Nathaniel Whetham (1604 – 16 September 1668) was an English baker 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. ...

between 1654 and 1659. He fought in the

Parliamentary A parliamentary system, or parliamentarian democracy, is a system of democracy, democratic government, governance of a sovereign state, state (or subordinate entity) where the Executive (government), executive derives its democratic legitimacy ...

army in the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

. Whetham was the son of Thomas Whetham and his wife Dorothy Hooper. He was baptised at

Burstock Burstock is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, south of Crewkerne. In the 2011 census the parish had 59 dwellings, 49 households and a population of 120. In 1086 Burstock was recorded in the Domesday Book as 'Bureuuinestoch', ...

on 25 November 1604. He was apprenticed in London to Edward Terrill, the baker to the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

. By 1632 he had completed his apprenticeship and was appointed steward to the court of the

Worshipful Company of Bakers The Worshipful Company of Bakers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Bakers' Guild is known to have existed in the twelfth century. From the Corporation of London, the Guild received the power to enforce regulations for b ...

. He joined the "Company of the Plough" which had secured a patent from

Sir Ferdinando Gorges Sir Ferdinando Gorges ( – 24 May 1647) was a naval and military commander and governor of the important port of Plymouth in England. He was involved in Essex's Rebellion against the Queen, but escaped punishment by testifying against the mai ...

on land in South-East Maine with the aim of emigrating there but the venture was unsuccessful and he continued his trade in the Company of Whitebakers.Catherine Durning Whetham and William Cecil Dampier Whetham ''A History of the Life of Colonel Nathaniel Whetham'' 1907
/ref> When the Civil War broke out, Whetham joined the City of London militia and was appointed major of dragoons and a captain of one of their companies under colonel Richard Browne. Whetham and his dragoons were stationed near Aylesbury where his troops were restless and an attack on the Royalist garrison at Brill was abortive. However, he was appointed Governor of Northampton and for the next four to five years he held the town on behalf of Parliament. In October 1643 he repelled an advance by Prince Rupert and his twenty-two troops of horse and 700 men and then raided Royalist troops along Watling Street by night. In April 1644 he organised the rescue of over thirty parliamentary soldiers from

Banbury Castle Banbury Castle was a medieval castle that stood near the centre of the town of Banbury, Oxfordshire. Historian John Kenyon notes that the castle is "remarkable for its early concentric shape".Kenyon, p. 68. History Banbury Castle was built in ...

. In August 1644 he was described as 'Commander in chiefe' and 'valliant and faithfull' in the first siege of Banbury Castle. He remained at Northampton for most of the next three years and took part in the second siege of Banbury Castle. In September 1649, Whetham was sent as Governor of Portsmouth to reinforce the port. His immediate priority was to repair the fortifications. He was also responsible for reorganising the armed forces, and setting up of a Hampshire Militia under his own command. He was also 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 Hampshire. In 1654, 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

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

in the

First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the Hou ...

.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 pp229-259
/ref> At this time Whetman met and became friends with General George Monck who was based at Portsmouth and in 1655 went to Scotland with Monck as member of Monck's Council of State for Scotland. In 1656 he was elected MP for a Scottish constituency comprising the boroughs of St. Andrews, Dysart, Kirkaldy, Anstruther-East, Pittenween, Creel, Dumfermline, Kinghorn, Anstruther-West, Innerleithing, Kilkenny, and BurntIand for the

Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons. In its first session, the House of Commons was its only chamber; in t ...

. He returned to Portsmouth in March 1657 wrote to the Committee of Safety saying that he had found affairs at Portsmouth very much under control. He was elected to sit on the Committee of Safety but does not appear to have attended any meetings. In 1659 he was re-elected MP for the Scottish constituency for the

Third Protectorate Parliament The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a powe ...

. At this time he was caught up in the dispute between Parliament and the army when the army attempted to take Portsmouth which had been established as a parliamentary stronghold. He finished his term as governor of Portsmouth in 1659. Whetham then joined General Monck who was advancing on London from the north. As a result of his contributions he was awarded a pension of £200 a year and hereditary entitlement to his lands as well as his own regiment. However, by the time of the Restoration his regiment had been handed over to Colonel Richard Norton and later King Charles II and Parliament agreed to annul the sale of church lands by which Whetham had bought the manor of Chard. He left his manorial home for a small tenancy on the estate and remained there until his death in 1668 at the age of about 64. Whetham married Joanna Terrill, widow of his former master Edward Terrill.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whetham, Nathaniel 1604 births 1668 deaths Roundheads English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1659