
Sir Edward Hungerford (1596–1648) of
Corsham
Corsham is a historic market town and civil parish in west Wiltshire, England. It is at the south-eastern edge of the Cotswolds, just off the A4 national route, southwest of Swindon, southeast of Bristol, northeast of Bath and southwest of ...
, Wiltshire and of
Farleigh Castle
Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir ...
in Wiltshire (now Somerset), Member of Parliament, was a Parliamentarian commander during the English
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 polic ...
. He occupied and plundered
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
in 1643, and took
Wardour and Farleigh castles.
[ The Internet Archive: Lee, Sidney (1903), ]Dictionary of National Biography
The ''Dictionary of National Biography'' (''DNB'') is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published since 1885. The updated ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'' (''ODNB'') was published on 23 September ...
br>Index and Epitome
p.661
(also main DNB xxviii 254)
Origins
Hungerford was the eldest son of Sir
Anthony Hungerford (1564–1627) of Black Bourton, by his first wife Lucy Hungerford, a daughter of Sir
Walter Hungerford (died c. 1596) of
Farleigh Castle
Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir ...
.
Career
In 1614 he was elected Member of Parliament for
Wootton Bassett in the
Addled Parliament. He was elected as M.P. for
Chippenham
Chippenham is a market town in northwest Wiltshire, England. It lies northeast of Bath, west of London, and is near the Cotswolds Area of Natural Beauty. The town was established on a crossing of the River Avon and some form of settlement is ...
in 1621 and for
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershir ...
in 1624. He was a
Deputy Lieutenant for Wiltshire in 1624. In 1625 he was created a
Knight of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...
. He was elected MP for
Cricklade in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles I decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. He was
Sheriff of Wiltshire in 1631.
In April 1640, Hungerford was elected MP for Chippenham in the
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on the 20th of February 1640 and sat from 13th of April to the 5th of May 1640. It was so called because of its short life of only three weeks.
Af ...
. He was re-elected MP for Chippenham for 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 Septem ...
in November 1640. At the outbreak of 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 polic ...
he took the side of Parliament, and on 11 July 1642 was sent to execute the
militia ordinance
The Militia Ordinance was passed by the Parliament of England on 15 March 1642. By claiming the right to appoint military commanders without the king's approval, it was a significant step in events leading to the outbreak of the First English Ci ...
in Wiltshire. He was excluded from pardon in the king's declaration of grace to the inhabitants of Wiltshire of 2 November 1642, and having been put in command of the Wiltshire forces, made
Devizes
Devizes is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-century civil war between St ...
his headquarters.
In December 1642 he attacked
Lord Cottington at
Fonthill, threatening to bring his troops into Fonthill House, where Lord Cottington lay sick, unless he paid £1,000 to Parliament. Against such treatment Lord Cottington appealed to Parliament, and the Speaker desired Sir Edward to desist.
In January 1643 Hungerford had a violent quarrel with Sir
Edward Baynton Edward Bayntun may refer to:
* Edward Bayntun (1480–1544), English courtier
* Edward Bayntun (died 1593) (1517–1593), English MP
* Sir Edward Bayntun (died 1657), (1593–1657), English MP
* Sir Edward Bayntun (died 1679), (1618–1679), Englis ...
, the parliamentarian governor of
Malmesbury
Malmesbury () is a town and civil parish in north Wiltshire, England, which lies approximately west of Swindon, northeast of Bristol, and north of Chippenham. The older part of the town is on a hilltop which is almost surrounded by the u ...
, each accusing the other of intended treachery. In February 1643 he occupied and plundered the city of
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
, but finding himself unsupported by the county, evacuated Devizes and retired to the city of
Bath
Bath may refer to:
* Bathing, immersion in a fluid
** Bathtub, a large open container for water, in which a person may wash their body
** Public bathing, a public place where people bathe
* Thermae, ancient Roman public bathing facilities
Plac ...
. When
Waller recaptured Malmesbury for Parliament (22 March 1643) he appointed Hungerford governor, but while Hungerford was still at Bath seeking supplies, Malmesbury was abandoned by the officer whom he had nominated to represent him. Hungerford published a 'Vindication' of his conduct, dated at Bath 28 April 1643 (published at London, 6 May 1643).
After taking part with Sir
William Waller
Sir William Waller JP (c. 159719 September 1668) was an English soldier and politician, who commanded Parliamentarian armies during the First English Civil War, before relinquishing his commission under the 1645 Self-denying Ordinance.
