Arthur Champernowne
Arthur Champernowne | |
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![]() Arms of Champernowne: Gules, a saltire vair between twelve billets or | |
Member of Parliament for Barnstaple | |
In office 1547–1552 | |
Member of Parliament for Plympton Erle | |
In office 1555–1555 | |
Member of Parliament for Plymouth | |
In office 1559–1559 | |
Member of Parliament for Totnes | |
In office 1563–1567 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 1524 |
Died | 1 April 1578 (aged 53–54) Dartington Hall |
Resting place | church of St Mary, Dartington |
Spouse | Mary Norris |
Children |
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Parents |
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Sir Arthur Champernowne (c.1524[1] – 1 April 1578) was an English politician, high sheriff and soldier who lived at Dartington Hall in Devon, England.
Champernowne belonged to a large
Other members of the Champernowne family were prominent in (royal)
Champernowne is sometimes confused with several relatives also christened Arthur, especially Sir Arthur Champernowne (also Champernon; born c. 1562), an emissary of Elizabeth I during the 1580s.
Biography
Champernowne was the second son of Sir Philip Champernowne (died 1545)[2] of Modbury, Devon, by his wife Katherine Carew,[2] daughter of Sir Edmund Carew,[2] Knight, of Mohuns Ottery. When England was alerted to a possible invasion, he served in the English army at the Siege of Boulougne.
In 1549, Champernowne helped subdue a rebellion that sought to have the Latin Bible restored to a position of authority over the English-language version. The rebellion began in Cornwall, where the Cornish language was still widely spoken and English was regarded as a foreign language. He was knighted on 10 November 1549 for his part in crushing the western rebellion.[3]
Champernowne was an ardent protestant. He flirted with the conspiracy of cousin, Sir Peter Carew to support the claim of
He spent early 1554 in the Tower, but was released on recognizance of a fine of £1000, and allowed to return to Devon. Although excluded from office by the Marian regime, he was chosen a local JP in 1555. They elected him in turn for Plympton Erle in 1555, Plymouth in 1559 and Totnes in 1563.
Family
In 1546 Sir Arthur married Mary, widow of
- Gawen (d. 1592),[2] married Roberte de Montgomery,[2] daughter of Comte Gabriel de Montgomery and Isabel de la Touche.[2]
- Philip
- Charles
- George
- Edward
- Elizabeth, who married Sir Edward Seymour, 1st Baronet
In 1554 he exchanged with Thomas Aylworth, Lord of Dartington, the mansion house at Polsloe, Exeter for the Dartington estate, which contained the medieval Dartington Hall. By 1560 the construction of a new Elizabethan front on the foundation of the older buildings was underway and this continued for several years. His descendants continued to live in Dartington Hall until it became partly derelict and was sold in 1925.
Official Posts:
- 1552 - MP for Barnstaple
- 1555 – MP for Plympton
- 1559 - MP for Plymouth
- 1559 – Sheriff of Devon
- 1562 – Vice-Admiral of the Devon Coasts, a post he held for life.
- 1563 – MP for Totnes.
On the accession of Elizabeth I he developed his maritime interests: from being Sheriff of Devon in 1559–60, he put to sea. As vice-admiral appointed in 1563, his service against French pirates was noted: constant harassment along the western approaches. However, from time to time he co-operated with the privateers of
He was a prominent supporter of
In 1574 he led a relief expedition which went spectacularly wrong. Montgomery had already been captured and executed in Normandy, and the English fleet could only aid the Huguenot captains of La Rochelle. Sir Arthur's daughter Elizabeth married Sir Edward Seymour of Berry Pomeroy in 1576. Champernowne was continuing to support the naval exploits against France, when he wrote his will in March 1578. He died at Dartington Hall on 1 April.[3]
References
Sources
- Hasler, P. W. (1981). "Champernown, Sir Arthur (c.1525-78), of Modbury and Dartington, Devon.". In Hasler, P. W. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1558-1603. The History of Parliament.
- Hawkyard, A. D. K. (1982). "Champernown (Chamberlain, Chamborne), Sir Arthur (by 1524-78), of Modbury and Dartington, Devon.". In Bindoff, S. T. (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1509-1558. The History of Parliament.
- OCLC 399187.
- Ramsay, G. D. (1986). The Queen's Merchants and the Revolt of the Netherlands: The End of the Antwerp Mart. Manchester: ISBN 9780719018497.
- Trim, D. J. B. (21 May 2009) [23 September 2004]. "Champernowne, Sir Arthur". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/71675. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Vivian, J. L. (1895). The Visitations of the County of Devon, Comprising the Heralds' Visitations of 1531, 1564, to 1620, with additions by J. L. Vivian. Exeter: H.S. Eland. p. 163.
- Weis, Frederick Lewis (2004). Ancestral Roots of Certain American Colonists Who Came to America before 1700 (8th ed.). Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company. ISBN 978-0-8063-1752-6.
External links
- "Sir Arthur Champernowne". thePeerage.com.