Sir William Cope, 2nd Baronet (1577 Hanwell, Oxfordshire - 2 August 1637) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

at various times between 1604 and 1625.

Family

William Cope was the son of

Sir Anthony Cope, 1st Baronet Sir Anthony Cope, 1st Baronet (c. 1548 – 6 July 1614) of Hanwell in Oxfordshire, was an English Puritan Member of Parliament. Origins Anthony Cope was the second son of Edward Cope (d. 1557) (son of the author Anthony Cope (d. 1551)) by h ...

of Hanwell, Oxfordshire and his first wife Frances Lytton. Cope's grandfather was principal chamberlain Sir Anthony Cope. Cope's great-grandfather was King Henry VII's cofferer William Cope PC. Cope married Elizabeth Chaworth, daughter of Sir George Chaworth of Wiverton, Nottinghamshire at Hanwell on 8 April 1602. They had three children: # Frances Cope # Sir John Cope, 3rd Baronet of Hanwell # Jonathan Cope (1637-1670), owner of Ranton Abbey, father of Jonathan Cope MP for Stafford The family lived at Hanwell Castle. John Cope, 3rd Baronet, married Elizabeth Fane, the daughter of Francis Fane, 1st Earl of Westmoreland, and Mary Mildmay, Countess of Westmoreland.

Career

Cope graduated from Queen's College at the

University of Oxford The University of Oxford is a collegiate university, collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the List of oldest un ...

. In 1614, Cope joined a syndicate led by Lord Treasurer

Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk, (24 August 1561 – 28 May 1626), of Audley End House in the parish of Saffron Walden in Essex, and of Suffolk House near Westminster, a member of the House of Howard, was the second son of Thomas Howard ...

and London alderman Sir William Cockayne, which was involved in selling licenses to export wool. In 1617, Cope proposed the establishment of clothing and manufacturing industries in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. The following year, in 1618, Cope invested in

The Honourable The Irish Society The Honourable The Irish SocietyIn full, the "Society of the Governor and Assistants, London, of the New Plantation in Ulster, within the Realm of Ireland". is a consortium of livery companies of the City of London established during the Plantati ...

. Cope inherited the lease for the Custom House Quay in the City London from his father, and uncle Sir Walter Cope. Cope served as Commissioner of Oyer and Terminer for the Oxford Circuit from 1617 to 1625. He was a Subsidy Commissioner for Oxfordshire during 1621–1622 and again in 1624. In 1634, he was appointed as Commissioner of Sewers for Berkshire and Oxfordshire. He served as a Justice of the Peace for Oxfordshire from 1614 to 1625 and again from 1630 to 1636. Additionally, he held the position of Master of Armory from 1615 to 1628. In 1604, he was elected Member of Parliament for

Banbury Banbury is an historic market town and civil parish on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. The parish had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding ...

. He was re-elected MP for Banbury in 1614. On 8 August 1615 he was admitted to

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 ...

. He was

High Sheriff of Oxfordshire The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. The title of High Sheriff is therefore much older ...

from 1619 to 1620. In 1621 he was elected MP for

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire ( ; abbreviated ''Oxon'') is a ceremonial county in South East England. The county is bordered by Northamptonshire and Warwickshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the east, Berkshire to the south, and Wiltshire and Glouceste ...

and for Banbury. He was elected MP for Oxfordshire in 1624 and again for Banbury in 1625.George E. Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage, Vol. 1'' (1900)
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Titles

He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

by King James I at the

London Charterhouse The London Charterhouse is a historic complex of buildings in Clerkenwell, London, dating to the 14th century. It occupies land to the north of Charterhouse Square, and lies within the London Borough of Islington. It was originally built (and ...

on 11 May 1603. He succeeded to the

baronetcy 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 ...

on the death of his father on 23 July 1615.

Royal Visits to Hanwell

Sir William Cope entertained King James I in 1616 and King Charles I in 1636 at Hanwell Castle.

Death

He died on 2 August 1637 and was buried on 22 August 1637 at St Peter's Church in Hanwell.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cope, William Year of birth missing 1637 deaths People from Banbury English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1625 High sheriffs of Oxfordshire Baronets in the Baronetage of England Alumni of the Queen's College, Oxford