Sir Humphrey Cornewall, baptised 16 July 1616, buried 7 July 1688, was an English landowner from

Herefordshire Herefordshire ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England, bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh ...

and Member of Parliament for

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England; it is located at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of almos ...

from 1661 to 1679. He served in the

Royalist 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 gove ...

army during the

First English Civil War The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. An estimated 15% to 20% of adult males in England and Wales served in the military at some point b ...

, although he later claimed to have done so under compulsion. After the

Stuart Restoration The Stuart Restoration was the reinstatement in May 1660 of the Stuart monarchy in Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland. It replaced the Commonwealth of England, established in January 164 ...

, he was appointed Deputy lieutenant of

in 1662, and became

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

in 1686.

Personal details

He was born in 1616, the eldest son of John Cornewall and Mary Barneby, and was baptised at

Eye, Herefordshire Eye is a small village in the Eye, Moreton and Ashton civil parish of Herefordshire, England, and north from Leominster, north from the city and county town of Hereford, and in the catchment area of the River Lugg. Eye has a small historic c ...

on 14 July 1616.

Career

During the

, he served on the

side under Sir

Henry Lingen Sir Henry Lingen (23 October 1612 – 22 January 1662), Lord of Sutton, Lingen and Stoke Edith, was a Royalist military commander in Herefordshire during the English Civil War, and later a member of parliament. He was the son of Edward Lingen ...

, though he later claimed to have done so only to defend himself and his neighbours from the depredations of cavalier soldiers. Edward Harley attested that Cornewall was forced to participate in an assault on

Stokesay Castle Stokesay Castle is one of the finest surviving fortified manor houses in England, and situated at Stokesay in Shropshire. It was largely built in its present form in the late 13th century by Laurence of Ludlow, on the earlier castle (some of wh ...

and to sit on a royalist

grand jury A grand jury is a jury empowered by law to conduct legal proceedings, investigate potential criminal conduct, and determine whether criminal charges should be brought. A grand jury may subpoena physical evidence or a person to testify. A grand ju ...

. For this support of the cause of

King Charles King Charles may refer to: Kings A number of kings of Albania, Alençon, Anjou, Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, England, France, Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Ireland, Jerusalem, Naples, Navarre, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Scotland, Sicily, S ...

, he was fined £222 () by the victorious Parliamentarians on 1 July 1647. Successfully pleading poverty, he only actually paid £21 16s of this amount. He was also suspected of complicity with George Booth's rising in 1659. The Restoration brought about a marked improvement in Cornewall's fortunes. His name was put forward as a potential

Knight of the Royal Oak The Knights of the Royal Oak was an intended order of chivalry in England. It was proposed in 1660 at the time of the restoration of Charles II of England to be a reward for those Englishmen who had faithfully and actively supported Charles dur ...

. He served as a Justice of the peace in

from 1660 until his death, and commissioner for assessment in that county from 1660 to 1680. He was elected to represent

in the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

of 1661. He was a

major Major most commonly refers to: * Major (rank), a military rank * Academic major, an academic discipline to which an undergraduate student formally commits * People named Major, including given names, surnames, nicknames * Major and minor in musi ...

in the Herefordshire

Militia A militia ( ) is a military or paramilitary force that comprises civilian members, as opposed to a professional standing army of regular, full-time military personnel. Militias may be raised in times of need to support regular troops or se ...

by 1662, in which year he also became Deputy Lieutenant of Herefordshire and a

commissioner for loyal and indigent officers The Commissioners for loyal and indigent officers were a body formed by a 1662 act of the Parliament of England (14 Cha. 2. c. 8) to provide relief to impoverished Royalist officers who had served in the English Civil War. After the English Re ...

. In 1670 he became a member of the Council in the Marches of Wales. He was made a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

in the Admiralty Regiment in 1672, and a commissioner for

recusants Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

in 1675. After leaving parliament in 1679, he concentrated his attention on

, where he had been a

freeman Freeman, free men, Freeman's or Freemans may refer to: Places United States * Freeman, Georgia, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Illinois, an unincorporated community * Freeman, Indiana, an unincorporated community * Freeman, South Dako ...

since 1676. He was an

Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law with similar officials existing in the Netherlands (wethouder) and Belgium (schepen). The term may be titular, denotin ...

from 1685 onwards, and was

from 1686 to 1687.

Private life

He married Theophila Skynner (1622–1718), eldest daughter of William Skynner of

Thornton Abbey Thornton Abbey was a medieval abbey located close to the small North Lincolnshire village of Thornton Curtis, near Ulceby, and directly south of Hull on the other side of the Humber estuary. Its ruins are a Grade I listed building, including ...

. The couple had nine children: * Theophila Cornewall (1644–1731), married on 24 September 1673 Edward Agborough of Ludlow''Shropshire, England, Extracted Church of England Parish Records, 1538-1812'' * Robert Cornewall (1647–1705), soldier and courtier * Cyriac Cornewall (1652–1718), captain in his cousin Henry Cornewall's Regiment of Foot * Humphrey Cornewall * Edward Cornewall, also a captain in Cornewall's Foot *

Wolfran Cornewall Captain Wolfran Cornewall (about 1653 – 21 January 1720) was an officer in the Royal Navy. Origins He was born about 1653, the fifth son of Humphrey Cornewall MP and his wife Theophila Skynner (1622–1718). Career Cornewall began his ca ...

(1658–1720), captain in the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

. His great grandson was

Charles Wolfran Cornwall Charles Wolfran Cornwall (15 June 1735 – 2 January 1789) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1768 to 1789. He was Speaker of the House of Commons from 1780 to 1789. Origins and early life Charles Wolfran Cornwall ...

. * Bridget Cornewall * A daughter Winifrid, who married a Mr Richard Whitney * Caroline Cornewall, married a Mr Roborow Humphrey Cornwall died and was buried at Ludlow on 7 July 1688.

References

1616 births 1688 deaths Mayors of places in Herefordshire Deputy lieutenants of Herefordshire English MPs 1661–1679 Royalist military personnel of the English Civil War {{1661-England-MP-stub