Edmund Doubleday (died December 1620) was an English vintner, lawyer, office-holder and 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 1614. He was jointly responsible for the capture of

Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educated ...

in the

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby who sought ...

. Doubleday was acting as a scrivener and public notary by 1587 and then studied law at Middle Temple. He was active at the parish of

St Margaret's, Westminster The Church of St Margaret, Westminster Abbey, is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, London, England. It is dedicated to Margaret of Antioch, and forms part of a single World Heritage Site with the Palace of Westminster a ...

where he signed parish accounts from 1590. He was overseer of the poor in 1590. By the 1590s he had acquired leases of several properties from

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

and marriages to wealthy widows brought him various property in Westminster which included the Saracens Head on King Street.J. F. Merritt ''The social world of early modern Westminster: abbey, court and community''
/ref> In 1591 he was assigned half the lease of Ebury Manor by Thomas Knyvet with whom he was subsequently involved in various activities.Charles T. Gatty ''Mary Davies and the Manor of Ebury Part One''
/ref> From 1592 to 1595 he was High Constable of Westminster. Doubleday was built for law enforcement, being described in ''Anglorum Speculumas'' as "a man of great stature, valour, gravity and activity". He was given a position in the mint office in 1601. In 1604 Doubleday and Andrew Bright were granted the offices of distilling herbs and sweet waters at the palace of Whitehall and keeping the library there. Guy fawkes henry perronet briggs

On 5 November 1605 Doubleday assisted Knyvet in a search of the undercroft of the Palace of Westminster where they discovered

. Fawkes gripped Doubleday "very violently" by the fingers of the left hand. Doubleday in reaction was about to stab Fawkes but thought better of it. Instead he up-heeled Fawkes, searched him and tied him up with garters found in Fawkes pockets. Doubleday went to Scotland as a royal commissioner to investigate the controversial new silver mine at Hilderston in January 1608. In 1609 Doubleday and Knyvett were given grant of "keeping plate and money in the tower and the coinage of money there and elsewhere for life" In 1611 they were given the joint title of

Warden of the Mint Warden of the Mint was a high-ranking position at the Royal Mint in England from 1216 to 1829. The warden was responsible for a variety of minting procedures and acted as the immediate representative of the current monarch inside the mint. The role ...

. Meanwhile, he had joined the

Worshipful Company of Vintners The Worshipful Company of Vintners is one of the oldest Livery Companies of the City of London, England, thought to date back to the 12th century. It is one of the "Great Twelve" livery companies of London, and its motto is ''Vinum Exhilarat A ...

in 1610 of which he became one of the wealthiest members. Doubleday was involved in further law enforcement on Christmas Day 1611 at the chapel in Whitehall when King James and his family were at prayer. One John Selman went into the chapel and Doubleday spotted him as suspicious and kept a watch on him. Doubleday saw Selman picking the pocket of Leonard Barry and they gave chase. Once Selman was caught, Doubleday gripped him by both hands and Barry retrieved his purse. Selman was hanged in January.Sir Egerton Brydges ''The British bibliographer, Volume 1''
/ref> In 1614, Doubleday 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

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

. He was master of the Vintners Company from 1616 to 1617. In December 1620 he was re-elected MP for Westminster, but died two days after the election. He asked to be buried near the vestry in St Margaret's Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doubleday, Edmund Year of birth missing 1620 deaths English MPs 1614 Gunpowder Plot