Baptist Hicks, 1st Viscount Campden (1551 – 18 October 1629) was an English
cloth merchant
In the Middle Ages or 16th and 17th centuries, a cloth merchant was one who owned or ran a cloth (often wool) manufacturing or wholesale import or export business. A cloth merchant might additionally own a number of draper's shops. Cloth was ex ...
and politician who sat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...
between 1621 and 1628. King James I knighted Hicks in 1603 and in 1620 he was created a
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
.
He was MP for
Tavistock
Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town and civil parish in the West Devon district, in the county of Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy, from which its name derives. At the 2011 census, the three electoral wards (N ...
in the House of Commons of 1621 and for
Tewkesbury
Tewkesbury ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at ...
in the parliaments of 1624, 1625, 1626 and 1628. In 1628, he was elevated to the peerage as Baron Hicks, of
Ilmington
Ilmington is a village and Civil parish#United Kingdom, civil parish about north-west of Shipston-on-Stour and south of Stratford-upon-Avon in the Cotswolds in Warwickshire, England, Warwickshire, England. The population of the civil parish ta ...
in the
County of Warwick
Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire to the south, and Worcest ...
County of Gloucester
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire to the east, Wiltshire to the s ...
, with remainder to his son-in-law, Edward Noel, husband of his daughter Juliana.
Early life
Hicks was the youngest of six sons born to Robert and Juliana Hicks, and the grandson of John Hicks of
Tortworth
Tortworth is a small village and civil parish, near Thornbury in Gloucestershire, England. It has a population of 147 as of 2011. It lies on the B4509 road, which crosses the M5 motorway to the west of Tortworth.
History
In the Domesday Book of ...
. His father died while Baptist was only a child. His mother was a moneylender and he was one of three sons who survived childhood. The others were Clement and Michael Hickes.
Baptist Hicks matriculated at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...
, in 1568 and was admitted to the
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 association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...
in 1573.
Career
Hicks was brought up in his father's business and took over the business from his mother, who died in 1592. He imported rich silks from Italy and other foreign places. Through the influence of his brother
Michael
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* he He ..., a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name
* Michael (bishop elect)">Michael (surname)">he He ..., a given nam ...
he contracted a large amount of business with the
court
A court is an institution, often a government entity, with the authority to adjudicate legal disputes between Party (law), parties and Administration of justice, administer justice in Civil law (common law), civil, Criminal law, criminal, an ...
and amassed a large fortune. Hicks sold "watchet" blue velvet and taffeta for
bed hangings
Bed hangings or bed curtains are fabric panels that surround a bed; they were used from medieval times through to the 19th century. Bed hangings provided privacy when the master or great bed was in a public room, such as the parlor, but also kept i ...
to the
Earl of Northumberland
The title of Earl of Northumberland has been created several times in the Peerage of England and of Great Britain, succeeding the title Earl of Northumbria. Its most famous holders are the House of Percy (''alias'' Perci), who were the most po ...
in 1586, from his shop at the sign of the White Bear. By 1596 he was appointed Mercer to
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
regarding the purchase of fabrics.https://www.chippingcampdenhistory.org.uk/content/history/people-2/sir_baptist_hicks, Sir Baptist Hicks In April 1602 Hicks supplied Elizabeth I with satin used for " maskes and byllements".
Hicks supplied textiles to
James VI of Scotland
James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until ...
Stirling Castle
Stirling Castle, located in Stirling, is one of the largest and most historically and architecturally important castles in Scotland. The castle sits atop an Intrusive rock, intrusive Crag and tail, crag, which forms part of the Stirling Sill ge ...
in 1594. Hicks wrote to James VI on 1 March 1600 hoping for repayment of sums due to him by Robert Jousie, a bankrupted textile merchant working on the king's behalf. He had written twice before to the king, and was disappointed to hear from the Scottish ambassador that he would not be paid from the annuity awarded by Queen Elizabeth. Hicks employed Humphrey Dethick as his factor in Florence buying fabrics, until he left in 1602.
Having made large loans to the Crown and prominent courtiers, he was knighted on 23 July 1603, soon after the accession of James I. Hicks was one of the first citizens who kept a shop (at the White Bear on
Cheapside
Cheapside is a street in the City of London, the historic and modern financial centre of London, England, which forms part of the A40 road, A40 London to Fishguard road. It links St Martin's Le Grand with Poultry, London, Poultry. Near its eas ...
) to continue in trade once knighted. James ordered Hicks to send a variety of fabrics to Scotland for his wife,
Anne of Denmark
Anne of Denmark (; 12 December 1574 – 2 March 1619) was the wife of King James VI and I. She was List of Scottish royal consorts, Queen of Scotland from their marriage on 20 August 1589 and List of English royal consorts, Queen of Engl ...
. Hicks was asked to supply crimson velvet, damask, and satin for the coronation on 25 July. He was paid £3,000, but was left with 1,400 yards of unused fabric. He was in dispute with the
Court of Aldermen
The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the City of London Corporation. It comprises twenty-five Aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor (becoming senior Alderman during his or her year of office). ...
of the
City of London
The City of London, also known as ''the City'', is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county and Districts of England, local government district with City status in the United Kingdom, city status in England. It is the Old town, his ...
because he was unwilling to serve as an alderman; however the king directed that he be excused as a "king's servant".
