Sir William Constantine (1612–1670) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

from 1640 to 1643. He supported the

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side in the

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Constantine was of an ancient and respectable family of

Poole, Dorset Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council ...

. He was educated at the

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, of which he was chosen reader. He settled at Merly, about five miles from Poole and was admitted a burgess of Poole on 16 September 1631. He was appointed

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of the borough on 10 December 1639. John Sydenham ''The history of the town and county of Poole''"> John Sydenham ''The history of the town and county of Poole''
/ref> In April 1640, Constantine was elected

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for

Poole Poole () is a large coastal town and seaport in Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Counc ...

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 ...

. He was re-elected in November 1640 for the

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but was disabled in September 1643 for his support of the king. Constantine was charged with intending to deliver the town of Poole to the king and was discharged from the recordership of Poole. His estate was sequestered by the house and he was sent to London for imprisonment in the King's Bench prison. After the Restoration, Constantine was restored to his position as recorder on 26 July 1660. He stood for parliament at Poole in 1661 for the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of C ...

where he was the choice of resident freemen but they were outvoted by no-resident voters.Basil Duke Henning ''The House of Commons, 1660-1690, Volume 1''
/ref> He was displaced from his position as recorder by the commissioners under the corporation act on 17 October 1662. Constantine was knighted in 1668 and died two years later at the age of 58.

References

, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Constantine, William 1612 births 1670 deaths English MPs 1640 (April) English MPs 1640–1648