Colonel William Sydenham
Encyclopedia
William Sydenham was a Cromwellian soldier; and the eldest brother of Thomas Sydenham
. He fought for Parliament and defeated the Royalists in various skirmishes in Dorset. He was member of the various parliaments of the Commonwealth, avowal conservative principles, and defended the liberties of Englishmen. In 1654 made councillor and commissioner of the treasury by Oliver Cromwell
. Took the side of the army against Parliament. In 1660, after the Protectorate
, and before the Restoration, he was expelled from the Long Parliament
. After the Restoration, he was perpetually incapacitated from holding office by the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
.
was his brother. When the English Civil War
broke out Sydenham and his three younger brothers took up arms for Parliament, and distinguished themselves by their activity in the local struggle. In April 1644 he had risen to the rank of colonel, and on 17 June 1644 Earl of Essex
appointed him governor of Weymouth. In July Sydenham defeated a plundering party from the garrison of Wareham at Dorchester, and hanged six or eight of his prisoners as being "mere Irish rebels".
This gave rise to equally cruel reprisals on the part of the royalists.
In conjunction with Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, Sydenham captured Wareham on 10 August 1644, and Abbotsbury House. He also defeated Sir Lewis Dyve
, the commander-in-chief of the Dorset Royalists, in various skirmishes, in one of which he killed, with his own hand, Major Williams, whom he accused of the murder of his mother. In February 1645 Sir Lewis Dyve surprised Weymouth, but Sydenham and the garrison of Melcombe Regis succeeded in regaining it a fortnight later.
In November 1645 Sydenham was elected to Parliament as member for Melcombe. On 1 March 1648 the House of Lords ordered Sydenham £1,000 towards his arrears of pay to be raised by discoveries of "delinquents' lands
" (confiscate Royalist lands). On 14 August 1649 he and Colonel Fleetwood were appointed joint governors of the Isle of Wight.
The historian Charles Firth
states Sydenham's political importance really begins with the expulsion of the Long Parliament
in 1653. He was a member of the council of thirteen appointed by the officers of the army on 29 April 1653; was summoned to the Rump Parliament
, and was re-elected by that assembly to the Council of State on 9 July and 1 November 1653. His views, however, were too conservative for him to sympathise with the policy of the Rump Parliament. On 6 February 1649 he had been one of the tellers for the minority in the Long Parliament who wished to retain the House of Lords, so on 10 December 1653 he performed the same duty for the minority of the Rump Parliament who voted for the retention of an established church. Two days later Sydenham took the lead in proposing that the assembly should dissolve itself, and may therefore be considered one of the founders of the protectorate. Oliver Cromwell
appointed Sydenham a member of his council, and made him also one of the commissioners of the treasury on 2 August 1654. His salary as councillor was £1,000 a year, and he enjoyed a similar sum as commissioner.
Sydenham sat for Dorset in the parliaments of 1654 and 1656, distinguishing himself during the debates of the latter by his opposition to the exorbitant punishment the house wished to inflict on James Naylor. When the Protector's intervention on behalf of Naylor raised a complaint of breach of privilege, Sydenham recalled the house to the real question. "We live as parliament men but for a time, but we live as Englishmen always. I would not have us be so tender of the privilege of parliament as to forget the liberties of Englishmen". He also spoke against anti-quaker legislation, and during the discussion of the petition and advice against the imposition of oaths and engagements. When in December 1657 Sydenham was summoned to Cromwell's House of Lords, a republican pamphlet remarked that, though "he hath not been thorough-paced for tyranny in time of parliaments", it was hoped he might yet be "so redeemed as never to halt or stand off for the future against the Protector's interest".
After the death of Oliver Cromwell Sydenham became one of Richard Cromwell's
council ; but in April 1659 he acted with Fleetwood, Desborough, and what was termed the Wallingford House party
to force him to dissolve the third Protectorate Parliament
. According to Ludlow, he was one of the chief agents in the negotiation between the army leaders and the republicans which led to Richard's fall. On the restoration of the Rump Parliament Sydenham became a member of the Committee of Safety on 7 May 1659 and of the Council of State
just over a week later on 16 May, though he had conscientious scruples against taking the oath required from members of the latter. He was also given the command of a regiment of foot.
