John Ashburnham (1603 – 15 June 1671) was an English courtier, diplomat and politician who sat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the 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 parliament. ...
at various times between 1640 and 1667. He supported the
Royalist
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 ...
cause in 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 ...
and was an attendant on the King.
Background
Ashburnham was the eldest son of Sir John Ashburnham by
Elizabeth
Elizabeth or Elisabeth may refer to:
People
* Elizabeth (given name), a female given name (including people with that name)
* Elizabeth (biblical figure), mother of John the Baptist
Ships
* HMS ''Elizabeth'', several ships
* ''Elisabeth'' (sch ...
, daughter of Sir Thomas Beaumont. His father was a wastrel and died in 1620, but his mother was related to Lady Villiers, mother of
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham
George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, 28 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and possibly also a lover of King James I of England. Buckingham remained at the ...
. Under Buckingham's patronage Ashburnham became well known to the king
Charles I Charles I may refer to:
Kings and emperors
* Charlemagne (742–814), numbered Charles I in the lists of Holy Roman Emperors and French kings
* Charles I of Anjou (1226–1285), also king of Albania, Jerusalem, Naples and Sicily
* Charles I of ...
, who styled him "Jack Ashburnham" in his letters. In 1628 Ashburnham became
groom of the bedchamber.
Ashburnham became wealthy and lent money to the king: in 1638 the Star-chamber fine on
Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet
Sir Walter Long, 1st Baronet of Whaddon (1592 – 15 November 1672) was an English politician.
Early life
The second son of Henry Long (1564–1612) and Rebecca Bailey, Long was educated at Lincoln's Inn. He had inherited no land at his fathe ...
and his brother, was assigned to Ashburnham. The next year a warrant under the privy seal enabled him to regain his ancestral estate of
Ashburnham. He sat as a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
in 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 1640. As a partisan of the king, he began to absent himself, and he was proceeded against for contempt (6 May 1642). The king wrote a letter to the Commons in his justification but the house maintained its prior right to the obedience of its member. Ashburnham was 'discharged and disabled' (5 February 1643), and his estate was sequestrated (14 September).
[
]
Civil War
Ashburnham was a faithful adherent and attendant to Charles I in the First English Civil War
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo ...
, and became the treasurer and paymaster of the king's army. His name occurs in seven negotiations for peace. He was one of the commissioners at the Treaty of Uxbridge
The Treaty of Uxbridge was a significant but abortive negotiation in early 1645 to try to end the First English Civil War.
Background
Parliament drew up 27 articles in November 1644 and presented them to Charles I of England at Oxford. Much inpu ...
(1644), and one of the four appointed to lay the king's proposals before parliament (December 1645). When Thomas Fairfax
Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron (17 January 161212 November 1671), also known as Sir Thomas Fairfax, was an English politician, general and Parliamentary commander-in-chief during the English Civil War. An adept and talented command ...
prepared to besiege Oxford, and Charles determined upon flight, Ashburnham and Michael Hudson were the sole attendants to the king in his journey
His or HIS may refer to:
Computing
* Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company
* Honeywell Information Systems
* Hybrid intelligent system
* Microsoft Host Integration Server
Education
* Hangzhou International School, i ...
from Oxford to the Scottish camp outside Newark-on-Trent
Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...
. Hudson was released, and Ashburnham was positively commanded by the king to flee before confirmation of the order to send him up to London as a delinquent
Delinquent or delinquents may refer to:
* A person who commits a felony
* A juvenile delinquent, often shortened as delinquent is a young person (under 18) who fails to do that which is required by law; see juvenile delinquency
* A person who fai ...
could be received. He made his way safely to Holland, and thence to Queen Henrietta Maria
Henrietta Maria (french: link=no, Henriette Marie; 25 November 1609 – 10 September 1669) was Queen of England, Scotland, and Ireland from her marriage to King Charles I on 13 June 1625 until Charles was executed on 30 January 1649. She wa ...
at Paris.[
In 1647 the army had the king in custody at ]Holmby
Holdenby House is a historic country house in Northamptonshire, traditionally pronounced, and sometimes spelt, Holmby. The house is situated in the parish of Holdenby, six miles (10 km) northwest of Northampton and close to Althorp. It is a ...
, and allowed him his choice of servants. Ashburnham resumed his attendance on his master at Hampton Court
Hampton Court Palace is a Grade I listed royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, southwest and upstream of central London on the River Thames. The building of the palace began in 1514 for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the chief ...
, where Charles was in constant fear of assassination. At Ashburnham's suggestion he made proposals to the Scottish commissioners for his sudden journey to London and personal treaty with the parliament. But the arrangement fell through. Charles was then impatient to be gone, commanded Ashburnham and his other confidants, Sir John Berkeley and William Legge, to propose some place for him to go to. Ashburnham mentioned Sir John Oglander
Sir John Oglander (12 May 1585 – 28 November 1655) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons from 1625 to 1629. He is now remembered as a diarist.
Life
Oglander was born at Nunwell House on the ...
's house in the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
as a place where the king might be concealed. The plan was to sound out the governor of the island, Colonel Robert Hammond. If Hammond were not to be trusted, the fugitive Charles could secretly take ship for France. In the end Berkeley revealed the hiding-place to Hammond; Charles refused the desperate offer of Ashburnham to kill Hammond, and again became virtually a prisoner.
