Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
PC | |
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Lord Deputy of Ireland | |
In office 1632–1640 | |
Vice-admiral of Munster | |
In office 1634–1640 | |
Custos Rotulorum of the West Riding of Yorkshire | |
In office 1630–1641 | |
President, Council of the North | |
In office 1628–1641 | |
Member of Parliament for Yorkshire 1614–1621; 1625 | |
In office March 1628 – July 1628 | |
Member of Parliament for Pontefract | |
In office January 1624 – February 1624 | |
Personal details | |
Born | 13 April 1593 Execution |
Resting place | Wentworth, South Yorkshire |
Spouses | Margaret Clifford
(m. 1611; died 1622)Arabella Holles
(m. 1625; died 1631)Elizabeth Rhodes
(m. 1632–1641) |
Children |
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Parents |
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Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
Signature | |
Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford,
Early life
Wentworth was born in London. He was the son of
Early parliamentary career
The young Sir Thomas Wentworth, 2nd
In 1622 Wentworth's first wife Margaret Clifford died. Wentworth, according to his friends, was deeply grieved by her death; but in February 1625 he married Arabella Holles, daughter of
In the first parliament of
In January 1626 Wentworth asked for the presidency of the Council of the North, and was favourably received by Buckingham. But after the dissolution of the parliament, he was dismissed from the justiceship of the peace and the office of custos rotulorum of Yorkshire—which he had held since 1615—probably because he would not support the court in forcing the country to contribute money without a parliamentary grant. In 1627, he refused to contribute to the forced loan, and was subsequently imprisoned.[5]
The Petition of Right and its aftermath
In 1628, Wentworth was one of the more vocal supporters of the Petition of Right, which attempted to curb the power of the King.[5] Once Charles had grudgingly accepted the Petition, Wentworth felt it appropriate to support the crown, saying, "The authority of a king is the keystone which closeth up the arch of order and government".[8] He was consequently branded a turncoat.[5]
In the parliament of 1628, Wentworth joined the popular leaders in resistance to arbitrary taxation and imprisonment, but tried to obtain his goal without offending the Crown. He led the movement for a bill which would have secured the liberties of the subject as completely as the Petition of Right afterwards did, but in a manner less offensive to the King. The proposal failed because of both the uncompromising nature of the parliamentary party and Charles's stubborn refusal to make concessions, and the leadership was snatched from Wentworth's hands by John Eliot and Edward Coke. Later in the session, he quarrelled with Eliot because Wentworth wanted to come to a compromise with the Lords, so as to leave room for the King to act unchecked in special emergencies.[5]
On 22 July 1628, not long after the prorogation, Wentworth was created Baron Wentworth,[2] and received the promise of the presidency of the Council of the North at the next vacancy. This implied no change of principle. He was now at variance with the Parliamentary Party on two great subjects of policy, disapproving both of the intention of Parliament to take the powers of the executive and also of its inclination towards Puritanism. When once the breach was made it naturally grew wider, partly from the energy each party put into its work, and partly from the personal animosities which arose.[5]
As yet Wentworth was not directly involved in the government of the country. However, following the assassination of Buckingham, in December 1628, he became Viscount Wentworth and not long afterwards president of the Council of the North.[5] In the speech delivered at York on taking office, he announced his intention, almost in the words of Francis Bacon, of doing his utmost to bind up the prerogative of the Crown and the liberties of the subject in an indistinguishable union. "Whoever", he said, "ravels forth into questions the right of a king and of a people shall never be able to wrap them up again into the comeliness and order he found them".[5] His tactics were the same as those he later practised in Ireland, leading to the accusation that he planned to centralise all power with the executive at the expense of the individual in defiance of constitutional liberties.[5]
The parliamentary session of 1629 ended in a breach between the King and Parliament, which made the task of a moderator hopeless. Wentworth had to choose between either helping the
Lord Deputy of Ireland
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2021) |
The 1st Viscount Wentworth, as he had become, became a
In his government here he proved to be an able ruler. "The lord deputy of Ireland", wrote Sir
Customs duties rose from a little over £25,000 in 1633–34 to £57,000 in 1637–38. Wentworth raised an army, put an end to
Wentworth ignored Charles' promise that no colonists would be awarded land, to the detriment of Catholic landholders, in
Wentworth made many enemies in Ireland, but none more dangerous than
Toward the native Irish, Wentworth had no notion of developing their qualities by a process of natural growth; his only hope for them lay in converting them into Englishmen as soon as possible. They must be made English in their habits, in their laws and in their religion. "I see plainly ... that, so long as this kingdom continues popish, they are not a people for the Crown of England to be confident of", he wrote.
