Goodwin Wharton
Encyclopedia
Goodwin Wharton was a Whig
politician and autobiographer.
and Jane Goodwin, daughter of Arthur Goodwin
(died 1643), of Upper Winchendon
, Buckinghamshire
. He was privately educated in France and attended a Protestant academy in Caen
in 1663–4. In public and family life he was overshadowed by his forceful older brother, Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton
and Malmesbury.
Elected a member of Parliament for East Grinstead
in 1680, he made a hot-headed speech in favour of excluding the Duke of York (later James II
) from the throne and had to go into hiding for a time.
and treasure hunter, Wharton sent two expeditions to Tobermory to try to raise a galleon
from the Spanish Armada
wrecked there. Some of his singularly unsuccessful treasure-hunting was done on the advice of a lover, the self-professed medium
Mary Parish, who claimed to have placed him in contact with fairies
. The soldier-politician John Wildman
also became fascinated by Parish's predictions in 1684.
In the following year, Wharton began to receive messages that ostensibly came directly from God and several of his angels. Many of these concerned the prospect of seducing a number of women, including his stepmother, Anne Carr Popham. He claimed to have had an affair with his sister-in-law, the poet Anne Wharton
, in the early 1680s. He never married, but he had an illegitimate son, Hezekiah Knowles, by an associate of Parish.
for his pronounced Whiggery, despite making representations to his consort, Mary of Modena
(and fantasizing about having an affair with her). With the Glorious Revolution
he rose to some eminence and was commissioned a lieutenant colonel
of cavalry.
Wharton inherited Buckinghamshire estates on his father's death in 1696. He had been elected to Parliament again in 1690, and sat successively for Westmoreland
, Malmesbury
, Cockermouth
, and the shire of Buckinghamshire
until his death. He was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in 1697–9. He suffered a stroke in 1698, which ended his public career.
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
politician and autobiographer.
Early life
Goodwin Wharton was the third and youngest son out of the seven children of Philip Wharton, 4th Baron WhartonPhilip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton
Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton was an English peer.A Parliamentarian during the English Civil War, he served in various offices including soldier, politician and diplomat. He was appointed as the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire by Parliament in July 1642...
and Jane Goodwin, daughter of Arthur Goodwin
Arthur Goodwin
Arthur Goodwin was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1643...
(died 1643), of Upper Winchendon
Upper Winchendon
Upper Winchendon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Valedistrict in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about a mile south of Waddesdon, three and a half miles west of Aylesbury....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
. He was privately educated in France and attended a Protestant academy in Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
in 1663–4. In public and family life he was overshadowed by his forceful older brother, Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton
Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton PC was an English nobleman and politician. He was the son of Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton and his second wife, Jane Goodwin, only daughter of Colonel Arthur Goodwin of Upper Winchendon, Buckinghamshire, and heiress to the extensive Goodwin estates in...
and Malmesbury.
Elected a member of Parliament for East Grinstead
East Grinstead
East Grinstead is a town and civil parish in the northeastern corner of Mid Sussex, West Sussex in England near the East Sussex, Surrey, and Kent borders. It lies south of London, north northeast of Brighton, and east northeast of the county town of Chichester...
in 1680, he made a hot-headed speech in favour of excluding the Duke of York (later James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
) from the throne and had to go into hiding for a time.
Fairies and visions
An avid mystic, alchemistAlchemy
Alchemy is an influential philosophical tradition whose early practitioners’ claims to profound powers were known from antiquity. The defining objectives of alchemy are varied; these include the creation of the fabled philosopher's stone possessing powers including the capability of turning base...
and treasure hunter, Wharton sent two expeditions to Tobermory to try to raise a galleon
Galleon
A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by European states from the 16th to 18th centuries. Whether used for war or commerce, they were generally armed with the demi-culverin type of cannon.-Etymology:...
from the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
wrecked there. Some of his singularly unsuccessful treasure-hunting was done on the advice of a lover, the self-professed medium
Mediumship
Mediumship is described as a form of communication with spirits. It is a practice in religious beliefs such as Spiritualism, Spiritism, Espiritismo, Candomblé, Voodoo and Umbanda.- Concept :...
Mary Parish, who claimed to have placed him in contact with fairies
Fairy
A fairy is a type of mythical being or legendary creature, a form of spirit, often described as metaphysical, supernatural or preternatural.Fairies resemble various beings of other mythologies, though even folklore that uses the term...
. The soldier-politician John Wildman
John Wildman
Sir John Wildman was an English soldier and politician.-Biography:Wildman was born in the Norfolk town of Wymondham, the son of Jeffrey and Dorothy Wildman. His father was a butcher. John was educated as a sizar at Corpus Christi College University of Cambridge taking an MA in 1644...
also became fascinated by Parish's predictions in 1684.
In the following year, Wharton began to receive messages that ostensibly came directly from God and several of his angels. Many of these concerned the prospect of seducing a number of women, including his stepmother, Anne Carr Popham. He claimed to have had an affair with his sister-in-law, the poet Anne Wharton
Anne Wharton
Anne Wharton, née Lee was an English poet and verse dramatist.-Life:...
, in the early 1680s. He never married, but he had an illegitimate son, Hezekiah Knowles, by an associate of Parish.
Admiralty lord
Wharton's mental instability seems to have gone unnoticed outside his family circle, but he was out of favour under James IIJames II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
for his pronounced Whiggery, despite making representations to his consort, Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena
Mary of Modena was Queen consort of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of King James II and VII. A devout Catholic, Mary became, in 1673, the second wife of James, Duke of York, who later succeeded his older brother Charles II as King James II...
(and fantasizing about having an affair with her). With the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
he rose to some eminence and was commissioned a lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
of cavalry.
Wharton inherited Buckinghamshire estates on his father's death in 1696. He had been elected to Parliament again in 1690, and sat successively for Westmoreland
Westmorland
Westmorland is an area of North West England and one of the 39 historic counties of England. It formed an administrative county from 1889 to 1974, after which the entirety of the county was absorbed into the new county of Cumbria.-Early history:...
, Malmesbury
Malmesbury
Malmesbury is a market town and civil parish located in the southern Cotswolds in the county of Wiltshire, England. Historically Malmesbury was a centre for learning and home to Malmesbury Abbey...
, Cockermouth
Cockermouth
-History:The Romans created a fort at Derventio, now the adjoining village of Papcastle, to protect the river crossing, which had become located on a major route for troops heading towards Hadrian's Wall....
, and the shire of Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
until his death. He was one of the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty in 1697–9. He suffered a stroke in 1698, which ended his public career.