Sir James Kirton (died 1620) of Almsford Park, Somerset was an English estate administrator, landowner 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. ...

at various times between 1593 and 1614.

Biography

Kirton was the son of Edward Kirton (died 1601) of Almsford and his wife Lettice Gilbanke. After a period of study at the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, he entered the service of the Earl of Hertford in about 1582. In 1593, he 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

Great Bedwyn Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parishes in England, civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun (River Kennet), River Dun about southwest of Hungerford, southeast of Swindon and southeast of Marlborough, Wilt ...

, Wiltshire. He stated that from 1599 to 1608 he was employed in the matters of greatest trust on behalf of the Earl. In 1601 he was elected MP for Ludgershall, also in Wiltshire, and then re-elected in 1604. In 1605 he was employed as the steward of the

Earl of Hertford Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...

when he was ambassador to Brussels for a short time. He was re-elected a third time for Ludgershall in 1614. In 1618 he was knighted and became J.P. for Somerset until 1619. Kirton died in 1620 and was buried in St Botolph's, Aldgate. At his death he owned the house and grounds of Almsford Park, land in South Cary, the patronage of

Castle Cary Castle Cary () is a market town and civil parish in south Somerset, England, north west of Wincanton and south of Shepton Mallet, at the foot of Lodge Hill and on the River Cary, a tributary of the Parrett. History The word Cary derives fr ...

, and property there. He had also acquired property in

Sopworth Sopworth is a small village and civil parish in northwest Wiltshire, England, on the county's border with Gloucestershire. The village lies about west of Sherston, Wiltshire, Sherston and west of Malmesbury. The parish is within the Cotswolds ...

and

Kingston Deverill Kingston Deverill is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. Its nearest towns are Mere, about to the southwest, and Warminster, about to the northeast. The parish and its demographic figures include the village of Monkton Deverill ...

, both in Wiltshire.

Family

Kirton married Elizabeth Morley, daughter of John Morley, of Halfnaked, Sussex in about 1607. He was uncle to Edward Kirton (1585–1654), who was also MP for Ludgershall.

Notes

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kirton, James Year of birth missing 1620 deaths English MPs 1593 English MPs 1601 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614