Commonwealth period
Subsequently, the Commonwealth
A commonwealth is a traditional English term for a political community founded for the common good. Historically, it has been synonymous with "republic". The noun "commonwealth", meaning "public welfare, general good or advantage", dates from the ...
authorities detained Ashburnham in the Tower of London
The Tower of London, officially His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, which is separa ...
and three times banished him to the Channel Islands
The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
.[ Ashburnham was parted from his master Charles by order of the parliament, 1 January 1648, was imprisoned in ]Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a royal residence at Windsor in the English county of Berkshire. It is strongly associated with the English and succeeding British royal family, and embodies almost a millennium of architectural history.
The original cast ...
(May), and when the Second English Civil War
The Second English Civil War took place between February to August 1648 in Kingdom of England, England and Wales. It forms part of the series of conflicts known collectively as the 1639-1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms, which include the 1641� ...
broke out was exchanged for Sir William Masham. He was not allowed to attend the king during the Treaty of Newport
The Treaty of Newport was a failed treaty between Parliament and King Charles I of England, intended to bring an end to the hostilities of the English Civil War. Negotiations were conducted between 15 September 1648 and 27 November 1648, at Newpo ...
(August), and was included among the delinquents who were to expect no pardon (13 October). He was constantly harassed. He had acquired an estate by his second marriage with the Dowager Lady Poulett (1649) (Widow of John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett
John Poulett, 1st Baron Poulett (1585 – 20 March 1649), of Hinton St George, Somerset, was an English sailor and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1610 and 1621 and was later raised to the peerage.
Origins
Poulett was the s ...
), and Charles II gave him permission to stay in England to preserve it. Royalists, however, suspected his fidelity, and (March 1650) in a memorial to the king asked whether they might trust him. He was sued for debts contracted for the late Charles I. He was forced to compound for one half of his estate, was bound in heavy securities to appear, when required, before 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 ...
, and his private journeys were licensed by a pass from the council. For three years he was asked by committees to discover who had lent the king money during the wars. His three banishments to Guernsey Castle were for sending money to the king.[
]
1660 Restoration
After 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
...
Ashburnham served Charles II as a diplomat;[ and he was ]Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
for Sussex
Sussex (), from the Old English (), is a historic county in South East England that was formerly an independent medieval Anglo-Saxon kingdom. It is bounded to the west by Hampshire, north by Surrey, northeast by Kent, south by the English ...
between 1661 and 1667 in 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 ...
. In September 1661, he was the head of a commission to inquire into the abuses in the post office. His house at Chiswick
Chiswick ( ) is a district of west London, England. It contains Hogarth's House, the former residence of the 18th-century English artist William Hogarth; Chiswick House, a neo-Palladian villa regarded as one of the finest in England; and Full ...
, with its contents, was purchased by the king for the Duke of Monmouth
Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...
, of whom (January 1665) he was made one of the guardians. His loans to Charles I were paid by grants of crown leases. He and his brother William Ashburnham shared in an enterprise for reviving the manufacture of tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...
at the Mortlake Tapestry Works
The Mortlake Tapestry Works was established alongside the River Thames at Mortlake, then outside, but now on the edge of west London, in 1619 by Sir Francis Crane. It produced lighter, if vastly more expensive, decoration for rooms than the pre ...
(March and April 1667).
His large memorial tomb by Thomas Burman
Thomas Burman (1618–1674) was a 17th century English sculptor based in London.
Life
Born in London in 1618 of Jewish parentage he was indentured as a bound apprentice to mason and sculptor Edward Marshall in 1633. He began working indep ...
stands in St Peter's Church in Ashburnham, East Sussex.
Family
Ashburnham's daughter Elizabeth married Sir Hugh Smith, 1st Baronet
Sir Hugh Smith, 1st Baronet (21 April 1632 – 26 July 1680) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660 and 1679.
Smith was the son of Thomas Smith of Long Ashton, Somerset and his wife Florence Poulett, daughter of John ...
of Long Ashton
Long Ashton is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England. It falls within the unitary authority of North Somerset and is one of a number of large villages just outside the boundary of city of Bristol urban area. The parish has a population ...
. His grandson John was ennobled as Baron Ashburnham in 1689, and his great-grandson as Earl of Ashburnham
Earl of Ashburnham (pronounced "Ash-''burn''-am"), of Ashburnham in the County of Sussex, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain created in 1730 for John Ashburnham, 3rd Baron Ashburnham, who was also created Viscount St Asaph, in Wales.
...
, a title that became extinct in 1924.[
]
Notes
References
*
*
*
Attribution:
*
External links
''A Narrative by John Ashburnham of his Attendance on King Charles the First from Oxford to the Scotch Army, and from Hampton Court to Isle of Wight''
John Ashburnham, George Ashburnham, Vol. II, Payne and Foss, Paternoster Row, London, 1830
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashburnham, John
1603 births
1671 deaths
Cavaliers
English MPs 1628–1629
English MPs 1640–1648
English MPs 1661–1679
17th-century English diplomats
Prisoners in the Tower of London
People from Ashburnham, East Sussex