Humfrey Tufton, 1st Baronet (1584 – October 1659) was an English 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 ...

from 1640 to 1648. Tufton was a son of

John Tufton John Tufton may refer to: * John Tufton (cricketer) (1773–1799), cricketer and MP for Appleby 1796–1799 * Sir John Tufton, 1st Baronet (died 1624), see Earl of Thanet *John Tufton, 2nd Earl of Thanet (1608–1664), English nobleman, supporter of ...

of Hothfield, and brother of

Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet Nicholas Tufton, 1st Earl of Thanet (1578–1631) was an English peer. Nicholas Tufton was the son of Sir John Tufton, and Christian Browne, the daughter of Sir Humphrey Browne, Justice of the Common Pleas, by Agnes Hussey, the daughter of Jo ...

. He purchased The Mote near

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest Town status in the United Kingdom, town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, l ...

.John Burke, John Bernard Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies''
Accessed 16 December 2022. Humfrey Tufton was involved in a

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

with Murray of Prince Charles's bedchamber (a brother of Secretary Murray) in March 1625, after having an argument at a stage play. They went to

St George's Fields St George's Fields was an area of Southwark in South London, England. History Originally the area was an undifferentiated part of the south side of the Thames, which was low-lying marshland unsuitable even for agricultural purposes. There ...

to fight. Tufton noted the presence of Gibson, a Scottish armourer, although they had agreed not to have "seconds" present. Tufton objected and left the field. The events offended Gibson's sense of honour, and he fought with Murray. Both were fatally injured.John S. Brewer, ''The Court of King James the First by Godfrey Goodman'', vol. 1 (London, 1839), pp. 404-405. In November 1640, Tufton was elected Member of Parliament for

in the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...

. 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 14th ...

, of The Mote in the

County of Kent Kent is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Greater London to the north-west. ...

, on 24 December 1641. He was excluded from parliament under

Pride's Purge Pride's Purge is the name commonly given to an event that took place on 6 December 1648, when soldiers prevented members of Parliament considered hostile to the New Model Army from entering the House of Commons of England. Despite defeat in the ...

in 1648. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Kent The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instru ...

for 1654. Tufton died at Bobbing Place at the age of 76.

Family

Tufton married Margaret Morley, daughter of Herbert Morley of Glynde, Sussex. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son,

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second E ...

. The title became extinct upon the death of the second Baronet in 1685. His daughter Olympia married Sir William Wray of Ashby.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tufton, Humfrey 1584 births 1659 deaths English MPs 1640–1648 High sheriffs of Kent Politicians from Maidstone Place of birth missing Baronets in the Baronetage of England