Sir Courtenay Pole, 2nd Baronet
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Sir Courtenay Pole, 2nd Baronet (1619–1695), of Shute,
Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...
, was an English politician, who is best remembered as the sponsor of the
hearth tax A hearth tax was a property tax in certain countries during the medieval and early modern period, levied on each hearth, thus by proxy on wealth. It was calculated based on the number of hearths, or fireplaces, within a municipal area and is con ...
, which earned him the jeering nickname "Sir Chimney Pole".


Background

He was the second son of Sir John Pole, 1st Baronet and his first wife Elizabeth Howe, daughter of Roger Howe of London. He was educated at
Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...
. During the Civil War, the family were divided in their loyalties: Sir John supported the Parliamentary cause, whereas both Courtenay and his elder brother William were
Cavaliers The term ''Cavalier'' () was first used by Roundheads as a term of abuse for the wealthier royalist supporters of Charles I of England and his son Charles II of England, Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum (England), Int ...
. Courtenay was at
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
when the town surrendered to the Parliamentary forces in April 1646, and paid the usual fine imposed on those who fought for the losing side. He spent the next years managing the family estates, his father having gone to live at his second wife's house at
Bromley Bromley is a large town in Greater London, England, within the London Borough of Bromley. It is southeast of Charing Cross, and had an estimated population of 88,000 as of 2023. Originally part of Kent, Bromley became a market town, charte ...
. On his father's death in 1658 (his elder brother having died in 1649) he inherited the family estate at Shute. His father held a large estate in
County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
in Ireland, but in the confusion which followed the
Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...
his son was unable to recover it. He was elected a
Member Member may refer to: * Military jury, referred to as "Members" in military jargon * Element (mathematics), an object that belongs to a mathematical set * In object-oriented programming, a member of a class ** Field (computer science), entries in ...
(MP) of the
Parliament of England The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the Great Council of England, great council of Lords Spi ...
for
Honiton Honiton () is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, Devon, River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 12,154 (based on 2021 census). History The ...
in 1661 and appointed
High Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Kings's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...
for 1681–82.


Hearth tax

He was an extremely active and conscientious Parliamentarian, who sat on numerous committees. His main achievement was the hearth tax of 1662, which he proposed and carried through the House of Commons. The tax, though fairly effective, proved bitterly unpopular, and Pole's reputation suffered accordingly. He was mercilessly ridiculed as "Sir Chimney Pole". Years later in a debate on an entirely separate issue, another MP attacked him as "the author of the most vexatious tax upon the people that ever was known". As a member of the Court party, he thought it better not to contest the 1679 General Election, since the public mood was bitterly hostile to the Government. The hearth tax was brought up again, his enemies jeering that he could hardly expect to find a Parliamentary seat in "any place with chimneys". On the other hand, his services to the Government earned him the lasting goodwill of King Charles II. The King, whose gratitude even to his most faithful servants was not always to be relied on, intervened personally to assist Pole in recovering his Irish lands, writing to
James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde Lieutenant general, Lieutenant-General James FitzThomas Butler, 1st Duke of Ormond, Knight of the Garter, KG, Privy Council of England, PC (19 October 1610 – 21 July 1688), was an Anglo-Irish statesman and soldier, known as Earl of Ormond fr ...
that Pole's "signal services" should be rewarded with "extraordinary kindness". Ormonde proved unhelpful, possibly because of Pole's close ties by marriage with the unpopular Robert Shapcote, former
Attorney General for Ireland The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish and then, from 1801 under the Acts of Union 1800, United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on ...
, whose loyalty to the Crown was suspect: when Shapcote was arrested in 1663, on suspicion of being involved in the abortive attempt to seize Dublin Castle, Pole successfully pleaded for his release. Pole eventually sold the lands at an undervalue.


Last years

His election as High Sheriff of Devon in 1681 was a mark of continued Royal favour. He became
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of
Honiton Honiton () is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, Devon, River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 12,154 (based on 2021 census). History The ...
in 1685 but was removed from office in 1687, due to his doubts about the pro-Catholic policies of James II. He seems to have passively supported 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 ...
, but was too old and infirm to play any further part in politics.


Family

He was buried at Shute on 13 April 1695. He had married Urith, the daughter of Thomas Shapcote, an attorney of
Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...
and cousin of
Robert Shapcote Robert Shapcote, JP (born 1621, died 1689) was an English lawyer from Devon and four times Member of Parliament for Tiverton in 1646–1649, 1654, 1656 and 1660. He sat in the Irish House of Commons for the borough of Wicklow from 1661 to 1665 ...
, and had five children of whom three survived infancy: Sir John Pole, 3rd Baronet, Penelope, who married
Francis Robartes Francis Robartes FRS (c. 1649 – 3 February 1718) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1673 and 1718. Early life Robartes was the fourth son of John Robartes, 1st Earl of Radnor and his second wif ...
, and Jane, who married as his second wife
Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, 2nd Baronet Sir Coplestone Bampfylde, 2nd Bt., DL, JP (ca. 1633 – 9 February 1692) of Poltimore and North Molton and Warleigh, Tamerton Foliot, in Devon, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 168 ...
; after his death, she remarried Edward Gibbons of Devon.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pole, Courtenay 1619 births 1695 deaths Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Honiton Members of Lincoln's Inn English MPs 1661–1679 2 Courtenay High sheriffs of Devon