When John Lambert
turned out the Rump Parliament again, Sydenham took part with the army, and was made a member of their Committee of Safety. Sydenham attempted to justify the violence of the army to the Council of State, "undertaking to prove that they were necessitated to make use of this last remedy by a particular call of divine Providence". When the Rump Parliament was again restored, Sydenham was called to answer for his conduct, and, failing to give a satisfactory explanation, was expelled on 17 January 1660. His regiment also was taken from him and given to John Lenthall
, the speaker's son. At the restoration the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion included him among the eighteen persons perpetually incapacitated from holding any office on 29 August 1660, and he was also obliged to enter into a bond not to disturb the peace of the kingdom..
Sydenham died in July 1661. He had married, in 1637, Grace, daughter of John Trenchard of Warmwell, who died about a week later than her husband. Their eldest daughter Mary married the painter, Sir James Thornhill
.
Thomas Sydenham
Thomas Sydenham was an English physician. He was born at Wynford Eagle in Dorset, where his father was a gentleman of property. His brother was Colonel William Sydenham. Thomas fought for the Parliament throughout the English Civil War, and, at its end, resumed his medical studies at Oxford...
. He fought for Parliament and defeated the Royalists in various skirmishes in Dorset. He was member of the various parliaments of the Commonwealth, avowal conservative principles, and defended the liberties of Englishmen. In 1654 made councillor and commissioner of the treasury by Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
. Took the side of the army against Parliament. In 1660, after the Protectorate
The Protectorate
In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
, and before the Restoration, he was expelled from the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
. After the Restoration, he was perpetually incapacitated from holding office by the Indemnity and Oblivion Act
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 is an Act of the Parliament of England , the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion"....
.
Biography
Sydenham was a Cromwellian soldier, baptised 8 April 1615, was the eldest son of William Sydenham of Wynford Eagle, Dorset, by Mary, daughter of Sir John Jeffrey of Catherston. Thomas SydenhamThomas Sydenham
Thomas Sydenham was an English physician. He was born at Wynford Eagle in Dorset, where his father was a gentleman of property. His brother was Colonel William Sydenham. Thomas fought for the Parliament throughout the English Civil War, and, at its end, resumed his medical studies at Oxford...
was his brother. When the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
broke out Sydenham and his three younger brothers took up arms for Parliament, and distinguished themselves by their activity in the local struggle. In April 1644 he had risen to the rank of colonel, and on 17 June 1644 Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 3rd Earl of Essex was an English Parliamentarian and soldier during the first half of the seventeenth century. With the start of the English Civil War in 1642 he became the first Captain-General and Chief Commander of the Parliamentarian army, also known as the Roundheads...
appointed him governor of Weymouth. In July Sydenham defeated a plundering party from the garrison of Wareham at Dorchester, and hanged six or eight of his prisoners as being "mere Irish rebels".
This gave rise to equally cruel reprisals on the part of the royalists.
In conjunction with Sir Anthony Ashley Cooper, Sydenham captured Wareham on 10 August 1644, and Abbotsbury House. He also defeated Sir Lewis Dyve
Lewis Dyve
Sir Lewis Dyve was an English Member of Parliament and a Royalist adherent during the English Civil War. His surname is sometimes also spelt Dive or Dives....
, the commander-in-chief of the Dorset Royalists, in various skirmishes, in one of which he killed, with his own hand, Major Williams, whom he accused of the murder of his mother. In February 1645 Sir Lewis Dyve surprised Weymouth, but Sydenham and the garrison of Melcombe Regis succeeded in regaining it a fortnight later.
In November 1645 Sydenham was elected to Parliament as member for Melcombe. On 1 March 1648 the House of Lords ordered Sydenham £1,000 towards his arrears of pay to be raised by discoveries of "delinquents' lands
Committee for Compounding with Delinquents
In 1643, near the start of the English Civil War, Parliament set up two committees the Sequestration Committee which confiscated the estates of the Royalists who fought against Parliament, and the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents which allowed Royalists whose estates had been...
" (confiscate Royalist lands). On 14 August 1649 he and Colonel Fleetwood were appointed joint governors of the Isle of Wight.
