Henry Smith (regicide)
Encyclopedia
Henry Smith was an English
Member of Parliament
and one of the regicide
s of King Charles I
.
He was born in Withcote
, Leicestershire
in 1620; son of Henry Smith born in 1589 and Frideswide (Fritzjoyce) Wright. He studied at Oxford University and Lincoln's Inn
. He married miss Holland.
In 1640 he was elected MP for Leicestershire. In January 1649, as a commissioner of the High Court of Justice
at the trial of King Charles, he was 19th of the 59 signatories on the death warrant of the King.
After the Restoration
in 1660 he was brought to trial for regicide and was sentenced to death. He successfully appealed the sentence which was then commuted to life imprisonment. He was held at the Tower of London
until 1664, and was then transported to Jersey
where he is thought to have died in 1668 in Mont Orgueil
castle.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and one of the regicide
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
s of King Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
.
He was born in Withcote
Withcote
Withcote is a small parish comprising a number of scattered dwellings in Harborough , a local government district of Leicestershire.-Buildings:Withcote Hall is on English Heritage's Heritage at risk register....
, Leicestershire
Leicestershire
Leicestershire is a landlocked county in the English Midlands. It takes its name from the heavily populated City of Leicester, traditionally its administrative centre, although the City of Leicester unitary authority is today administered separately from the rest of Leicestershire...
in 1620; son of Henry Smith born in 1589 and Frideswide (Fritzjoyce) Wright. He studied at Oxford University and Lincoln's Inn
Lincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
. He married miss Holland.
In 1640 he was elected MP for Leicestershire. In January 1649, as a commissioner of the High Court of Justice
High Court of Justice
The High Court of Justice is, together with the Court of Appeal and the Crown Court, one of the Senior Courts of England and Wales...
at the trial of King Charles, he was 19th of the 59 signatories on the death warrant of the King.
After the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
in 1660 he was brought to trial for regicide and was sentenced to death. He successfully appealed the sentence which was then commuted to life imprisonment. He was held at the Tower of London
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
until 1664, and was then transported to Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
where he is thought to have died in 1668 in Mont Orgueil
Mont Orgueil
Mont Orgueil is a castle in Jersey. It is located overlooking the harbour of Gorey. It is also called Gorey Castle by English-speakers, and lé Vièr Châté by Jèrriais-speakers....
castle.