Lords and Attorney General, but apparently was able to explain himself sufficiently that in the following year, on 25 June 1641, he was created a baronet. On the outbreak of the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
, he remained loyal to the Crown, and stopped attending the Commons, yet made a £500 loan to Parliament when ordered to do so.
He joined the Royalist army, being one of the commissioners who demanded the surrender of Dorchester, and in January 1644 was disabled from sitting in the Commons for adhering to the King, and subsequently sat in the King's Oxford Parliament
Oxford Parliament (1644)
The Oxford Parliament was the Parliament assembled by King Charles I for the first time 22 January 1644 and adjourned for the last time on 10 March 1645, with the purpose of instrumenting the Royalist war campaign.Charles was advised by Edward Hyde and others not to dissolve the Long Parliament as...
. But in September 1644 he submitted to Parliament, and advanced £500 for the relief of Parliamentary garrisons. He was fined a comparatively small amount,£3,514, although his estates in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
and Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
were sequestered and in total is said to have lost more than £10,000. Nevertheless, he managed to gather together a further £500 to contribute to the court in exile of the young Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms 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...
, but the man entrusted with secretly transmitting the money to the King, Sir Gilbert Taylor, kept it for himself. However, the facts were uncovered 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...
, and Taylor was arrested.
In token of his loyalty, the King ordered that Sir Gerrard should be annually sent a number of deer from the New Forest
New Forest
The New Forest is an area of southern England which includes the largest remaining tracts of unenclosed pasture land, heathland and forest in the heavily-populated south east of England. It covers south-west Hampshire and extends into south-east Wiltshire....
, and in 1662 he was also appointed Commissioner for Crown Lands in Dorset. In 1665, when the court had moved temporarily to Salisbury
Salisbury
Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...
because of the plague
Great Plague of London
The Great Plague was a massive outbreak of disease in the Kingdom of England that killed an estimated 100,000 people, 20% of London's population. The disease is identified as bubonic plague, an infection by the bacterium Yersinia pestis, transmitted through a flea vector...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Sir Gerrard had the honour of entertaining the King and Queen at his house at Moor Crichel
Crichel House
Crichel House is a country house located near the village of Moor Crichel in Dorset, England. It is surrounded by of parkland, which includes a crescent-shaped lake covering ....
.
Napier married Margaret Colles, and they had one son and two daughters who survived to adulthood. He died in 1673 and was buried at Minterne
Minterne Magna
Minterne Magna is a village in west Dorset, England, situated at the source of the River Cerne in the Dorset Downs, on the A352 main road half way between Dorchester and Sherborne. The village has a population of 188 .-Minterne House:...
Church. He was succeeded by his son, Sir Nathaniel.