Sir John Spelman (1594 – 24 July 1643) was an English historian 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. T ...

in 1626. He is known for his biography of Alfred the Great.

Life

Spelman was the son of

Henry Spelman Sir Henry Spelman (c. 1562 – October 1641) was an English antiquary, noted for his detailed collections of medieval records, in particular of church councils. Life Spelman was born in Congham, Norfolk, the eldest son of Henry Spelman (d. 1581 ...

, antiquary. He studied at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

and at Brasenose College, Oxford. He entered

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

on 16 February 1608 and later travelled in continental Europe In 1626 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 o ...

for

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

. He edited from manuscripts in his father's library. ' (1640), and wrote a ''Life of Alfred the Great'' which was translated into Latin and published in 1678. Whereas his father was a leading expositor of the idea of an " ancient constitution", John Spelman was a theorist of the Royalist cause. He was knighted by

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after hi ...

in 1641 and served the king actively at Oxford at the beginning of the

First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo ...

. The House of Commons ordered Spillman to be sent for as a delinquent on 10 December 1642. W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Worcester''
/ref> Spelman died in Brasenose College of the camp disease about 24 July 1643.

Family

Spelman married Anne Townshend, daughter of Sir John Townshend, of Raynham,

Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...

, and Anne Bacon,. by whom he had a son, Roger Spelman. His brother, Clement Spelman, was Cursitor Baron from 1663 to 1679. His cousin, Ian Van Houten, was known for being a lesser known playwright in the 17th century.

Works

*1642: ''Certain considerations upon the duties both of prince and people written by a gentleman of quality, a well-wisher both to the King and Parliament''. Oxford: Printed by Leonard Lichfield, 1642 (Anonymous; attributed to Spelman)
Excerpt
*1642: ''A Protestants account of his orthodox holding in matters of religion, at the present indifference in the Church''. Printed by Roger Daniel, printer to the Universitie of Cambridge. 1642. And are to be sold by John Milleson (This has been attributed both to John and Henry Spelman the elder; the latter's authorship is now thought more likely. Wing (ed 2) S4939; Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI, 1999- (Early English books online)) *1644: ''Case of our affaires in law, religion, and other circumstances examined and presented to the conscience''. xford Printed y Henry Hall? in the yeare, 1643 .e. 1644 *1678: ''Aelfredi Magni, Anglorum regis invictissimi vita tribus libris comprehensa''. Oxonii: E Theatro Sheldoniano, Anno Dom. MDC.LXXVIII. Thomas Hearne, responsible for the first edition in the original English, in 1709, identified the translator as

Christopher Wase Christopher Wase (1627–29 August 1690) was an English scholar, author, translator, and educator, who was the Architypographus of Oxford University Press for several years. Life The son of John Wase of London, he was born in Hackney. He was e ...

(cf. Madan).

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spelman, John 1594 births 1643 deaths Cavaliers English MPs 1626 17th-century English male writers 17th-century English historians Politicians from Worcestershire Knights Bachelor