William Spurstow (merchant)
Encyclopedia
William Spurstow was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons
from 1640 to 1644. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War
.
Spurstow was the son of a Shropshire shearman and became a freeman of Shrewsbury
in 1597. He moved to London where he became a leading merchant. In 1606 he was largely responsible for a Bill in parliament which relieved Welsh cloth from the need to have a seal of content. He became a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers
and a director of the East India Company
. In 1626 he was imprisoned for refusing to pay the forced loan. He was a member of the congregation of St Stephen Coleman Street, and the Massachusetts Bay Company two strongly puritan oranisations which were opposed to Crown and Church between 1629 and 1640.
In November 1640, Spurstow was elected Member of Parliament
for Shrewsbury
in the Long Parliament
. He served on the Committees for Scandalous Ministers, and the Committee for Plundered Ministers’. He sat until his death in 1644.
Spurstow died a wealthy man with his cash alone amounting to over £5,000. He left charitable donations which included £300 to Shrewbury to set poor up in work.
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 1640 to 1644. 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...
.
Spurstow was the son of a Shropshire shearman and became a freeman of Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury is the county town of Shropshire, in the West Midlands region of England. Lying on the River Severn, it is a civil parish home to some 70,000 inhabitants, and is the primary settlement and headquarters of Shropshire Council...
in 1597. He moved to London where he became a leading merchant. In 1606 he was largely responsible for a Bill in parliament which relieved Welsh cloth from the need to have a seal of content. He became a member of the Worshipful Company of Mercers
Worshipful Company of Mercers
The Worshipful Company of Mercers is the premier Livery Company of the City of London and ranks first in order of precedence. It is the first of the so-called "Great Twelve City Livery Companies". It was incorporated under a Royal Charter in 1394...
and a director of the East India Company
East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
. In 1626 he was imprisoned for refusing to pay the forced loan. He was a member of the congregation of St Stephen Coleman Street, and the Massachusetts Bay Company two strongly puritan oranisations which were opposed to Crown and Church between 1629 and 1640.
In November 1640, Spurstow was elected 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 Shrewsbury
Shrewsbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Shrewsbury was a parliamentary constituency in England, centred on the town of Shrewsbury in Shropshire.It was founded in 1290 as parliamentary borough, returning two members to the House of Commons of England until 1707, then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and of the...
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...
. He served on the Committees for Scandalous Ministers, and the Committee for Plundered Ministers’. He sat until his death in 1644.
Spurstow died a wealthy man with his cash alone amounting to over £5,000. He left charitable donations which included £300 to Shrewbury to set poor up in work.