...
in the
Battle of Lansdowne
The First English Civil War battle of Lansdowne, or Lansdown, was fought on 5 July 1643, at Lansdowne Hill, near Bath, Somerset, England. Although the Royalists under Lord Hopton forced the Parliamentarians under Sir William Waller to ...
and
Battle of Roundway Down
The Battle of Roundway Down was fought on 13 July 1643 near Devizes, in Wiltshire during the First English Civil War. Despite being outnumbered and exhausted after riding overnight from Oxford, a Royalist cavalry force under Lord Wilmot won ...
, Hungerford besieged Lady Arundel in
Wardour Castle
Wardour Castle is a ruined 14th-century castle at Wardour, on the boundaries of the civil parishes of Tisbury and Donhead St Andrew in the English county of Wiltshire, about west of Salisbury. The castle was built in the 1390s, came into the ...
, Wiltshire (2–8 May 1643). He treated the lady with little grace, carrying her with scant ceremony to
Hatch and thence to
Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...
, and keeping her all the while "without a bed to lie on".
[
Subsequently, Hungerford attacked ]Farleigh Castle
Farleigh Hungerford Castle, sometimes called Farleigh Castle or Farley Castle, is a medieval castle in Farleigh Hungerford, Somerset, England. The castle was built in two phases: the inner court was constructed between 1377 and 1383 by Sir ...
, which was garrisoned for the king and under the command of Colonel John Hungerford, said to have been Sir Edward's half-brother. The castle surrendered to Sir Edward in September 1645. He had a reversionary right to the property under the will of Sir Edward Hungerford (died 1607), his maternal uncle, but the testator's widow had a life-interest, and remained there until 1653.[
]
Marriage
In 1620 he married Margaret Holliday (d. 1672), a daughter and coheiress of William Holliday, an Alderman of the City of London
The Court of Aldermen forms part of the senior governance of the City of London Corporation. It comprises twenty-five aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor (becoming senior alderman during his year of office). The Cou ...
. The marriage was childless. She survived him until 1672, when she was also buried at Farleigh.[ She was the sister of Anne Holliday, wife of Sir Henry Mildmay of ]Wanstead
Wanstead () is a town in East London, England, in the London Borough of Redbridge. It borders South Woodford to the north, Redbridge, London, Redbridge to the east and Forest Gate to the south, with Leytonstone and Walthamstow to the west. It is ...
, Essex, Master of the Jewel Office
The Master of the Jewel Office was a position in the Royal Households of England, the Kingdom of Great Britain and the United Kingdom. The office holder was responsible for running the Jewel House
The Jewel House is a vault housing the British C ...
from 1620 to 1649.
Death and burial
Hungerford died in 1648 and was buried in St Anne's Chapel, the north transept chapel of St Leonard's Chapel within the walls of Farleigh Castle. His magnificent tomb chest, with effigies of himself and his wife, survives.
Succession
His will was proved on 26 October 1648. In 1653 his widow Margaret petitioned the Council of State
A Council of State is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head o ...
to pay her £500, a small part of the sum borrowed from her husband by Parliament. Parliament had ordered repayment in 1649. Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...
appears to have interested himself in her case.[ cites: Carlyle, ''Cromwell'', iii. 210.] Sir Edward's reversionary interest in the Farleigh estates passed to his royalist half-brother Anthony Hungerford (d. 1657).[
]
Notes
References
*
*
;Attribution
*
*
**notes supplied by C. H. Firth
Sir Charles Harding Firth (16 March 1857 – 19 February 1936) was a British historian. He was one of the founders of the Historical Association in 1906.
Career
Born in Sheffield, Firth was educated at Clifton College and at Balliol College, ...
;
**Le Neve's Pedigrees of Knights (Harl. Soc.);
**Visitation of Oxfordshire, 1634 (Harl. Soc.);
**Hoare's Hungerfordiana, 1823;
**Carlyle's ''Cromwell'';
**Collinson's Somerset;
**Bibliotheca Gloucestrensis, p. 196.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hungerford, Edward
1596 births
1648 deaths
Deputy Lieutenants of Wiltshire
High Sheriffs of Wiltshire
Edward (Roundhead)
English MPs 1614
English MPs 1621–1622
English MPs 1624–1625
English MPs 1628–1629
English MPs 1640 (April)
English MPs 1640–1648
Members of Parliament for Cricklade
Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Wiltshire
Parliamentarian military personnel of the English Civil War