The historian Charles Firth
Charles Firth
Charles Henry Burgmann Firth is an Australian comedian, best known as a member of The Chaser productions CNNNN and The Chaser's War on Everything...
states Sydenham's political importance really begins with the expulsion of the Long Parliament
Long Parliament
The Long Parliament was made on 3 November 1640, following the Bishops' Wars. It received its name from the fact that through an Act of Parliament, it could only be dissolved with the agreement of the members, and those members did not agree to its dissolution until after the English Civil War and...
in 1653. He was a member of the council of thirteen appointed by the officers of the army on 29 April 1653; was summoned to the Rump Parliament
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
, and was re-elected by that assembly to the Council of State on 9 July and 1 November 1653. His views, however, were too conservative for him to sympathise with the policy of the Rump Parliament. On 6 February 1649 he had been one of the tellers for the minority in the Long Parliament who wished to retain the House of Lords, so on 10 December 1653 he performed the same duty for the minority of the Rump Parliament who voted for the retention of an established church. Two days later Sydenham took the lead in proposing that the assembly should dissolve itself, and may therefore be considered one of the founders of the protectorate. Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
appointed Sydenham a member of his council, and made him also one of the commissioners of the treasury on 2 August 1654. His salary as councillor was £1,000 a year, and he enjoyed a similar sum as commissioner.
Sydenham sat for Dorset in the parliaments of 1654 and 1656, distinguishing himself during the debates of the latter by his opposition to the exorbitant punishment the house wished to inflict on James Naylor. When the Protector's intervention on behalf of Naylor raised a complaint of breach of privilege, Sydenham recalled the house to the real question. "We live as parliament men but for a time, but we live as Englishmen always. I would not have us be so tender of the privilege of parliament as to forget the liberties of Englishmen". He also spoke against anti-quaker legislation, and during the discussion of the petition and advice against the imposition of oaths and engagements. When in December 1657 Sydenham was summoned to Cromwell's House of Lords, a republican pamphlet remarked that, though "he hath not been thorough-paced for tyranny in time of parliaments", it was hoped he might yet be "so redeemed as never to halt or stand off for the future against the Protector's interest".
After the death of Oliver Cromwell Sydenham became one of Richard Cromwell's
Richard Cromwell
At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Richard Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's...
council ; but in April 1659 he acted with Fleetwood, Desborough, and what was termed the Wallingford House party
Wallingford House party
The Wallingford House party were a group of senior officers of the New Model Army who met at Wallingford House, the London home of Charles Fleetwood. They overthrew the Protectorate of the Lord Protector Richard Cromwell....
to force him to dissolve the third Protectorate Parliament
Third Protectorate Parliament
The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons...
. According to Ludlow, he was one of the chief agents in the negotiation between the army leaders and the republicans which led to Richard's fall. On the restoration of the Rump Parliament Sydenham became a member of the Committee of Safety on 7 May 1659 and of the Council of State
Council of State
The Council of State is a unique governmental body in a country or subdivision thereoff, though its nature may range from the formal name for the cabinet to a non-executive advisory body surrounding a head of state. It is sometimes regarded as the equivalent of a privy council.-Modern:*Belgian...
just over a week later on 16 May, though he had conscientious scruples against taking the oath required from members of the latter. He was also given the command of a regiment of foot.
When John Lambert
John Lambert (general)
John Lambert was an English Parliamentary general and politician. He fought during the English Civil War and then in Oliver Cromwell's Scottish campaign , becoming thereafter active in civilian politics until his dismissal by Cromwell in 1657...
turned out the Rump Parliament again, Sydenham took part with the army, and was made a member of their Committee of Safety. Sydenham attempted to justify the violence of the army to the Council of State, "undertaking to prove that they were necessitated to make use of this last remedy by a particular call of divine Providence". When the Rump Parliament was again restored, Sydenham was called to answer for his conduct, and, failing to give a satisfactory explanation, was expelled on 17 January 1660. His regiment also was taken from him and given to John Lenthall
John Lenthall (politician)
Sir John Lenthall was an English politician, Roundhead soldier, castle governor, lawyer, civil servant and baronet.John was the son of William Lenthall, Speaker of the House of Commons, and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of Ambrose Evans of Lodington in Northamptonshire. He was educated at Corpus...
, the speaker's son. At the restoration the Act of Indemnity and Oblivion included him among the eighteen persons perpetually incapacitated from holding any office on 29 August 1660, and he was also obliged to enter into a bond not to disturb the peace of the kingdom..
Sydenham died in July 1661. He had married, in 1637, Grace, daughter of John Trenchard of Warmwell, who died about a week later than her husband. Their eldest daughter Mary married the painter, Sir James Thornhill
James Thornhill
Sir James Thornhill was an English painter of historical subjects, in the Italian baroque tradition.-Life:...
.