Humfrey Tufton, 1st Baronet (1584 – October 1659) was an English 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. T ...
from 1640 to 1648.
Tufton was a son of
John Tufton of Hothfield, and brother of
Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet. He purchased The Mote near
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...
.
[John Burke, John Bernard Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies'']
Accessed 16 December 2022.
Humfrey Tufton was involved in a
duel with Murray of Prince Charles's bedchamber (a brother of
Secretary Murray) in March 1625, after having an argument at a stage play. They went to
St George's Fields
St George's Fields was an area of Southwark in south London, England.
History
Originally the area was an undifferentiated part of the south side of the Thames, which was low-lying marshland unsuitable even for agricultural purposes. There ...
to fight. Tufton noted the presence of Gibson, a Scottish armourer, although they had agreed not to have "seconds" present. Tufton objected and left the field. The events offended Gibson's sense of honour, and he fought with Murray. Both were fatally injured.
[John S. Brewer, ''The Court of King James the First by Godfrey Goodman'', vol. 1 (London, 1839), pp. 404-405.]
In November 1640, Tufton 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 o ...
for
Maidstone
Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...
in the
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...
.
He was created a
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14t ...
, of The Mote in the
County of Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces the ...
, on 24 December 1641. He was excluded from parliament under
Pride's Purge
Pride's Purge is the name commonly given to an event that took place on 6 December 1648, when soldiers prevented members of Parliament considered hostile to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons of England.
Despite defeat in the ...
in 1648. He was appointed
High Sheriff of Kent
The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instrum ...
for 1654.
Tufton died at Bobbing Place at the age of 76.
[
]
Family
Tufton married Margaret Morley, daughter of Herbert Morley of Glynde Sussex. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son, John
John is a common English name and surname:
* John (given name)
* John (surname)
John may also refer to:
New Testament
Works
* Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John
* First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John
* Secon ...
. The title became extinct upon the death of the second Baronet in 1685.[ His daughter Olympia married Sir William Wray of Ashby.
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tufton, Humfrey
1584 births
1659 deaths
English MPs 1640–1648
High Sheriffs of Kent
People from Maidstone
Place of birth missing
Baronets in the Baronetage of England