Sir Edward Bullock of Faulkbourne (c.1580–1644) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

landowner who was knighted by

King James I James VI and I (James Charles Stuart; 19 June 1566 – 27 March 1625) was King of Scotland as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the Scottish and English crowns on 24 March 1603 until hi ...

. He was a prominent member of the

Bullock family The Bullock family traces its roots to the 12th century, living primarily in the southern English counties of Berkshire and Essex from the mid- Norman period to the late Victorian era. Origins of the name The name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon ...

and the owner of Faulkbourne Hall in

Essex Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...

.Bullock, Llewellyn C W, ''Memoirs of the Bullock Family'', A J Lawrence 1905Bullock, Osmund, ''Faulkbourne and the Bullocks'', 2005

Life

Born about 1580, he was the elder son of Edward Bullock of Wigborough and Loftes in

Great Totham Great Totham is a village and civil parish in Maldon district, Essex, England, and midway between Chelmsford and Colchester. The village includes the Island of Osea in the Blackwater estuary and is separated into two parts, north and south. The ...

and Joan Collen of

High Laver High Laver is a village and civil parish in the Epping Forest district of the county of Essex, England. The parish is noted for its association with the philosopher John Locke. History High Laver is historically a rural agricultural parish, pre ...

, Essex. In 1602, Bullock obtained from

William Camden William Camden (2 May 1551 – 9 November 1623) was an English antiquarian, historian, topographer, and herald, best known as author of ''Britannia'', the first chorographical survey of the islands of Great Britain and Ireland, and the ''Ann ...

, the

Clarenceux King of Arms Clarenceux King of Arms, historically often spelled Clarencieux (both pronounced ), is an officer of arms at the College of Arms in London. Clarenceux is the senior of the two provincial kings of arms and his jurisdiction is that part of Engl ...

, a "confirmation" of the arms of the Bullocks of Aborfield with due difference to mark his descent from a younger son. On 3 July 1609 he was knighted by

Richmond Palace Richmond Palace was a royal residence on the River Thames in England which stood in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Situated in what was then rural Surrey, it lay upstream and on the opposite bank from the Palace of Westminster, which ...

. From 1613 to 1618, he was Captain of Militia for the Maldon Hundred. In the early days of the reign of King Charles I, he was appointed a Forced "Loan" Collector for the

County of Norfolk Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the North ...

whilst living in Pentney (c. 1622-1631). His accounts, which were returned on 12 June 1627, show that as a result of his commission he paid the sum of £1,200 into the Royal Exchequer. The deeply unpopular loans hastened the rupture between the King and

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

. In 1630, Bullock sought to take land from his neighbours in Norfolk by force and, after his prosecution in 1633 before the

Star Chamber The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an Kingdom of England, English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Council of England, Privy Counsellors ...

, he was imprisoned in London. He was free by 1635 and trying to live in London - perhaps in Clerkenwell where his widow lived after his death - when he became one of the many "divers Persons of Quality" prosecuted in the Star Chamber for "residing in Town contrary to the King’s Proclamation", having ignored the King's decree of 1632 to leave London and return to their country estates and local governmental duties. The intention of the proclamation was to ensure that the nobility and gentry executed their local responsibilities. The unpopularity of the directive can be judged by the number of individuals who applied for "special dispensation licences" and the prosecutions in the Star Chamber for non-compliance.

Faulkbourne

Bullock resided at Loftes for much of his life until 1637, when he purchased the manor and estate of

Faulkbourne Faulkbourne is a small settlement and civil parish in the Braintree district of Essex, England, about 2 miles (3 km) northwest of Witham. The population at the 2011 Census was included in the civil parish of Fairstead. The name of the vill ...

. From 1637 to 1897, Faulkbourne Hall was the

family seat A family seat or sometimes just called seat is the principal residence of the landed gentry and aristocracy. The residence usually denotes the social, economic, political, or historic connection of the family within a given area. Some families ...

English Civil War and death

As the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians ("Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of Kingdom of England, England's governanc ...

approached, a man named William Poe petitioned Parliament in May 1642 as a distressed prisoner against an unjust sentence of the Star Chamber following a suit against him taken by Bullock. He argued that, although the Star Chamber had been abolished, Bullock had collaborated with the Warden of Fleet Prison to prevent his discharge. Poe offered his services to Parliament, having previously been a commander in Ireland, where he had lost all his estates. Poe was discharged by Parliament and joined the

Parliamentary Army The New Model Army was a standing army formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians during the First English Civil War, then disbanded after the Stuart Restoration in 1660. It differed from other armies employed in the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Thr ...

as a Captain active in Suffolk and in

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 ...

's own regiment. He is reported as being active in Essex, which may explain why Bullock fell foul of the Parliamentarians as a result of Poe's connections with them Although Bullock was not active in the

War War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

, his family was strongly

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 governm ...

, and therefore when the war ended in 1644 he was fined £300 by the Parliamentary Commission. Owing to his death in the same year, the liability devolved onto his son, to whom, after proceedings lasting nine years, two-thirds of the original fine were ultimately remitted. On his death in 1644, Bullock was buried at St Germanus' Church, Faulkbourne. His public and social duties resulted in heavy expenditure so that on his death the outlying estates of Loftes, Little Mapelstead and Finchingfield, amongst others, were sold. His widow went to live in Clerkenwell, where on 22 March 1644 a party of soldiers attacked her house and robbed her of gold and jewelry.

Family

Bullock married Elizabeth, daughter and heir of

Thomas Wylde Thomas Wylde (c. 1670 – 12 April 1740) was an English politician and administrator. His residence was The Commandery, Worcester. He was the eldest son of Robert Wylde (c. 1622 – 1689) of The Commandery and his wife Elizabeth (née Dennis ...

of Glazeley Hall, Shropshire, and Kempsey, Worcestershire, and sister of Sir Edmund Wylde. Edward and Elizabeth had one son, also named Edward, who married Mary, daughter of Sir William de Grey of Marton Hall, Norfolk, and Anne Calthorpe.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bullock, Edward Births circa 1580 1644 deaths People from Essex Cavaliers English landowners

Life

Faulkbourne

English Civil War and death

Family

See also

References