John II Dodderidge (1610–1659) of

Bremridge Bremridge is a historic estate within the former hundred of South Molton in Devon, England. It is now within the parish of Filleigh but was formerly in that of South Molton. It is situated 8 miles north-west of South Molton. Since the constructi ...

in the parish of South Molton, Devon, was a lawyer who was elected MP for

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...

in 1646 and 1654, for

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

in 1656 and for

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

also in 1656, and chose to sit for Devon, but was prevented by

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

from taking his seat.

Origins

Dodderidge was the son of

Pentecost Dodderidge Pentecost Dodderidge (died c. 1650) of Barnstaple in North Devon, was three times Member of Parliament for Barnstaple in 1621, 1624 and 1625. Origins Dodderidge was a son of Richard Doddridge, merchant, of Barnstaple. His elder brother was ...

(died ) of

in North

, thrice Member of Parliament for

in 1621, 1624 and 1625, by his wife Elizabeth Wescombe.Devon and Cornwall Notes and Queries 1901
/ref> Pentecost Dodderidge was the brother and heir of Sir John I Doddridge (1555–1628), a Justice of the King's Bench, who had purchased for his seat the estate of

, near South Molton, Devon.

Career

Dodderidge entered

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 an ...

on 26 June 1629 and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

on 19 May 1637. In 1646, he was elected Member of Parliament for

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 appointed a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Devon on 26 July 1647. He was re-elected MP for Barnstaple in 1654 in the First Protectorate Parliament. In 1655 he was appointed

Recorder of Bristol A recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales and some other common law jurisdictions. England and Wales In the courts of England and Wales, the term ''recorder'' has two distinct meanings. The senior circuit judge of a borough or city i ...

. Subsequently, he became

Recorder of Barnstaple The Recorder of Barnstaple was a recorder, a form of senior judicial officer, usually an experienced barrister, within the jurisdiction of the Borough of Barnstaple in Devon. He was usually a member of the local North Devonshire gentry. The po ...

, a position of significant honour, having left pieces of plate to the corporation of Bristol. In 1656 he was elected MP for both

and for

in the Second Protectorate Parliament and chose to sit for Devon. He was however prevented by

from taking his seat. He became a bencher of his

Inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

in 1658 and published ''The Opinions of Sundry Antiquaries ... Touching the Antiquity, Power, Order, State, Manner, Persons and Proceedings of the High-Court of Parliament in England''.

Marriages and progeny

Dodderidge married three times, but his only son John predeceased him. His wives included: *Martha Dacres (died 1655), the youngest daughter of Sir Thomas Dacres of Cheshunt, Hertfordshire. *Jane, of unknown family. *Judith Gurdon, 3rd and last wife, daughter of John Gurdon (''alias'' Richard Gurdon) of Assington Hall,

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario (official name; the city continues to be known simply as Sudbury for most purposes) ** Sudbury (electoral district), one of the city's federal e ...

, Suffolk. She survived him and in 1665 remarried (as his 3rd wife) to John Gould (1616-1679) of Clapham,

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, a Levant Merchant, 3rd son of William Gould of Hayes, near Exeter, Devon.

Death

Dodderidge died in 1659 (his will was proved 20 June 1659) at Cheshunt at the age of about 49.

Dodderidgian Library

His library became the

Dodderidgian Library The Dodderidgian Library (Latin: ''Bibliotheca Doddridgiana'') was founded in 1667 in Barnstaple, North Devon, England, by Judith Dodderidge, third wife and widow of John Dodderidge (died 1659), John Dodderidge (1610–1659) of Barnstaple and B ...

. He bequeathed his library to his wife Judith in the following passage of his will dated 20 January 1658: ''"Alsoe I leave the disposing of my library of bookes (unto) my said deare wife whome I make and ordaine sole executrix of this my last will and testament not doubting of her care in the due executing thereof..."''. In 1664 she gave or bequeathed the library to the Corporation of Barnstaple. The bequest was of 112 volumes, many of which were originally from the library of his uncle Sir John Dodderidge, as evidenced by his signature in several of them. The collection became known as the ''Bibliotheca Doddridgiana'' ("Dodderidgian Library"). A special building was erected to house the books at the north-east corner of the chancel of

St Peter's Church, Barnstaple St Peter's Church is the parish church of the town of Barnstaple in North Devon, England. Parts of the church date to the 13th-century with much restoration during the Victorian era by George Gilbert Scott and later by his son John Oldrid Scott wh ...

. The books were chiefly in Latin on the subject of

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

, and include most notably a 1610 edition of

John Foxe John Foxe (1516/1517 – 18 April 1587), an English historian and martyrologist, was the author of '' Actes and Monuments'' (otherwise ''Foxe's Book of Martyrs''), telling of Christian martyrs throughout Western history, but particularly the su ...

