William Farrington (died 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 ...

in 1640. He supported 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 ...

cause in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. Farrington was the son of Thomas Farrington and grandson of William Farrington of Worden, Lancashire, an estate which the family had held since the time of Edward III. His grandfather left him the estate at Worden in 1610, cutting out his father who was said to have been a spendthrift. Farrington also purchased the manor of Leyland in 1617. 'Townships: Leyland', A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 6 (1911), pp. 10–17. Date accessed: 6 July 2011
/ref> He was secretary to

Lord Strange Baron Strange is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. Two creations, one in 1295 and another in 1326, had only one holder each, upon whose deaths they became extinct. Two of the creations, that of 1299 and that ...

. In 1636 he was appointed

High Sheriff of Lancashire The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient office, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanca ...

William Duncombe Pink, Alfred B. Beaven ''The parliamentary representation of Lancashire, (county and borough), 1258-1885, with biographical and genealogical notices of the members, &c.'' (1889)
/ref> and in April 1640 elected Member of Parliament for

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

in the

Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on 20 February 1640 and sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640. It was so called because of its short session of only three weeks. After 11 years of per ...

. In the Civil War, he was appointed a commissioner of array, reported by the Parliamentarians as one of "the most busy and active" and made colonel of the newly raised

Lancashire Militia The Lancashire Militia was an auxiliary military force in Lancashire in North West England. From their formal organisation as Trained Bands in 1558 and their service in the Williamite War in Ireland and against the Jacobite Risings, the Militia re ...

. In 1642 his servant, William Sumner, captured a stock of gunpowder at Preston and Farrington accompanied Lord Strange to the siege of Manchester. He was principal adviser of the

Countess Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

during her defence of Lathom House against Parliamentary forces in the Siege of Lathom House and in consequence his estate was sequestered by parliament. He was made a prisoner in 1646, after which he compounded for his estates and took no further part in the wars. Farrington died in 1659, three years after his father who had died at the age of 90. 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500-1714: Faber-Flood', Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 480–509. Date accessed: 6 July 2011
/ref> He had married Margaret, the daughter of Henry Worrell and left 3 sons and 3 daughters. He was succeeded by his eldest son William who also fought in the Royalist cause and was awarded the title of Knight of the Royal Oak.

References

External links

The Telegraph "Worden Old Hall:An Ancient Jewel" Restored 22 November 2007
, - {{DEFAULTSORT:Farrington, William Year of birth missing 1659 deaths English MPs 1640 (April) Cavaliers High sheriffs of Lancashire Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Lancashire