Sir Henry Brooke, 1st Baronet
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Sir Henry Brooke, 1st Baronet (died 1664) was an English soldier and politician.


Biography

Brooke was a great-grandson of Richard Brooke, who purchased Norton Priory from
Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
in 1545. His father was Sir Richard Brooke of Norton (died 10 April 1632) and his mother was Catherine Neville (the daughter of Sir Henry Neville of Billingbear).''Brooke of Norton Priory'', Burke's ''Peerage and Baronetage'', 105th edition, 1970 At the outbreak of the
Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...
, Henry Brooke declared his support for
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
in 1642 by signing the Cheshire Remonstrance. In so doing, he became the only major Parliamentary supporter in the northwest of the Bucklow
Hundred 100 or one hundred (Roman numerals, Roman numeral: C) is the natural number following 99 (number), 99 and preceding 101 (number), 101. In mathematics 100 is the square of 10 (number), 10 (in scientific notation it is written as 102). The standar ...
.Abram, Andrew. The Brookes at Norton Priory, Norton Priory Museum Trust, 1994. In 1643 he was appointed a
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
in the parliamentary army and in 1644 he was made
High Sheriff of Cheshire This is a list of Sheriffs (and after 1 April 1974, High Sheriffs) of Cheshire. The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the The Crown, Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law officer, law enforcement officer in th ...
, a post he held for four years. Ormerod, G. (2nd edition, ed. T. Helsby), ''History of the County Palatine and City of Chester'', 1882. pp. 681–682. By early 1643 most of Brooke's immediate neighbours were powerful
Royalists 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 gover ...
, in particular John Savage, 2nd Earl Rivers of
Rocksavage Rocksavage or Rock Savage was an Elizabethan mansion in Cheshire, England, which served as the primary seat of the Savage family. The house lies in ruins, at in Clifton (now a district of Runcorn). Built in the 1560s for Sir John Savage, Rock ...
and Sir Thomas Aston of Aston. Further afield the Royalist leader of Lancashire was
James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby James Stanley, 7th Earl of Derby (31 January 160715 October 1651) was an English nobleman, politician, and supporter of the Cavalier, Royalist cause in the English Civil War. Before inheriting the title in 1642 he was known as Lord Strange. He ...
. Brooke's house, Norton Priory had been well prepared for an attack. On 28 February 1643, Royalist forces arrived at Norton Priory. Despite being heavily outnumbered, their attack was repelled and the Royalists withdrew to Halton Castle. Norton Priory then provided a base from which to mount a successful attack on
Warrington Warrington () is an industrial town in the Borough of Warrington, borough of the same name in Cheshire, England. The town sits on the banks of the River Mersey and was Historic counties of England, historically part of Lancashire. It is east o ...
in May. The following month Sir Henry's forces besieged Halton Castle which was surrendered after three weeks. Norton Priory was not threatened again during the Civil War. Following the Civil War, Henry purchased the Manor and Castle of Halton. He became
magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judi ...
at
Farnworth Farnworth is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, southeast of Bolton, 4 miles south-west of Bury (7 km), and northwest of Manchester. Within the historic county of Lancashire, Farnworth lies on ...
and was elected as a Member of Parliament for Cheshire. In 1659 he joined others of the
Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...
gentry to support George Booth in restoring the monarchy. He was imprisoned in
Chester Castle Chester Castle is in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is sited at the southwest extremity of the area bounded by the city walls. The castle stands on an eminence overlooking the River Dee. In the castle complex are the remaining par ...
but with the coming of the Restoration he was released and made the 1st Baronet of Norton Priory by Charles II in 1662. Brooke married Mary, the daughter of Timothy Pusey of Selston, Nottingham. He was succeeded by his eldest son, Richard.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brooke, Henry, 1st Baronet 1664 deaths People from Cheshire Baronets in the Baronetage of England
Henry Henry may refer to: People and fictional characters * Henry (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters * Henry (surname) * Henry, a stage name of François-Louis Henry (1786–1855), French baritone Arts and entertainmen ...
Roundheads English MPs 1656–1658 English Presbyterians of the Interregnum (England) High sheriffs of Cheshire 17th-century soldiers English soldiers Year of birth missing