Edmund Colthurst (c. 1545 – 1616) was a wealthy English landowner who inherited the former monastic estates of

Hinton Priory Hinton Priory was a Carthusian monastery in northeast Somerset, England, from 1232 until 1539. History The priory was one of the ten medieval Carthusian houses ( charterhouses) in England. It was first established at Hatherop, Gloucestershir ...

and

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, it was reorganised in the 10th ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

, following the death of his father in 1559. He was the son of

Matthew Colthurst Matthew Colthurst (by 1517 – 8 July 1559), of Wardour Castle, Wiltshire and Claverton, Somerset, was an English politician during the reigns of Henry VIII and Edward VI. Early life Matthew was the son of Henry Colthurst of Edisford, near Clit ...

and Anne Grimston. He married Elinor de la Rivere (d. 1586), daughter of Thomas de la Rivere, with whom he had eight children. In 1572 he donated Bath Abbey church to the city authorities, but retained the rest of the former priory precinct for his own use. He sold Hinton Priory in 1578. By c. 1600, Colthurst had become a

colonist A settler is a person who has migrated to an area and established a permanent residence there, often to colonize the area. A settler who migrates to an area previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited may be described as a pioneer. Settle ...

on the

Munster Plantation Plantations in 16th- and 17th-century Ireland involved the confiscation of Irish-owned land by the English Crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from Great Britain. The Crown saw the plantations as a means of controlling, angl ...

, where he is recorded as ‘farmer of the castle and manor of Lysfynny’ (Lisfinny Castle), near

Tallow Tallow is a rendering (industrial), rendered form of beef or mutton fat, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton fat. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain techn ...

. Lisfinny Castle is a

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...

that formed part of an estate that

Sir Walter Raleigh Sir Walter Raleigh (; – 29 October 1618) was an English statesman, soldier, writer and explorer. One of the most notable figures of the Elizabethan era, he played a leading part in English colonisation of North America, suppressed rebellion ...

granted to Edmund's brother Andrew in return for his support during the

Second Desmond Rebellion The Second Desmond Rebellion (1579–1583) was the more widespread and bloody of the two Desmond Rebellions in Ireland launched by the FitzGerald Dynasty of Desmond in Munster against English rule. The second rebellion began in July 1579 when ...

of the 1580s; his brother Thomas was leased a similar property known as Shean Castle. Edmund Colthurst stated that he had defended Lisfinny Castle from attack, presumably during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

of the 1590s. In 1602, Colthurst proposed creating an artificial watercourse, known as the New River, to supply drinking water to

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 ...

and obtained a charter from King

James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...

to construct it in 1604. After surveying the route and digging the first two-mile long stretch, Colthurst encountered financial difficulties. Some funding was proposed by an Act of Parliament in 1606 but ultimately it fell to Colthurst's partner, Sir

Hugh Myddelton Sir Hugh Myddelton (or Middleton), 1st Baronet (1560 – 10 December 1631) was a Welsh clothmaker, entrepreneur, mine-owner, goldsmith, banker and self-taught engineer. The spelling of his name is inconsistently reproduced, but Myddelton appear ...

, to complete the work between 1609 and its official opening on 29 September 1613. Colthurst sold his remaining Bath property to John Hall of Bradford-on-Avon in 1612 and died four years later.http://www.salhs.org.uk/folders/Newriver/Newriver.pdf Colthurst is commemorated in the names of Colthurst Gardens in

Hoddesdon Hoddesdon () is a town in the Borough of Broxbourne, Hertfordshire, lying entirely within the London Metropolitan Area and Greater London Urban Area. The area is on the River Lea and the Lee Navigation along with the New River. Hoddesdon is ...

, Colthurst Drive in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

, and Colthurst Crescent in

Finsbury Park Finsbury Park is a public park in the London neighbourhood of Harringay. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal Borough of Hornsey. It was one of the first of the great London parks ...

, all close to the route of the New River.

References

16th-century English people People from Somerset 1527 births Year of death uncertain

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name or surname in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and ...

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