Sir Philip Stapleton of

Wighill Wighill is a village and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. It is near the River Wharfe and east of Wetherby, West Yorkshire. The village has one public house, the White Swan Inn, which reopened in 2009 after a ...

and of Warter-on-the-Wolds,

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a Historic counties of England, historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other Eng ...

(1603 – 18 August 1647) was an English

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 ...

, a supporter of 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 ...

cause during 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 ...

. His surname is also sometimes spelt Stapylton or Stapilton.

Life

Born in Warter-on-the-Wolds, Yorkshire, he was the second son of Sir Henry Stapleton of Wighill (Wighill, Yorkshire, 1572 – St. Andrews, 16 February 1630/1631) and wife Mary Forster ( Bamborough Castle,

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

, 30 March 1569 – St. Andrew Holborn Parish, London, Middlesex, 6 November 1656). He was admitted as a fellow commoner of

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

in 1617. In 1630 he was knighted. He served as MP for

Hedon Hedon is a town and civil parish in Holderness in the East Riding of Yorkshire, England. It is situated approximately east of Hull city centre. It lies to the north of the A1033 road at the crossroads of the B1240 and B1362 roads. It is ...

in the

Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on the 20th of February 1640 and sat from 13th of April to the 5th of May 1640. It was so called because of its short life of only three weeks. Aft ...

(Apr 1640) and

Boroughbridge Boroughbridge () is a town and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is north-west of the county town of York. Until a bypass was built the town lay on t ...

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 ...

(Nov 1640). In 1642 he was appointed parliamentary commissioner in

. When the civil war broke out he was made a colonel of horse and commander of the Earl of Essex's bodyguard. He commanded a brigade of cavalry at the

Battle of Edgehill The Battle of Edgehill (or Edge Hill) was a pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642. All attempts at constitutional compromise between ...

, one of two held in reserve until late in the day and whose charge against the flanks and rear of the Royal infantry almost secured a parliamentary victory but proved ultimately inconclusive. He also saw action at the

Battle of Chalgrove Field The Battle of Chalgrove Field took place on 18 June 1643, during the First English Civil War, near Chalgrove, Oxfordshire. It is now best remembered for the death of John Hampden, who was wounded in the shoulder during the battle and died six d ...

and at the

First Battle of Newbury The First Battle of Newbury was a battle of the First English Civil War that was fought on 20 September 1643 between a Royalist army, under the personal command of King Charles, and a Parliamentarian force led by the Earl of Essex. Followin ...

. He was a member of the Committee of Safety appointed in 1642 and of the

Committee of Both Kingdoms The Committee of Both Kingdoms, (known as the Derby House Committee from late 1647), was a committee set up during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms by the Parliamentarian faction in association with representatives from the Scottish Covenanters, aft ...

which replaced it in 1643. However, he fell out of favour when he opposed the

Self-Denying Ordinance The Self-denying Ordinance was passed by the English Parliament on 3 April 1645. All members of the House of Commons or Lords who were also officers in the Parliamentary army or navy were required to resign one or the other, within 40 days fro ...

and the advancement of

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 ...

. In 1647 he was one of the eleven members of Parliament impeached by the army, but managed to escape to

Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's prefecture is its third-largest city of Arras. Th ...

, and died at a local Inn there later the same year of fever, perhaps plague, and was buried in Calais.

Family

Stapleton married twice, first in 1627 to Frances Hotham (1605–1636), daughter of

Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet Sir John Hotham, 1st Baronet (circa July 1589 – 3 January 1645) of Scorborough Hall, near Driffield, Yorkshire, was an English Member of Parliament who was Governor of Hull in 1642 shortly before the start of the Civil War. He refused to ...

, and wife Katherine Rodes, widow of John Gee,

Esq. Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman a ...

, of Beverley (1606–1627), with issue, by whom he had two sons: * Robert Stapleton of Wighill (1629–1675), unmarried and without issue * John Stapleton of Warter and of Wighill (Warter,

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

East Riding of Yorkshire The East Riding of Yorkshire, or simply East Riding or East Yorkshire, is a ceremonial county and unitary authority area in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and west, South Yorkshire to t ...