Hicks supplied King James' court with silks and "rich mercery ware", and supplied velvet to Bess of Hardwick and her son
William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire
William Cavendish, 1st Earl of Devonshire (27 December 1552 – 3 March 1626) was an English nobleman, politician, and courtier.
Early life
William Cavendish was the second son of Sir William Cavendish and Bess of Hardwick. Following his ...
. He was allocated £2000 from the duty on sea coal to remunerate him for fabric supplied to royal wardrobe ordered by the
Earl of Dunbar
The title Earl of Dunbar, also called Earl of Lothian or Earl of March, applied to the head of a comital lordship in south-eastern Scotland between the early 12th century and the early 15th century. The first man to use the title of Earl in this ...
Francis Bacon
Francis Bacon, 1st Viscount St Alban (; 22 January 1561 – 9 April 1626) was an English philosopher and statesman who served as Attorney General and Lord Chancellor of England under King James I. Bacon argued for the importance of nat ...
, for the visit of the
Archbishop of Spalato
The Archdiocese of Split-Makarska (; ) is a Latin Metropolitan archdiocese of the Catholic Church in Croatia and Montenegro.
Hicks was created a
baronet
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
on 1 July 1620 W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Gloucester'' /ref> and began a career in public service. He was appointed one of the Commissioners to inquire into the condition of St. Paul's Cathedral, and was elected as MP for Tavistock in 1620, and for Tewkesbury from 1624 to 1628.
On 5 May 1628 he was ennobled as Baron Hicks of Ilmington in the County of Warwick, and Viscount Campden of Campden.
Estates and philanthropy
Hicks' commercial success enabled him to acquire country estates. He purchased the manor of Campden soon after 1608 and built a large manor house there near the church, around 1612. The property included gardens, a very early example of a garden canal, water gardens and terraces. The house was burned down by Royalists in the Civil War.
He purchased the manor of Exton, Rutland in 1614, where members of the Hicks and Campden family are buried in the parish church. In 1620, he purchased the manor of
Hampstead
Hampstead () is an area in London, England, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, located mainly in the London Borough of Camden, with a small part in the London Borough of Barnet. It borders Highgate and Golders Green to the north, Belsiz ...
.
He founded and endowed an
almshouse
An almshouse (also known as a bede-house, poorhouse, or hospital) is charitable housing provided to people in a particular community, especially during the Middle Ages. They were often built for the poor of a locality, for those who had held ce ...
in 1612 for 12 pensioners in
Chipping Campden
Chipping Campden is a market town in the Cotswold (district), Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. It is notable for its terraced High Street, dating from the 14th to the 17th centuries.
A wool trading centre in the Middle Ages, Chipp ...
; the
Grade I listed
In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
Almshouses on Church Street still remains in use for that purpose. In 1627, he built a market hall at the centre of Chipping Campden as a shelter for the vendors; the Grade I listed building is still in use.
Hicks also built a large mansion in
Kensington
Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
; and paid for a new
sessions house
A sessions house in the United Kingdom was historically a courthouse that served as a dedicated court of quarter sessions, where criminal trials were held four times a year on quarter days. Sessions houses were also used for other purposes to do w ...
for the
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
magistrates in
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell ( ) is an area of central London, England.
Clerkenwell was an Civil Parish#Ancient parishes, ancient parish from the medieval period onwards, and now forms the south-western part of the London Borough of Islington. The St James's C ...
, which was named Hicks Hall in his honour.
He performed many other charitable acts, in his life, giving £100,000 for charity.
Personal life, death, and legacy
Hicks married Elizabeth May on 7 September 1584. She was the daughter of Richard May of London and Sussex, and sister of Sir Humphrey May, Alderman of London. They had three sons, who all died young, and two daughters.
His elder daughter Julianna married Edward, Lord Noel, a daughter of
Andrew Noel Andrew Noel or Nowell (died 1607) was an English landowner and Member of Parliament.
Career
He was a second son of Andrew Noel of Dalby and Brooke and Elizabeth Hopton.
His father left his estates to the younger Andrew, rather than his eldest s ...
Sir Charles Morrison, 1st Baronet
Sir Charles Morrison, 1st Baronet (18 April 1587 – 20 August 1628) (also Moryson) of Cashiobury in Watford, Hertfordshire, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1628.
Origins
Morrison ...
of Cashiobury,
# Sir John Cooper, 1st Baronet,
# Sir Edward Alford.
Hicks died at the age of 78 and is buried under a classical monument in Chipping Campden St James church.
His will left £10,000 for charitable purposes; the funds helped to establish
Campden Charities, a non-profit organization to alleviate poverty in
Kensington
Kensington is an area of London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, around west of Central London.
The district's commercial heart is Kensington High Street, running on an east–west axis. The north-east is taken up by Kensingt ...
.
All that now remains of Sir Baptist Hicks' once imposing estate are a gatehouse and two Jacobean banqueting houses;https://www.cotswolds.info/famouspeople/baptist-hicks.shtml, Baptist Hicks (1551 - 1629) the latter of which were restored by the
Landmark Trust
The Landmark Trust is a British architectural conservation, building conservation charitable organization, charity, founded in 1965 by John Smith (Conservative politician), Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or ...
. Afterwards, Lady Juliana Noel, Sir Baptist's daughter, her husband Edward Noel, 2nd Viscount Campden, and family lived at the converted stables near the site in Calf Lane, now called the Court House.https://britishlistedbuildings.co.uk/101342016-court-house-chipping-campden, Court House Her descendant still lives in that Grade II listed building.