William Sydenham (1615–1661) was a Cromwellian soldier; and the eldest brother of
Thomas Sydenham
Thomas Sydenham (10 September 1624 – 29 December 1689) was an English physician. He was the author of ''Observationes Medicae'' which became a standard textbook of medicine for two centuries so that he became known as 'The English Hippocrate ...
. He fought for Parliament and defeated the
Royalists
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 ...
in various skirmishes in Dorset. He was member of the various parliaments of the Commonwealth, avowal conservative principles, and defended the liberties of Englishmen. In 1654 made councillor and commissioner of the treasury 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 ...
. Took the side of the army against Parliament. In 1660, after
the Protectorate
The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, refers to the period from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659 during which England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and associated territories were joined together in the Com ...
, and before the
Restoration
Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to:
* Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage
** Audio restoration
** Film restoration
** Image restoration
** Textile restoration
* Restoration ecology
...
, he was expelled from 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 ...
. After the Restoration, he was perpetually incapacitated from holding office by the
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 was an Act of the Parliament of England (12 Cha. II c. 11), the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion". This act was a general pardon for everyone who had committe ...
.
Biography
Sydenham was a Cromwellian soldier, baptised 8 April 1615, was the eldest son of William Sydenham of
Wynford Eagle
Wynford Eagle is a hamlet and small parish in Dorset, England, situated approximately southwest of Maiden Newton and northwest of Dorchester. In the 2021 Census the parish population was recorded as 193.
Toponymy
The village was recorded as ' ...
, Dorset, by Mary, daughter of Sir John Jeffrey of Catherston.
Thomas Sydenham
Thomas Sydenham (10 September 1624 – 29 December 1689) was an English physician. He was the author of ''Observationes Medicae'' which became a standard textbook of medicine for two centuries so that he became known as 'The English Hippocrate ...
was his brother. When 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 ...
broke out Sydenham and his three younger brothers took up arms for Parliament, and distinguished themselves by their activity in the local struggle. In April 1644 he had risen to the rank of colonel, and on 17 June 1644
Earl of Essex
Earl of Essex is a title in the Peerage of England which was first created in the 12th century by King Stephen of England. The title has been recreated eight times from its original inception, beginning with a new first Earl upon each new cre ...
appointed him governor of Weymouth. In July Sydenham defeated a plundering party from the garrison of Wareham at Dorchester, and hanged six or eight of his prisoners as being "mere Irish rebels".
This gave rise to equally cruel reprisals on the part of the royalists.
In conjunction with Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, Sydenham captured Wareham on 10 August 1644, and Abbotsbury House. He also defeated Sir
Lewis Dyve
Sir Lewis Dyve (1599–1669) was an English Member of Parliament and a Royalist adherent during the English Civil War. His surname is sometimes also spelt Dive or Dives.
Life
Dyve was born on 3 November 1599.delinquents' lands" (confiscate Royalist lands). On 14 August 1649 he and Colonel Fleetwood were appointed joint governors of the Isle of Wight.
The historian Charles Firth states Sydenham's political importance really begins with the expulsion 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 ...
in 1653. He was a member of the council of thirteen appointed by the officers of the army on 29 April 1653; was summoned to the
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament was the English Parliament after Colonel Thomas Pride commanded soldiers to purge the Long Parliament, on 6 December 1648, of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason.
"Rump" n ...
, and was re-elected by that assembly to the Council of State on 9 July and 1 November 1653. His views, however, were too conservative for him to sympathise with the policy of the Rump Parliament. On 6 February 1649 he had been one of the tellers for the minority in the Long Parliament who wished to retain the House of Lords, so on 10 December 1653 he performed the same duty for the minority of the Rump Parliament who voted for the retention of an established church. Two days later Sydenham took the lead in proposing that the assembly should dissolve itself, and may therefore be considered one of the founders of the protectorate.
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 ...
appointed Sydenham a member of his council, and made him also one of the commissioners of the treasury on 2 August 1654. His salary as councillor was £1,000 a year, and he enjoyed a similar sum as commissioner.
Sydenham sat for Dorset in the parliaments of 1654 and 1656, distinguishing himself during the debates of the latter by his opposition to the exorbitant punishment the house wished to inflict on
James Naylor
James Nayler (or Naylor; 1618–1660) was an English Quaker leader. He was among the members of the Valiant Sixty, a group of early Quaker preachers and missionaries. In 1656, Nayler achieved national notoriety when he re-enacted Christ's Palm ...
. When the Protector's intervention on behalf of Naylor raised a complaint of breach of privilege, Sydenham recalled the house to the real question. "We live as parliament men but for a time, but we live as Englishmen always. I would not have us be so tender of the privilege of parliament as to forget the liberties of Englishmen". He also spoke against anti-quaker legislation, and during the discussion of the petition and advice against the imposition of oaths and engagements. When in December 1657 Sydenham was summoned to Cromwell's House of Lords, a republican pamphlet remarked that, though "he hath not been thorough-paced for tyranny in time of parliaments", it was hoped he might yet be "so redeemed as never to halt or stand off for the future against the Protector's interest".
After the death of Oliver Cromwell Sydenham became one of
Richard Cromwell
Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell.
On his father's death ...
's council ; but in April 1659 he acted with Fleetwood, Desborough, and what was termed the
Wallingford House party
The Wallingford House party was a group of senior officers (Grandees) of the New Model Army who met at Wallingford House, the London home of Charles Fleetwood. Their intention was to overthrow the Protectorate of the Lord Protector, Richard Cromwel ...
to force him to dissolve 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 ...
. According to Ludlow, he was one of the chief agents in the negotiation between the army leaders and the republicans which led to Richard's fall. On the restoration of the Rump Parliament Sydenham became a member of the Committee of Safety on 7 May 1659 and of the
Council of State
A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
just over a week later on 16 May, though he had conscientious scruples against taking the oath required from members of the latter. He was also given the command of a regiment of foot.
When
John Lambert John Lambert may refer to:
*John Lambert (martyr) (died 1538), English Protestant martyred during the reign of Henry VIII
*John Lambert (general) (1619–1684), Parliamentary general in the English Civil War
*John Lambert of Creg Clare (''fl.'' c. ...
turned out the Rump Parliament again, Sydenham took part with the army, and was made a member of their Committee of Safety. Sydenham attempted to justify the violence of the army to the Council of State, "undertaking to prove that they were necessitated to make use of this last remedy by a particular call of divine Providence". When the Rump Parliament was again restored, Sydenham was called to answer for his conduct, and, failing to give a satisfactory explanation, was expelled on 17 January 1660. His regiment also was taken from him and given to John Lenthall, the speaker's son. At the restoration the
Act of Indemnity and Oblivion
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 was an Act of the Parliament of England (12 Cha. II c. 11), the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion". This act was a general pardon for everyone who had committe ...
included him among the eighteen persons perpetually incapacitated from holding any office on 29 August 1660, and he was also obliged to enter into a bond not to disturb the peace of the kingdom. Sydenham died in July 1661.. Cites: Hichines, ii. 703.
Family
In 1637 Sydenham was married to Grace (who died about a week after Sydenham in 1661), daughter of John Trenchard of Warmwell.