Sir Charles Gawdy, 1st Baronet (c. 1635 – September 1707) was an English

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

politician.

Early life

Gawdy was the son of Sir Charles Gawdy and Vere Cooke. He travelled to

The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...

in May 1660 with his cousin,

William Gawdy Sir William Gawdy, 1st Baronet (24 September 1612 – 18 August 1669) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1669. William Gawdy was the son of Framlingham Gawdy of West Harling, Norfolk (who had himself been MP f ...

, to pledge loyalty to

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

. He was knighted while in the Netherlands. Following the

Stuart Restoration The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...

, Gawdy 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 ...

, of Crow's Hall in the

Baronetage of England Baronets are hereditary titles awarded by the Crown. The current baronetage of the United Kingdom has replaced the earlier, existing baronetages of England, Nova Scotia, Ireland and Great Britain. To be recognised as a baronet, it is necessary ...

on 20 April 1661, in recognition of his loyalty to Charles II. He was appointed a justice of the peace for

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

in 1660. In October 1675 he presented the Suffolk petition against the

Royal Africa Company The Royal African Company (RAC) was an English trading company established in 1660 by the House of Stuart and City of London merchants to trade along the West African coast. It was overseen by the Duke of York, the brother of Charles II of Engl ...

Political career

In 1678, Gawdy was elected as a Member of Parliament for

Eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...

. He soon emerged as an opponent of the

Earl of Shaftesbury Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II. He had already succeeded his fa ...

, who labelled Gawdy as "vile" and a "

papist The words Popery (adjective Popish) and Papism (adjective Papist, also used to refer to an individual) are mainly historical pejorative words in the English language for Roman Catholicism, once frequently used by Protestants and Eastern Orthodox ...

". During the

Exclusion Crisis The Exclusion Crisis ran from 1679 until 1681 in the reign of King Charles II of England, Scotland and Ireland. Three Exclusion Bills sought to exclude the King's brother and heir presumptive, James, Duke of York, from the thrones of England, ...

, Gawdy voted repeatedly against excluding the

Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of List of English monarchs, English (later List of British monarchs, British) monarchs ...

from the throne. In Suffolk, the local magnate,

Lord Cornwallis Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis (31 December 1738 – 5 October 1805) was a British Army officer, Whigs (British political party), Whig politician and colonial administrator. In the United States and United Kingdom, he is best kn ...

, led moves to oust Gawdy from Parliament, and Gawdy was defeated in the 1679 election. However, Gawdy regained his seat in 1681. Upon the accession of James II in 1685, Gawdy was returned to parliament as a known loyalist of the king. He was appointed to sixteen committees and helped to draw up the loyal address of the Commons to James II during the

Monmouth Rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion in June 1685 was an attempt to depose James II of England, James II, who in February had succeeded his brother Charles II of England, Charles II as king of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and ...

. In September 1688, Jacobite agents reported that Gawdy would probably be elected again in Eye and that he would likely remain loyal to James. After the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

, Gawdy did not stand for re-election and he was removed from the lieutenancy of Suffolk in 1690. His name ceased to appear on the assessment commissions after 1692, when he probably sold his estate.

Marriage and children

On 4 September 1657, Gawdy married Lady Mary Feilding, the second daughter of

George Feilding, 1st Earl of Desmond George may refer to: Names * George (given name) * George (surname) People * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Papagheorghe, also known as Jorge / GEØRGE * George, stage name of Gior ...

. Together, they had one son and two daughters. Gawdy was succeeded in his title by his only son, Framlingham, who is recorded as "not being of sound mind". The baronetcy became extinct upon the second baronet's death in 1720.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gawdy, Charles, 1st Baronet 1630s births Year of birth uncertain 1707 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England English justices of the peace English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687 Tory MPs (pre-1834)