Under Wentworth's patronage, the
Wentworth's heavy-handed approach did yield some improvements, as well as contribute to the strength of the royal administration in Ireland. His hindrance in 1634 of 'The Graces', a campaign for equality by Roman Catholics in the Parliament of Ireland, lost him goodwill but was based on fiscal and not religious principles.[21] Wentworth regarded the proper management of Parliament as a crucial test of his success, and in the short term, his ruthless methods did produce results. Having settled on Nathaniel Catelyn as the most suitable Speaker, he coerced the voters of Dublin into returning him as member, and ordered the Commons to elect him Speaker.[22] The Parliament of 1634/5 did pass some useful legislation:[23] the Act against Fraudulent Conveyances remained in force into the 21st century. His second Parliament, however, having paid him abject compliments, began to attack his administration as soon as Wentworth left for England.[24]
The
Wentworth's rule in Ireland made him more high-handed at court than ever. He had never been consulted on English affairs until February 1637 when King Charles asked Wentworth's opinion on a proposed interference in the affairs of the Continent. In reply, Wentworth assured Charles it would be unwise to undertake even naval operations till he had secured absolute power at home. He wished that Hampden and his followers "were well whipped into their right senses". The judges had given the King the right to levy
Wentworth apparently intended to put down roots in Ireland: in the late 1630s he was much occupied with building a mansion,
He made some efforts also to build up a network of family alliances in Ireland: his brother George, to whom he was close, married Anne Ruish, sister of Strafford's great friend Eleanor Loftus,
Recall and impeachment
Wentworth was recalled to England in September 1639. He was expected to help sort out the problems that were growing at home: namely, bankruptcy and war with the Scottish
The King created him Earl of Strafford in January 1640
From April to August 1640, on his return from Ireland, Strafford occupied the newly built Leicester House, Westminster, in the absence of its owner Lord Leicester.[32]
The Commons insisted on peace with the Scots. Charles, on the advice of—or perhaps by the treachery of—
By late 1640, there was no option but to call a new Parliament. The Long Parliament assembled on 3 November 1640, and Charles immediately summoned Strafford to London, promising that he "should not suffer in his person, honour or fortune".[16] One of Parliament's first actions was to impeach Strafford for "high misdemeanours" regarding his conduct in Ireland. He arrived on 9 November and the next day asked Charles I to forestall his impeachment by accusing the leaders of the popular party of treasonable communications with the Scots. The plan having been betrayed, John Pym immediately took up the impeachment to the House of Lords on 11 November. Strafford came in person to confront his accusers, but was ordered to withdraw and taken into custody. On 25 November his preliminary charge was brought up, whereupon he was sent to the Tower of London, and, on 31 January 1641, the accusations in detail were presented. These were that Strafford had tried to subvert the fundamental laws of the kingdom. Much stress was laid on Strafford's reported words: "You have an army in Ireland you may employ here to reduce this kingdom".[16]
The failure of impeachment and the Bill of Attainder
Earl of Strafford's Attainder Act 1640 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Status: Repealed |
However tyrannical Strafford's earlier conduct may have been, his offence was outside the definition of
The Commons, therefore, feeling their victim slipping from their grasp, dropped the impeachment, and brought in and passed a
Still, Strafford had served Charles with what the King felt was a high degree of loyalty, and Charles had a serious problem with signing Strafford's death warrant as a matter of conscience, especially as he had explicitly promised Stafford that, no matter what happened, he would not die. However, to refuse the will of Parliament on this matter could seriously threaten the monarchy. When he summoned the bishops to ask for their advice, they were divided. Some, like
According to
The King did not release the letter to Parliament. Meanwhile, violent mobs threatened the palace with harm to the queen and her children. The King's inept efforts to overpower Parliament with military force were revealed by Pym and caused irresistible pressure.[39] Charles gave his assent on 10 May, remarking sadly "My Lord Strafford's condition is happier than mine".[16][40] Accounts of Strafford's reaction when he was told that he must die differ: by one account he took the news stoically; according to another he was deeply distressed, and said bitterly "Put not your trust in princes".[41] Archbishop Laud wrote that the King's abandonment of Strafford proved him to be "a mild and gracious prince, that knows not how to be, or be made, great".[42]
Death and aftermath
Strafford met his fate two days later on Tower Hill, receiving the blessing of Archbishop Laud (who went on to be likewise imprisoned in the Tower, and executed on 10 January 1645).[43] He was executed before a crowd estimated, probably with some exaggeration, at 300,000 on 12 May 1641 (as this number was roughly the population of London at the time, the crowd is likely to have been a good deal smaller).[44]