, 1630 – 1697/1706), married Elizabeth Mary Lawson (Isel,

Cumberland Cumberland ( ) is a historic county in the far North West England. It covers part of the Lake District as well as the north Pennines and Solway Firth coast. Cumberland had an administrative function from the 12th century until 1974. From 19 ...

, 1635 –

, 1743), daughter of

Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isell Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isel Hall, Cumberland (c. 1610–1688) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679. Life Lawson was born in 1610, the son of William Lawson, and his wife Judi ...

, and wife Jane Musgrave, and had issue: ** Isabella Stapleton, wife of

Sir William Pennington, 1st Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as p ...

of Muncaster, and had issue ** Thomas William Stapleton I (

Salford Salford () is a city and the largest settlement in the City of Salford metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. In 2011, Salford had a population of 103,886. It is also the second and only other city in the metropolitan county afte ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly. The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...

, 1658 – Middlesex County,

Colony of Virginia The Colony of Virginia, chartered in 1606 and settled in 1607, was the first enduring English colonial empire, English colony in North America, following failed attempts at settlement on Newfoundland (island), Newfoundland by Sir Humphrey GilbertG ...

, 6 November 1706),

Medical Doctor A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...

, married Frances Needles (Poole, Yorkshire, 1663 – Colony of Virginia, 18 November 1697), and had issue, the Stapleton of

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

His second wife was Barbara Lennard ( Hurstmonceaux,

Sussex Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...

, 1 April 1604 – ca. 1665), daughter of

Henry Lennard, 12th Baron Dacre Henry Lennard, 12th Baron Dacre (Born Chevening, Kent 25 March 1570 – 8 August 1616) was an English baron and politician. He was the son of Margaret Fiennes, 11th Baroness Dacre and Sampson Lennard. He was Member of Parliament for West L ...

, and wife Chrysogona Baker. Their eight children were: * Katherine Stapleton (Wighill, Yorkshire, 1632 – ?), unmarried and without issue * Philipa Stapleton (York, Yorkshire, 1636 – 16 December 1646, bur.

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

) * Henry Stapleton of Wighill (York, Yorkshire, 1639 – 1723), unmarried and without issue * Elizabeth Stapleton (11 February 1640 – ?), unmarried and without issue * Frances Stapleton (1641 – ?), unmarried and without issue * Isabell Stapleton (York, Yorkshire, 1642 – 16 December 1646) * Philip Stapleton of Wighill (

City of Westminster The City of Westminster is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and London boroughs, borough in Inner London. It is the site of the United Kingdom's Houses of Parliament and much of the British government. It occupies a large area of cent ...

, London, Middlesex, 1645 – Wighill, Yorkshire, 9 November 1729/1734), married Margaret Gage (York, Yorkshire, 1655 – Middlesex, ca. 1743), daughter of

Sir Thomas Gage, 3rd Baronet ''Sir'' is a formal honorific address in English for men, derived from Sire in the High Middle Ages. Both are derived from the old French "Sieur" (Lord), brought to England by the French-speaking Normans, and which now exist in French only as ...

of Firle Place, and wife Ann Cotton, and had issue, the Stapleton of Wighill * Mary Stapleton (York, Yorkshire, ca. 1647 – London, Middlesex, 1704), who married

Thomas FitzWilliam, 4th Viscount FitzWilliam Thomas FitzWilliam, 4th Viscount FitzWilliam (c.1640–1704) was an Irish nobleman and statesman; he was a leading Irish Jacobite, and a political figure of some importance during the Williamite War in Ireland. Background He was the only son ...

(Ireland, ca. 1640 – Ireland, 24 February 1704), who was a rather surprising choice of husband for a child of Sir Philip, as Thomas was an Irish

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

and a staunch

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governme ...

; they had one surviving son.

References

* ''Concise Dictionary of National Biography''
Stapleton genealogy
* Ken and Denise Guest, ''British Battles'' * {{DEFAULTSORT:Stapleton, Philip 1603 births 1647 deaths Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Lords of the Admiralty Military personnel from Yorkshire Eleven Members English MPs 1640 (April) English MPs 1640–1648 Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War