Henry Milbourne, also Milburne or Milborne, (circa 1600 – after 1692) was a Welsh magistrate who served as the

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of Monmouth and as agent to the Duke of Beaufort.

Biography

Milbourne hailed from

Wonastow Wonastow ( cy, Llanwarw) is a village in Monmouthshire, south east Wales. It is located south west of Monmouth. History and amenities Wonastow has a twelfth-century church dedicated to St. Wonnow or Saint Winwaloe, believed to have been bu ...

, near Monmouth, South Wales and reportedly had his seat at

Wonastow Court Wonastow Court, in Wonastow, Monmouthshire, Wales, is a 19th-century country house with earlier origins and later additions. The court is a Grade II listed building, and its gardens are listed, also at Grade II, on the History The origins of t ...

. He is also linked to the village of Clytha. He was the uncle of William Milbourne (c.1633–1660), also of Wonastow, and in 1658, William is recorded as entering his uncle's chambers at the

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn ...

. He was also the great uncle of the MP Clayton Milbourne (aft. 1676–1726). Milbourne served as a steward at the Jesuit college at The Cwm which was owned by the Worcester Estate, in the parish of Llanrothal, Herefordshire in the 1670s. During this period, Milbourne probably lived in nearby Hilston House, a few miles away across the border in Monmouthshire. He is known to have been the steward of Cwm at the time it was raided, during the Popish plot in 1678, by Border Protestants such as Herbert Croft,

John Arnold of Monmouthshire John Arnold, widely known as John Arnold of Monmouthshire ( – 1702), was a Welsh Protestant politician and Whig MP. He was one of the most prominent people in Monmouthshire in the late 17th century. A stark anti-Catholic, he was a notable f ...

and ultra-Protestant Charles Price. Arnold reportedly gave some of his harshest criticism to Milbourne, describing him as an "undoubted Papist" who only "held lands wirth £100 per annum in one county, but is made justice of the peace in four". He denounced Milbourne 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. T ...

but with little success; several MPs believed Arnold's report was poorly constructed and some believed that the lord-lieutenant was a Catholic activist in South Wales. Also involved in the dispute was Milbourne's uncle Rowland Prichard, who claimed "to pay an extra £10 a year rent to be allowed to have mass said at his house at Llanrothal" and one of Milborne's servants. Milbourne is said to have "laid violent hands on the chief constable so that the servant could escape" and was fined a shilling per Sunday, which Milbourne refused to levy. Milbourne was then involved in the Wentwood Case along with the Deputy Governor of

Chepstow Chepstow ( cy, Cas-gwent) is a town and community in Monmouthshire, Wales, adjoining the border with Gloucestershire, England. It is located on the tidal River Wye, about above its confluence with the River Severn, and adjoining the wester ...

. Milbourne assisted

John Aubrey John Aubrey (12 March 1626 – 7 June 1697) was an English antiquary, natural philosopher and writer. He is perhaps best known as the author of the '' Brief Lives'', his collection of short biographical pieces. He was a pioneer archaeologist ...

and

Thomas Fuller Thomas Fuller (baptised 19 June 1608 – 16 August 1661) was an English churchman and historian. He is now remembered for his writings, particularly his ''Worthies of England'', published in 1662, after his death. He was a prolific author, and ...

with research for their works.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Milbourne, Henry 17th-century Welsh Jesuits People from Monmouthshire People associated with the Popish Plot History of Herefordshire History of Monmouth, Wales 17th-century Welsh judges