Following news of Strafford's execution, Ireland rose in sanguinary rebellion in October 1641, which led to more bickering between King and Parliament, this time over the raising of an army.[45] Any hope that Strafford's death would avert the coming crisis soon vanished: Wedgwood quotes the anonymous protest "They promised us that all should be well if my Lord Strafford's head were off, since when there is nothing better".[45] Many of Strafford's Irish enemies, like Lord Cork, found that his removal had put their estates, and even their lives, at risk. When Charles I himself was executed eight years later, among his last words were that God had permitted his execution as punishment for his consenting to Strafford's death:[46] "that unjust sentence which I suffered to take effect".[47] In 1660, the House of Lords voted to expunge the record of Strafford's attainder from its official Journal, with the intention of repudiating its legal validity.[48]
Assessment
In the course of his career, he made many enemies, who pursued him, with a remarkable mixture of fear and hatred, to his death. Yet Strafford was capable of inspiring strong friendships in private life: at least three men who served him in Ireland, Christopher Wandesford, George Radcliffe and Guildford Slingsby, remained his loyal friends to the end.[43] Wentworth's last letter to Slingsby before his execution shows an emotional warmth with which he is not often credited.[49] Sir Thomas Roe speaks of him as "Severe abroad and in business, and sweet in private conversation; retired in his friendships but very firm; a terrible judge and a strong enemy".[43] He was a good husband and a devoted father.[50] His appearance is described by Sir Philip Warwick: "In his person he was of a tall stature, but stooped much in the neck. His countenance was cloudy whilst he moved or sat thinking, but when he spoke, either seriously or facetiously, he had a lightsome and a very pleasant air; and indeed whatever he then did he performed very gracefully".[43] He himself jested on his own "bent and ill-favoured brow",[43] Lord Exeter replying that had he been "cursed with a meek brow and an arch of white hair upon it, he would never have governed Ireland nor Yorkshire".[43] Despite his terrifying manner, there is no real evidence that he was physically violent: even the most serious charge against him, that he ill-treated Robert Esmonde, causing his death, rests on disputed testimony.[51]
Thomas was the subject of a verse play by the poet Robert Browning entitled Strafford (1837).
Family
Strafford was married three times:[43]
- Margaret Clifford (died 1622), daughter of Francis Clifford, 4th Earl of Cumberland.
- Arabella Holles (died October 1631), daughter of John Holles, 1st Earl of Clare. Married in February 1625.
- Elizabeth Rhodes, daughter of Sir Godfrey Rhodes. Married in October 1632; she died in 1688.
Strafford's honours were forfeited by his attainder, but his only son, William, who was born on 8 June 1626, received them all by a fresh grant from Charles I on 1 December 1641. In 1662 Parliament reversed his father's attainder, and William, already 1st Earl of Strafford of the second creation, became also 2nd earl of the first creation in succession to his father.[52]
In addition to William, Strafford and Arabella had two daughters who outlived him:
Film portrayals
Strafford was portrayed by Patrick Wymark in the historical drama film Cromwell (1970).
Ancestry
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Notes
- S2CID 236317185.
- ^ a b c Dictionary of Irish Biography: Wentworth, Sir Thomas (see 'Early career'). https://www.dib.ie/biography/wentworth-sir-thomas-a8968.
- ^ C.P. Hill, Who's Who in Stuart Britain, p. 70. Shepheard-Walwyn, London, 1988.
- ^ C.P. Hill, Who's Who in Stuart Britain, p. 72. Shepheard-Walwyn, London, 1988.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q York 1911, p. 978.
- ^ "Wentworth, Thomas (WNTT609T)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 48, 117.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 74.
- ^ Sharpe 1996, p. [page needed].
- ^ Asch 2004, p. 146, right column, line 23. "Wentworth was appointed lord deputy on 12 January 1632 ..."
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 126. "... reached Dublin Bay early in the morning of July 23rd [1633]."
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 125.
- ^ a b Wedgwood 1961, p. 242.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 143–4.
- ^ York 1911, pp. 978, 979.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o York 1911, p. 979.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 175.
- ^ Kenyon, J.P. The Popish Plot, Phoenix Press reissue (2000), p. 224
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 158.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 226–227.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 148–58.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 150.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 160.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 320–1.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 157–8.
- ^ Wedgwood 1966, pp. 74–5.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 391.
- ^ a b Wedgwood 1961, p. 226.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 324.
- ^ Chalmers, Alexander General Biographical Dictionary Vol. 12 (1813) p.91
- ^ "He became earl of Strafford in 1640, taking the title from the name of the hundred in which Wentworth Woodhouse was situated" (Kearney 1989, p. xxxiv footnote 1)
- ^ "Leicester Square, North Side, and Lisle Street Area: Leicester Estate: Leicester House and Leicester Square North Side (Nos 1–16)" in Survey of London, vols. 33–34 (St Anne Soho, 1966), pp 441–472
- ^ Upham 1844, pp. 187–198.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 353–355.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 367.
