Unton Croke (159328 January 1671) was an English judge 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. ...

in 1628 and 1640. He supported the Parliamentarian 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 ...

. Croke was the son of Sir

John Croke Sir John Croke (1553 – 23 January 1620) was an English judge and politician who served as Speaker of the English House of Commons between October and December 1601. He also served as Recorder of London, and won the City of London constituen ...

Chilton, Buckinghamshire Chilton is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the west of the county, about north of Thame in Oxfordshire. Chilton parish includes the hamlet of Easington (not to be confused with the Oxf ...

, and

Studley, Oxfordshire Horton-cum-Studley is a village and civil parish in Oxfordshire about northeast of the centre of Oxford and bordering Otmoor, and is one of the "Seven Towns" of Otmoor. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 455. A majority of re ...

, who was a judge, recorder of London and

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

, and his wife Catherine, the daughter of Sir

Michael Blount Sir Michael Blount (c. 1530–1610) was a Tudor and Jacobean royal official and politician. Early years Michael was born in Mapledurham House, Oxfordshire, the son of Sir Richard Blount (1505–1564; Lieutenant of the Tower 1558–1564) and his ...

Mapledurham House Mapledurham House is an Elizabethan stately home located in the civil parish of Mapledurham in the English county of Oxfordshire. It is a Grade I listed building, first listed on 24 October 1951. History and architecture The manor of Mapledurham ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

. He was 1st cousin to Sir

James Whitelocke Sir James Whitelocke SL (28 November 1570 – 22 June 1632) was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1622. Early life Whitelocke was the younger of posthumous twin sons of Richard Whitelocke, a Londo ...

. He matriculated at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

on 2 March 1610, and in 1616 he was called to the bar at

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 ...

. In 1625, Croke 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 Wallingford for a year. Croke became a bencher of his Inn on 14 June 1635. He was re-elected for Wallingford in April 1640 for 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 ...

. Croke supported the Parliamentary side in the

although he was not a member of 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 ...

. His house at

Marston, Oxfordshire Marston is a village in the civil parish of Old Marston about northeast of the centre of Oxford, England. It was absorbed within the city boundaries in 1991. It is commonly called Old Marston to distinguish it from the suburb of New Marston tha ...

was used by

Sir Thomas Fairfax Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented command ...

as his headquarters when besieging Oxford in 1645 and 1646. It was also used for the negotiations for the royalist surrender, which was signed there. In 1649, Croke was created B.C.L. at Oxford. He went with

Bulstrode Whitelocke Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke (6 August 1605 – 28 July 1675) was an English lawyer, writer, parliamentarian and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England. Early life He was the eldest son of Sir James Whitelocke and Elizabeth Bulstrode, and was ...

to Sweden in 1654 and was created serjeant-at-law 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 ...

on 21 December 1654. John Owen, dean of Christ Church, recommended Croke for a judgeship in 1655 and he was made commissioner for trials of persons charged with treason in 1656. He was justice of the peace for Marston, Oxfordshire and for a time was deputy of the Earl of Pembroke in the stewardship of the Oxford University. He retired from public life after the Restoration. Croke died at the age of 76 and was buried at the Church of St Nicholas, Marston. Croke married Anne Hore, daughter and heiress of Richard Hore of Marston in

on 8 November 1617. They lived at Marston and had ten children including Sir Richard Croke who was later a member of parliament for Oxford. Another son was

Unton Croke Unton Croke (159328 January 1671) was an English judge and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons in 1628 and 1640. He supported the Roundheads, Parliamentarian cause during the English Civil War. Croke was the so ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Croke, Unton 1593 births 1671 deaths Alumni of the University of Oxford Members of the Inner Temple English barristers Serjeants-at-law (England) 17th-century English judges Roundheads People from Oxfordshire People from Buckinghamshire English MPs 1625 English MPs 1640 (April)