Christopher Clapham (1608–1686) of

Beamsley Beamsley is a village and civil parish in the Craven district of North Yorkshire, England. It is just within the boundary of the Yorkshire Dales National Park, and about six miles east of Skipton and two miles north of Addingham. The village ...

near Skipton in

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

, England, was a politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

in 1659 and 1660.

Origins

Clapham was the eldest son of George Clapham (d.1629) of Beamsley, by his wife Martha Heber, a daughter of Reginald Heber of Marton, Yorkshire.

Career

He avoided commitment in the Civil war, although three of his brothers fought for the

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

. History of Parliament Online - Christopher Clapham
/ref> In 1658 Clapham became freeman of Stamford and in 1659 was elected a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Stamford for the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a po ...

. In 1660 he was elected as an MP for Appleby in the Convention Parliament. He was knighted on 8 June 1660 and became a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for the West Riding of Yorkshire in July 1660. In August 1660 he became commissioner for assessment for Westmorland and Kesteven until 1661 and commissioner for assessment for West Riding of Yorkshire until 1690. He was commissioner for

oyer and terminer In English law, oyer and terminer (; a partial translation of the Anglo-French ''oyer et terminer'', which literally means "to hear and to determine") was one of the commissions by which a judge of assize sat. Apart from its Law French name, the ...

for Lincoln in 1661 and commissioner for assessment for Lincolnshire from 1661 to 1663. In 1663 he became captain in the horse volunteers for Lincolnshire and JP for Kesteven, Lincolnshire until his death. He was commissioner for assessment for West Riding of Yorkshire from 1665 to 1680. He was a JP for Yorkshire West Riding from 1672 until before 1680 and commissioner for recusants for West Riding in 1675. In 1681 he became Deputy Lieutenant for Lincolnshire until his death and was

High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilitie ...

from 1682 to 1683. He was JP for West Riding of Yorkshire from 1685 until his death.

Marriages and children

Clapham married firstly by 1627, Mary Lowden (d.1637), a daughter of John Lowden of Wrenthorpe, Yorkshire, by whom he had two sons and a daughter. Mary died on 1 August 1637 and he married secondly on 14 May 1639, Margaret Oldfield (d.1674), widow of Robert Moyle, and daughter of Anthony Oldfield, attorney, of Spalding, Lincolnshire by whom he had a further four sons and four daughters. Margaret died in 1674 and he married thirdly by licence issued on 26 April 1678, Mary Needham, daughter of

Robert Needham, 2nd Viscount Kilmorey Robert Needham, 2nd Viscount Kilmorey (c. 1587/88 – 12 September 1653) was an English Royalist and supporter of Charles I during the English Civil War. Biography Robert Needham was born about 1598, the son of Sir Robert Needham, 1st Viscount Kil ...

of Shavington, Shropshire.

Death and burial

Clapham died at the age of 77 and was buried at St Mary's Church, Stamford on 16 August 1686.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clapham, Christopher 1608 births 1686 deaths People from Stamford, Lincolnshire High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire English MPs 1659 English MPs 1660