- ^ Orr 2004.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 377.
- ^ Hume, David. The History of England,Vol 6
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 372–377.
- ^ Abbott 1876, "Downfall of Strafford and Laud".
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 380.
- ^ Trevor-Roper, Hugh (2000), Archbishop Laud 1573–1645 (reissue), Phoenix Press, p. 409
- ^ a b c d e f g York 1911, p. 980.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 383–389.
- ^ a b Wedgwood 1961, p. 389.
- ^ Wedgwood 1983, p. 190.
- ^ Kenyon 1966, p. 97.
- ^ Handler, Nicholas (May 2019). "Rediscovering the Journal Clause: The Lost History of Legislative Constitutional Interpretation". University of Pennsylvania Journal of Constitutional Law. 21: 1251–52.
- ^ Wedgwood p.384
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 43, 39, 50, 103, 125–6, 384–5.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, pp. 246–7.
- ^ a b c d e Gardiner 1899, p. 283.
- ^ Wedgwood 1961, p. 393.
- ^ "Some Descendants of the WENTWORTH Family Related to George Washington 1st US President". Washington.ancestryregister.com. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
- ^ Burke's Peerage, see page 564–5 of this edition
- ^ "Mayor of Oxford". Oxfordhistory.org.uk. 20 November 2012. Retrieved 14 December 2012.
References
- Abbott, Jacob (1876), "Chapter: Downfall of Strafford and Laud", Charles I, Makers of History Series, New York and London: Harper and Brothers
- Asch, Ronald G. (2004), "Wentworth, Thomas, first earl of Strafford (1593–1641)", in ISBN 0-19-861408-X
- Castle, Egerton (1893), English book-plates: ancient and modern, G. Bell & Sons, p. p 59
- Gardiner, Samuel Rawson (1899), "WENTWORTH, THOMAS, first Earl of Strafford (1593–1641)", in Lee, Sidney (ed.), Dictionary of National Biography, vol. 60, London: Smith Elder & Co, pp. 268–283
- ISBN 978-0-521-37822-2
- Kenyon, J.P. (1966), The Stuarts (Reissue ed.), Fontana, p. 97
- Orr, D. A. (2004). "Lane, Sir Richard (bap. 1584, d. 1650)". doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/15996. (Subscription or UK public library membershiprequired.)
- Sharpe, Kevin (1996), The Personal Rule of Charles 1
- Upham, Charles Wentworth (1844), "Life of Sir Henry Vane, Fourth Governor of Massachusetts", in Saprks, Jared (ed.), Library of American Biography, pp. 187–198
- Wedgwood, C.V. (1961), Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford: A Revaluation, London
{{citation}}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) a much more hostile perspective than her first edition - Wedgwood, C.V. (1966), The King's War, Fontana Reissue, pp. 74–5
- Wedgwood, C.V. (1983), The Trial of Charles 1 (Reissue ed.), Penguin Books, p. 190
Attribution:
- public domain: York, Philip Chasney (1911). "Strafford, Thomas Wentworth, Earl of". In Chisholm, Hugh (ed.). Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 25 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 978–980. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the
Further reading
- Cooper, J. P. "The Fortune of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford." Economic History Review 11#2 1958, pp. 227–248. online
- Cooper, Elizabeth, The Life of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Stafford (2 vol 1874) online
- Merritt, J. F., ed. (2003), The Political World of Thomas Wentworth, Earl of Strafford: a collection of essays, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-52199-4
- Orr, D. Alan. Treason and the State (2002): pp 61–100 on Wentworth. online Archived 20 August 2017 at the Wayback Machine
- Wedgwood, C. V. "The lost archangel a new view of Strafford" History Today (1951) 1#1 pp 18–24 online.
External links
- A Compendium of Irish Biography. Dublin: M. H. Gill & son.
- The Act for the attainder of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford
- Wentworth Graduate College of the University of York, named in honor of Thomas Wentworth
- "Archival material relating to Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford". UK National Archives.
- Portraits of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford at the National Portrait Gallery, London
- Portrait of the Earl of Strafford in the UK Parliamentary Collections
- List of Strafford's visitors in the Parliamentary Archives
- Petition of the Earl of Strafford in the Parliamentary Archives
- The Earl of Strafford's Act of Attainder in the Parliamentary Archives
- Works by Thomas Wentworth at LibriVox (public domain audiobooks)