Edmund Colthurst (c. 1545 – 1616Newriver
salhs.org.uk) 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 (Charterhouse (monastery), charterhouses) in England. It was first established at ...

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 Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

, following the death of his father in 1559. He was the son of Matthew Colthurst 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 or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among the first settli ...

on the

Munster Plantation Plantation (settlement or colony), Plantations in 16th- and 17th-century Ireland () involved the confiscation of Irish-owned land by the Kingdom of England, English The Crown, Crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from Great Br ...

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

Tallow Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton suet, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton suet. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, inc ...

. 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, to command and defend strategic points ...

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 rebellio ...

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 County Desmond, Desmond in Munster against English rule. The second rebellion began in ...

of the 1580s; his brother Thomas 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 was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

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

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, 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 Bradford-on-Avon (sometimes Bradford on Avon) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in west Wiltshire (district), Wiltshire, England, near the border with Somerset. The town's canal, historic buildings, shops, pubs and restauran ...

in 1612The Barton of Bath
historyofbath.org and died four years later. 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 ...

, Colthurst Drive in

Edmonton Edmonton is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Alberta. It is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Central Alberta ...

, and Colthurst Crescent in

Finsbury Park Finsbury Park is a public park in Harringay, north London, England. The park lies on the southern-most edge of the London Borough of Haringey. It is in the area formerly covered by the historic parish of Hornsey, succeeded by the Municipal ...

, all close to the route of the New River.

References

16th-century English landowners People from Somerset 1540s births Year of death uncertain

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name 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 nobles *Ed ...

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