Sir John Spelman (1594 – 24 July 1643) was an English historian and 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 ...

in 1626. He is known for his biography of

Alfred the Great Alfred the Great ( ; – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who both died when Alfr ...

Life

Spelman was the son of

Henry Spelman Sir Henry Spelman (c. 1562 – October 1641) was an English antiquary, noted for his detailed collections of medieval records, in particular of church councils. Life Spelman was born in Congham, Norfolk, the eldest son of Henry Spelman (d. 1 ...

antiquary An antiquarian or antiquary () is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts, archaeological and historic sit ...

. He studied at

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

and at

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

. He entered

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

on 16 February 1608 and later travelled in continental Europe In 1626 he was elected Member of Parliament for

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

. He edited from manuscripts in his father's library. ' (1640), and wrote a ''Life of

'' which was translated into Latin and published in 1678. Whereas his father was a leading expositor of the idea of an "

ancient constitution The ancient constitution of England was a 17th-century political theory about the common law, and the antiquity of the House of Commons, used at the time in particular to oppose the royal prerogative. It was developed initially by Sir Edward Coke, ...

", John Spelman was a theorist of the Royalist cause. He was knighted by

Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland from 27 March 1625 until Execution of Charles I, his execution in 1649. Charles was born ...

in 1641 and served the king actively at Oxford at the beginning of 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 ...

. The House of Commons ordered Spelman to be sent for as a delinquent on 10 December 1642. W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Worcester''
/ref> Spelman died in Brasenose College of the camp disease about 24 July 1643.

Family

Spelman married Anne Townshend, daughter of Sir John Townshend, of Raynham,

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

, and Anne Bacon,. by whom he had a son, Roger Spelman. His brother, Clement Spelman, was Cursitor Baron from 1663 to 1679. His cousin, Ian Van Houten, was known for being a lesser known playwright in the 17th century.

Works

*1642: ''Certain considerations upon the duties both of prince and people written by a gentleman of quality, a well-wisher both to the King and Parliament''. Oxford: Printed by Leonard Lichfield, 1642 (Anonymous; attributed to Spelman)
Excerpt
*1642: ''A Protestants account of his orthodox holding in matters of religion, at the present indifference in the Church''. Printed by Roger Daniel, printer to the Universitie of Cambridge. 1642. And are to be sold by John Milleson (This has been attributed both to John and Henry Spelman the elder; the latter's authorship is now thought more likely. Wing (ed 2) S4939; Ann Arbor, Mich.: UMI, 1999- (Early English books online)) *1644: ''Case of our affaires in law, religion, and other circumstances examined and presented to the conscience''. xford Printed y Henry Hall? in the yeare, 1643 .e. 1644 *1678: ''Aelfredi Magni, Anglorum regis invictissimi vita tribus libris comprehensa''. Oxonii: E Theatro Sheldoniano, Anno Dom. MDC.LXXVIII. Thomas Hearne, responsible for the first edition in the original English, in 1709, identified the translator as

Christopher Wase Christopher Wase (162729 August 1690) was an English scholar, author, translator, and educator, who was the Architypographus of Oxford University Press for several years. Life The son of John Wase of London, he was born in Hackney. He was educ ...

(cf. Madan).

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Spelman, John 1594 births 1643 deaths Cavaliers English MPs 1626 17th-century English male writers 17th-century English historians Politicians from Worcestershire Knights Bachelor