's '' Book of Martyrs'', containing a very well preserved illustration of scenes of Protestant martyrdom. The collection was later expanded. The Dodderidge collection was removed to the North Devon Athaneum in 1888 and from there in 1957 on permanent loan to

Exeter University , mottoeng = "We Follow the Light" , established = 1838 - St Luke's College1855 - Exeter School of Art1863 - Exeter School of Science 1955 - University of Exeter (received royal charter) , type = Public , ...

Library. It represents one of the earliest town libraries in England which continues in existence since its foundation.

Heirs

LoveringImpalingDodderidge Hudscott Chittlehampton

As his only son predeceased him, his heirs were his two sisters, one of whom was Dorcas Doddridge, the wife of John Lovering (died 1675) "The Elder", of Weare Giffard, a merchant based at Barnstaple who served as one of his executors. John Lovering's son was John Lovering "The Younger" (died 1686) who married Elizabeth Venner daughter of William Venner of

Hudscott Hudscott is a historic estate within the parish and former manor of Chittlehampton, Devon. From 1700 it became a seat of a junior branch of the influential Rolle family of Heanton Satchville, Petrockstowe and in 1779 became a secondary seat o ...

, Chittlehampton. They made their home at Hudscott, as is evidenced by the heraldic overmantel showing the arms of Lovering

impaling Impalement, as a method of torture and execution, is the penetration of a human by an object such as a stake, pole, spear, or hook, often by the complete or partial perforation of the torso. It was particularly used in response to "crimes aga ...

Doddridge.

Will

John Dodderidge's will, dated 20 January 1658 and proved 20 June 1659, may be summarised thus:Prerogative Court of Canterbury, 380 Pell. :"John Doddridge of Bremeridge, Devon, Esq. 20 January 1658, proved 20 June 1659. If I happen to die within thirty miles of Cheshunt, Herts, my body may be carried thither and there interred in the Vault of my honored father in law Sir Thomas Dacres of Cheshunt, knight, as near the body of my very dear virtuous and truly loving wife Martha, the youngest daughter of the said Sir Thomas Dacres, as conveniently may be, who hath promised me a burying place there according to my great desire. But if I happen to die within thirty miles of the town of Barnastaple, Devon, then I very much desire that my body may be carried to Barnstaple and buried as near the body of my dear virtuous and loving wife Jane as may be. Bequests to the town of Barnstaple, for the poor there, to the aldermen of Bristol (forty pounds) for a piece of plate with my coat of arms engraven upon it and this inscription "Ex Dono Johanni Doddridge Recordatoris Civitatis Bristoll" 'i.e.'', "From the gift of John Dodderidge Recorder of the City of Bristol" To the poor of Ilfracombe, Fremington, and South Molton. My most dear wife Judith. My dear sisters Mistress Elizabeth Crossing, Mistress Dorothy Lowring 'i.e.'', Loveringand my nephew Master John Martin. My father in law John Gurdon Esq. and my loving brothers John Hele Esq., Thomas Dacres Esq., Robert Gurdon Esq., Master John Martin, Master Richard Crossing, Master John Lowring, Master Joseph Jackson and my friends Master Robert Aldworth, Master Edward Watts and Master Richard Sherbrook. I give and bequeath unto the College in New England towards the maintenance of scholars there the yearly sum of ten pounds forever, issuing and going forth out of my Rectory of Fremington in the County of Devon. I also give and bequeath unto the Trustees for the maintenance of select scholars at the University, according to the model drawn up by Master Poole and other godly ministers, the like yearly sum of ten pounds &c. My cousin Dorothy Watts wife of Master Edward Watts, Sarah Walker daughter of Thomas Walker minister of Assington, Suffolk. Cousin Roger Hill one of the Barons of the Exchequer. My manor of Abbotts Bury in Porbury, in the County of Somerset. My niece Jane Martin".

Wife's monument at Cheshunt

A monument exists in Cheshunt Church, Hertfordshire, inscribed as follows: "To the memory of Martha Doddridge, wife of John Doddridge, of Branbridge, in the county of Devon, Esq., youngest daughter of Sir Thomas Dacres, of Hertford, Knt., who died in 1655. Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all. (Prov. xxx. 29) This is the pillar of Rachel's grave unto this day. (Gen. xxxv. 19, 80)."

Sources

Dodderidge, Rev. Sidney E., ''Pedigree of Dudderigge alias Dodderidge, of Dotheridge, South Molton, and Barnstaple, Co. Devon'', Devon & Cornwall Notes & Queries, vol. 3, no. 5, (1905) pp.166-169

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dodderidge, John 1658 deaths 1610 births John English MPs 1640–1648 English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Barnstaple