Sir Edward Abney (6 February 1631 – 3 January 1727/28) 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 ...

politician. Abney was born in Newton, Leicestershire, the son of James Abney of

Willesley Willesley is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in the North West Leicestershire district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It was originally in Derbyshire. Willesley Hall was the home of the A ...

, then in Derbyshire, now in Leicestershire, who had been Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1656. His younger brother was Thomas Abney, later Sir Thomas Abney,

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

and

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional powe ...

. Edward was educated at

Ashby School Ashby School, formerly known as Ashby Grammar School, is a co-educational day secondary school and sixth form in Ashby-de-la-Zouch, Leicestershire, England. The school is situated in the centre of Ashby on two sites. History Ashby Grammar Sc ...

, Measham school and

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

, where he graduated BA in 1652–3. He was a Fellow of Christ's College from 1655 to 1661. Knighted in 1673, he served as MP for Leicester Borough from 1690 to 1698. He married twice. His first wife, Damaris Andrewes, was the daughter of Thomas Andrewes (died 1653), a London merchant, son of Sir Thomas Andrewes (died 1659), Commonwealth

. Her mother was Damaris Cradock, daughter of

Matthew Cradock Matthew Cradock (also spelled Craddock and Craddocke; died 27 May 1641) was a London merchant, politician, and the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Company. Founded in 1628, it was an organization of Puritan businessmen that organized a ...

(died 1641), first Governor of the

Massachusetts Bay Company Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

. At the time of their marriage in 1661 Damaris Andrewes was the stepdaughter of the philosopher Ralph Cudworth, Master of

, of which Abney was until that year a Fellow. With Damaris, he had a son and three daughters. His second wife was Judith, daughter and coheiress of Peter Barr, merchant, of London, with whom he had two sons. His estate was left to

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...

, the younger son of his second marriage, the elder being considered insane. He was blind for the last twenty years of his life, dying in 1727 or 1728."News." London Evening Post ondon, EnglandJan. 6, 1728 - Jan. 9, 1728: n.p. Seventeenth and Eighteenth Century Burney Newspapers Collection. Web. 8 Nov. 2020: On Wednesday last died at Willsley in Derbyshire, in the 95th Year of his Age, Sir Edward Abney, who was one of the Masters in Chancery in the Reign of King Charles II, was knighted by King James II, and had been blind upwards of twenty Years. He was Brother to Sir Thomas Abney, formerly Lord Mayor of this City. He hath left a considerable Estate to his Son Edward Abney ic, as per his will, he actually left his estate to his son Thomas of the Inner Temple, Esq.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Abney, Edward 1631 births 1728 deaths People from Ashby-de-la-Zouch Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Fellows of Christ's College, Cambridge English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698