Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex
The Duke of Ormonde | |
---|---|
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1631 Lady Elizabeth Percy |
Children | Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex Anne Capell, Countess of Carlisle |
Parent(s) | Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham Elizabeth Morrison |
Residence | Cassiobury House |
Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex, PC (1631 – 13 July 1683), also spelt Capel, of Cassiobury House, Watford, Hertfordshire, was an English statesman.
Early life
He was the son of Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham (executed in 1649) by his wife Elizabeth Morrison, daughter and heiress of Sir Charles Morrison, 1st Baronet (1587–1628) of Cashiobury House, Watford, Hertfordshire. He was baptised on 2 January 1632.[2]
Youth
In June 1648, then a sickly boy of sixteen, he was taken by
Political career
At the
Early on he showed himself antagonistic to the court, to
In 1672 he was made a Privy Councillor and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. It is clear that he was aligned to Charles's policy in 1672 and supported the Declaration of Indulgence especially in so far as it affected dissenters (and potentially extending this to Catholics, but this was always an ambiguous point)[clarification needed].[4]
Essex had already developed a well-known tolerance towards and association with dissenters of all types, but subsequent events showed that this latitude did not apply to Catholics. He remained in office until 1677, and his administration was greatly commended by Burnet and
He proved to be a conscientious viceroy and, unlike so many other politicians of his age, he quickly showed an acumen for understanding accounts which was to lead to all kinds of challenges with the undertaking of Lord Ranelagh and his partners and with the same lord when he became vice-treasurer of Ireland in 1675.
He immediately joined the country party and the opposition to
He was appointed by Charles together with Halifax to hear the charges against the
Subsequently, his political attitude underwent a change, the exact cause of which is not clear—probably a growing conviction of the dangers threatened by a Roman Catholic sovereign of the character of
Essex took no part in the wilder schemes of the party, but after the discovery of the Rye House Plot in June 1683, and the capture of the leaders, he was arrested at Cassiobury and imprisoned in the Tower.[2][3]
Rebuilds Cassiobury House
Between about 1677 and 1680, Arthur Capell rebuilt
Marriage and children
Arthur Capell married
- Algernon Capell, 2nd Earl of Essex (1670–1710), only son and heir, who succeeded him in the earldom.
- Lady Anne Capell, wife of Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Carlisle.
Death
The Earl of Essex died in the Tower of London on 13 July 1683, having been convicted of participation in the Rye House Plot against the King and his brother, and was said to have been discovered in his chamber with his throat cut[2] whilst a prisoner awaiting execution for treason.[6] According to Britton, the Earl of Essex's death, by suicide, was controversial:
Lawrence Braddon., Gent of the Middle Temple states himself 'upwards of 5 years persecuted or imprisoned for endeavouring to discover this murther the third day after the same was committed' [7] The Dictionary of National Biography entry for Braddon says:-
"When the Earl of Essex died in the Tower in 1683, Braddon adopted the belief that he had been murdered, and worked actively to collect sufficient evidence to prove the murder. He set on foot inquiries on the subject in London, and when a rumour reached him that the news of the earl's death was known at Marlborough on the very day of, if not before, the occurrence, he posted off thither. When his action became known at court, he was arrested and put under restraint. For a time he was let out on bail, but on 7 Feb. 1683–4 he was tried with Mr. Hugh Speke at the king's bench on the accusation of conspiring to spread the belief that the Earl of Essex was murdered by some persons about him, and of endeavouring to suborn witnesses to testify the same. Braddon was found guilty on all the counts, but Speke was acquitted of the latter charge. The one was fined 1,000l. and the other 2,000l., with sureties for good behaviour during their lives. Braddon remained in prison until the landing of William III, when he was liberated."
His death was attributed, quite groundlessly, to Charles and James, and the evidence points clearly if not conclusively to suicide, his motive being possibly to prevent an attainder and preserve his estate for his family.
Legacy
He was known as a statesman of strong and sincere patriotism, just and unselfish, conscientious and laborious in the fulfilment of public duties, and blameless in his official and private life. John Evelyn describes him as "a sober, wise, judicious and pondering person, not illiterate beyond the rule of most noblemen in this age, very well versed in English history and affairs, industrious, frugal, methodical and every way accomplished"; and declares he was much deplored, few believing he had ever harboured any seditious designs.[2] Capel Street in Dublin's north inner city is named after him.
Further reading
See the Lives in the Dictionary of National Biography and in Biographia Britannica (Kippis), with authorities there collected; Essex's Irish correspondence is in the Stow Collection in the British Library, Nos. 200–217, and selections have been published in Letters written by Arthur Capel, Earl of Essex (1770) and in the Essex Papers (Camden Society, 1890), to which can now be added the Calendars of State Papers, Domestic, which contain a large number of his letters and which strongly support the opinion of his contemporaries concerning his unselfish patriotism and industry; see also Somers Tracts (1815).[2]
References
- ^ Montague-Smith, P.W. (ed.), Debrett's Peerage, Baronetage, Knightage and Companionage, Kelly's Directories Ltd, Kingston-upon-Thames, 1968, p. 430
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Chisholm 1911.
- ^ a b c d e f g Airy 1887.
- ^ a b c Egan, Seán. unpublished PhD thesis, 'Finance and the government of Ireland 1660–85', Trinity College Dublin, 1983; JR Jones Country and Court, London, 1978
- ^ Baty, Patrick. "Cassiobury, Hertfordshire". Retrieved 31 October 2014.
- ^ According to Britton: Cassiobury Park (p. 23)
- ^ The Dictionary of National Biography, 1885–1900, Volume 06
Attribution:
- Airy, Osmund (1887). Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 9. London: Smith, Elder & Co. pp. 12–17. . In
- public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Essex, Arthur Capel, 1st Earl of". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 9 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 781–782. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the