Sir Edmund Fowell, 1st Baronet (1593 – October 1674) of

Fowelscombe Fowelscombe is a historic manor in the parish of UgboroughRisdon, p.179 in Devon, England. The large ancient manor house known as Fowelscombe House survives only as an ivy-covered "romantic ruin" Hoskins, W.G., A New Survey of England: Devon, Lo ...

in the

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or ...

of Ugborough in

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, was 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 o ...

for Ashburton in Devon from 1640 to 1648.

Origins

He was the 3rd son and eventual heir of Arthur Fowell (born 1552) of Fowelscombe, by his wife Maria Reynell, a daughter of Richard Reynell (d.1585) of East OgwellJohn Burke, John Bernard Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies''
/ref> in Devon,

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen'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 ...

in 1585.

Career

He inherited the paternal estates on the death of his elder brother Arthur Fowell (1582-1612), who drowned in an accident at Ford.Vivian, p.370 He was knighted at Greenwich Palace on 3 November 1619. In November 1640 he was elected

for Ashburton 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 Septe ...

. He did not sit in the

Rump Parliament The Rump Parliament was the English Parliament after Colonel Thomas Pride commanded soldiers to purge the Long Parliament, on 6 December 1648, of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason. "R ...

after 1648. He was a member of the parliamentary committee and was a Deputy Lieutenant of Devon. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same 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 polici ...

was president of the Committee for Sequestration. He 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 14t ...

on 30 April 1661.

Marriage and children

He married Margaret Poulett, a daughter of Sir Anthony Poulett (1562–1600) (''alias'' Pawlett, etc.), of Hinton St George in Somerset,

Governor of Jersey Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west France. It is the la ...

and Captain of the Guard to

Queen Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

and a sister 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 ...

(1585–1649). By his wife he had four sons and six daughters including: * Sir John Fowell, 2nd Baronet (1623–1677), of Fowelscombe, eldest son and heir. *Anthony Fowell (1636-1636), second son, died in infancy. *Edmond Fowell (1637-1632) of Penquit, 3 miles east of Fowelscombe, 3rd son, who married Bridget Browne, a daughter of Thomas Browne of East Allington, but died leaving no sons. *Thomas Fowell (1638-1639), 4th son, died in infancy. *Elizabeth Fowell (1622-post 1671), wife of

Richard Cabell Richard Cabell (died 5 July 1677), of Brook Hall, in the parish of Buckfastleigh on the south-eastern edge of Dartmoor, in Devon, is believed to be the inspiration for the wicked Hugo Baskerville, "the first of his family to be hounded to death w ...

(d.1677) of Brook Hall, in the parish of Buckfastleigh, Devon, known to posterity as "Dirty Dick", and believed to be the inspiration for the wicked Hugo Baskerville, "the first of his family to be hounded to death when he hunted an innocent maiden over the moor by night", one of the central characters in Conan Doyle's novel ''

The Hound of the Baskervilles ''The Hound of the Baskervilles'' is the third of the four crime novels by British writer Arthur Conan Doyle featuring the detective Sherlock Holmes. Originally serialised in ''The Strand Magazine'' from August 1901 to April 1902, it is set ...

'' (1901-2),Weller, Philip, ''The Hound Of The Baskervilles - Hunting the Dartmoor Legend'', Devon Books, Halsgrove Publishing, c.2002, quoted i

/ref> the tale of a hellish hound and a cursed country squire. Cabell's tomb survives in the village of

Buckfastleigh Buckfastleigh is a market town and civil parish in Devon, England situated beside the Devon Expressway ( A38) at the edge of the Dartmoor National Park. It is part of Teignbridge and, for ecclesiastical purposes, lies within the Totnes Deane ...

. Conan Doyle's Baskerville Hall is believed to be inspired by one of three Devon mansions: Fowelscombe, Brook Hall and Hayford Hall, also in the parish of

Death

Fowell died in 1674 at the age of 81 and was buried in Ugborough Church.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fowell, Edmund 1593 births 1674 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Ashburton English MPs 1640–1648 English MPs 1656–1658 Baronets in the Baronetage of England