John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore (22 March 1601 – 19 May 1671) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1629. In 1628 he was created

Viscount Scudamore Viscount Scudamore was a title in the Peerage of Ireland held by three generations of the Scudamore family. It was created on 1 July 1628 for the diplomat and politician Sir John Scudamore, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of ...

in the Irish peerage.

Early life

Scudamore was the eldest son of

Sir James Scudamore Sir James Scudamore (also spelled Skidmore, Skidmur, Skidmuer or Scidmore; 1568–1619) was a gentleman usher at the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Born at Holme Lacy, Herefordshire, he was the eldest son of John Scudamore, Custos Rotulorum of H ...

, of

Holme Lacy Holme Lacy is a village in the English county of Herefordshire. The population of the civil parish was 466 at the 2011 Census. Category It is a primarily rural village. Etymology Holme Lacy is not from Old Norse ''holmr'' "island" like other pla ...

, Herefordshire, and

Mary Scudamore Mary Scudamore ( Shelton; c. 1550 – 1603) was a courtier to Elizabeth I. Career She was a daughter of Sir John Shelton of Shelton Hall, Norfolk and his wife, Margaret Parker. She joined the household of Queen Elizabeth around the year 15 ...

, daughter of Sir Thomas Throckmorton. He matriculated at

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College (, ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by William of Waynflete. Today, it is the fourth wealthiest college, with a financial endowment of £332.1 ...

, on 8 November 1616 and was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1617.George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage'' 1900
/ref> From November 1618, he travelled in France, and returned the following year after the death of his father. His grandfather Sir John Scudamore obtained 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 ...

cy for him on 1 June 1620, giving him precedence locally three years. His younger brother was Barnabas Scudamore, the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policie ...

commander who led Royalist forces in the successful defence of Hereford in 1645.

Career

In 1621, Scudamore was elected Member of Parliament for

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

.Browne Willis ''Notitia parliamentaria, or, An history of the counties, cities, and boroughs in England and Wales: ... The whole extracted from mss. and printed evidences'' 1750 pp. 176–239
/ref> He was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1622. By 1622, he had a warm friendship with William Laud (later Archbishop of Canterbury), and followed his religious views. One aspect of this was his restoration of the church of

Abbey Dore Abbey Dore ( cy, Abaty Deur) is a village and civil parish in Herefordshire, England, known for Dore Abbey, a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, which was expanded in the 13th century. The name Abbey Dore came into being in the 18th century, comb ...

, the church of the former Cistercian

abbey An abbey is a type of monastery used by members of a religious order under the governance of an abbot or abbess. Abbeys provide a complex of buildings and land for religious activities, work, and housing of Christian monks and nuns. The conc ...

, whose estates had come to his family at the

dissolution Dissolution may refer to: Arts and entertainment Books * ''Dissolution'' (''Forgotten Realms'' novel), a 2002 fantasy novel by Richard Lee Byers * ''Dissolution'' (Sansom novel), a 2003 historical novel by C. J. Sansom Music * Dissolution, in mu ...

. He did this in full Laudian style. He also did work on other churches, and endowed some with impropriate tithes. Scudamore succeeded his grandfather in the family estate in 1623. He was one of the Council of the Marches on 25 August 1623. In 1624, he was re-elected MP for Herefordshire. He was created Baron Dromore and Viscount Scudamore in the peerage of Ireland on 1 July 1628. Also in 1628, he was elected MP for Hereford and sat until 1629, when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. From 1635 to 1639, Scudamore was ambassador to France, and caused controversy by adorning the embassy chapel in Laudian style. However, the

Earl of Leicester Earl of Leicester is a title that has been created seven times. The first title was granted during the 12th century in the Peerage of England. The current title is in the Peerage of the United Kingdom and was created in 1837. Early creatio ...

who was staunchly Protestant was appointed as extraordinary ambassador over his head, with the result that they two could not agree on policy. Scudamore was not particularly active on his return to England and his early participation in the English Civil War was limited. He was one of the "Nine Worthies" – nine justices who formed the royalist leadership in Herefordshire in the summer of 1642. The other "worthies" were Sir William Croft, Wallop Brabazon, Thomas Wigmore of Shobden, Thomas Price of Wisterdon,

William Smallman William Smallman (c. 16151643) of Kinnersley Castle, Herefordshire was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640. Smallman was the son of Francis Smallman and his wife Susan Clarke, widow of John Clarke of London, and daugh ...

Henry Lingen Sir Henry Lingen (23 October 1612 – 22 January 1662), Lord of Sutton, Lingen and Stoke Edith, was a Royalist military commander in Herefordshire during the English Civil War, and later a member of parliament. He was the son of Edward Lingen an ...

, William Rudhall and

Fitzwilliam Coningsby Fitzwilliam Coningsby (died August 1666) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1621 and in 1640. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Biography Coningsby was born at Hampton Court, Herefordshire, the ...

. Partly as a result of his rivalry with Coningsby for control of Herefordshire, Hereford was surrendered to a small Parliamentarian force in 1643. Scudamore was sent to London as a delinquent and remained there under house arrest until 1647. After the

English Restoration The Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in the kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland took place in 1660 when King Charles II returned from exile in continental Europe. The preceding period of the Protectorate and the civil wars came to b ...

, he resumed various local offices.

Legacy

In 1615, Scudamore married Elizabeth Porter, daughter of Sir Arthur Porter of Llanthony, Monmouthshire, and his wife Ann Danvers, daughter of John Danvers, of Dauntsey, Wiltshire. A painting by Marcus Gheeraerts the younger was commissioned to commemorate this. Scudamore died at the age of 70. His son, James Scudamore (died 1668), predeceased him. He was succeeded in his titles by his grandson, John Scudamore.

References

*Ian Atherton, 'Scudamore, John, first Viscount Scudamore (1601–1671)’, ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press'', Sept 2004; online edn, Jan 200
accessed 24 March 2008
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scudamore, John 1601 births 1671 deaths Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by Charles I People from Herefordshire John Ambassadors of England to France English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1628–1629 17th-century English diplomats Cavaliers