Sir Clement Edmondes (c. 1568–1622) was an
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
government official and politician who sat in the
House of Commons at various times between 1609 and 1622.
Background and education
Edmondes was son of Sir Thomas Edmondes of
Shrawardine,
Shropshire
Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...
. His father was comptroller of Queen Elizabeth's Household.
[W R Williams ''The Parliamentary History of the Principality of Wales'']
/ref> In 1585, he became a clerk or chorister at All Souls College, Oxford
All Souls College (official name: College of the Souls of All the Faithful Departed) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Unique to All Souls, all of its members automatically become fellows (i.e., full members of t ...
. After graduation, he became a Fellow of All Souls in 1589. He was later was living in a park at Castle Hedingham, and may therefore have been in the service of the Earl of Oxford or another of his family. In 1600, he published ''Observations, upon the Five First Bookes of Caesar's Commentaries'', followed the next year by a similar work on the Sixth and Seventh books. This was dedicated to his 'honourable friend' Sir Francis Vere. He was present at the battle of Nieuwpoort and referred in his works to the sieges of Ostend
Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
(1601–4) and Grave
A grave is a location where a dead body (typically that of a human, although sometimes that of an animal) is buried or interred after a funeral. Graves are usually located in special areas set aside for the purpose of burial, such as grave ...
, in Brabant Brabant is a traditional geographical region (or regions) in the Low Countries of Europe. It may refer to:
Place names in Europe
* London-Brabant Massif, a geological structure stretching from England to northern Germany
Belgium
* Province of Bra ...
(1602).
Career
In 1601, Edmondes obtained the post of Assistant Remembrancer of the City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London fr ...
, and succeeded as Remembrancer on the resignation of Dr Giles Fletcher
Giles Fletcher (also known as Giles Fletcher, The Younger) (1586? – Alderton, Suffolk, 1623) was an English cleric and poet chiefly known for his long allegorical poem ''Christ's Victory and Triumph'' (1610).
Life
Fletcher was the younge ...
, with a salary of £100. In 1608, he was involved in the negotiations for a loan from the city to James I James I may refer to:
People
*James I of Aragon (1208–1276)
*James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327)
*James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu
*James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347)
*James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
. He was appointed a Clerk of the Privy Council on 13 August 1609. When he resigned as Remembrancer, the City gave him 40 angels to buy a cloak.
In November 1609 Edmondes was elected 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 Carnarvon in a by-election.[ He was appointed Muster Master General in 1613. In 1615 he was sent on a diplomatic mission to the ]Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
to investigate coordinating English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
and Dutch East India trade. He then wrote a wide-ranging account of the country (unpublished). He was knighted on 29 September 1617.[
In 1618, Edmondes was dispatched to the fens to report on the conflicts over draining them. He spent time surveying the rivers and recommended that the ]Commissioners of Sewers
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
should enforce their decrees and should begin by clearing the outfalls of the rivers River Nene and River Welland
The River Welland is a lowland river in the east of England, some long. It drains part of the Midlands eastwards to The Wash. The river rises in the Hothorpe Hills, at Sibbertoft in Northamptonshire, then flows generally northeast to Market ...
.
In 1621 Edmondes was elected 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 Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
, but took little part in the debates. He was appointed a Secretary of State, but died (of apoplexy) before taking office. He was buried at Preston Deanery
Preston Deanery is a hamlet in the civil parish of Hackleton in West Northamptonshire, West Northamptonshire, England. It is south of Northampton town centre and by road to the M1 motorway, M1 London to Yorkshire motorway junction 15. It lie ...
, near Northampton
Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...
, where he had acquired the manor in 1620.
Family
Edmondes married Mary Clerk, daughter of Robert Clerk of Grafton, Northamptonshire in 1598. She was an attendant upon Lady Stafford.
References
*Stephen Porter, ‘Edmondes, Sir Clement (1567/8?–1622)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
'', Oxford University Press, Sept 2004; online edn, May 200
accessed 24 Dec 2009.
*Alexander Marr, "Curious and Useful Buildings: The Mathematical Model of Sir Clement Edmondes", Bodleian Library Record, vol. 18, no. 2 (2004), pp. 108–150
{{DEFAULTSORT:Edmondes, Clement
1568 births
1622 deaths
Fellows of All Souls College, Oxford
English civil servants
Clerks of the Privy Council
Members of the pre-1707 Parliament of England for the University of Oxford
Politicians from Shropshire
People from West Northamptonshire District
Alumni of All Souls College, Oxford
16th-century English writers
English MPs 1604–1611
English MPs 1621–1622
Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales
Members of Parliament for Caernarfon