John Stawell
Encyclopedia
Sir John Stawell or Stowell (29 August 1600 – 21 February 1662) was an English Member of Parliament
and Royalist governor of Taunton
during the English Civil War
.
The oldest surviving son of Sir John Stawell of Cothelstone
in Somerset
, Stawell was educated at Queen's College, Oxford. In 1625, he entered Parliament as member for Somerset
, and was knighted (KB
) at the coronation of Charles I
early the following year. He was High Sheriff of Somerset
in 1628, and was elected once more to represent the county in the Long Parliament
of 1640. On the outbreak of the Civil War he declared for the King and was consequently disabled from sitting in Parliament in August 1642.
Sir John raised five regiments at his own expense for the Royal army, serving under Hertford
in his campaign through the West Country, and after the capture of Taunton, he was the appointed its governor. When he was captured on the surrender of Exeter
in 1646, he refused to take the covenant or to swear not to bear arms against Parliament in future, and was committed for trial on charges of high treason. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London
and after many delays finally brought to trial in December 1650, but the High Court refused to sentence him and referred his case back to Parliament. His case was much discussed in Parliament but never settled, and he remained imprisoned for the entire Commonwealth period. (Clarendon
in his History of the Rebellion recorded that Stawell was "in the first form of those who had made themselves obnoxious to parliament." His estates were seized and sold to meet claims of damages against him, but the proceedings were entirely arbitrary and probably illegal even under the new regime's own laws.) Released at the Restoration
, his estates were restored and he was once more elected MP for Somerset in 1661, but died early the following year.
His son, Ralph
(c. 1640–1689), was raised to the peerage as Baron Stawell in 1683, partly in recognition of Sir John's service to the Crown.
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 Royalist governor of Taunton
Taunton
Taunton is the county town of Somerset, England. The town, including its suburbs, had an estimated population of 61,400 in 2001. It is the largest town in the shire county of Somerset....
during the English Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
.
The oldest surviving son of Sir John Stawell of Cothelstone
Cothelstone
Cothelstone is a village and civil parish in Somerset, England, situated in the Quantock Hills six miles north of Taunton in the Taunton Deane district...
in Somerset
Somerset
The ceremonial and non-metropolitan county of Somerset in South West England borders Bristol and Gloucestershire to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east, and Devon to the south-west. It is partly bounded to the north and west by the Bristol Channel and the estuary of the...
, Stawell was educated at Queen's College, Oxford. In 1625, he entered Parliament as member for Somerset
Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)
Somerset was a parliamentary constituency in Somerset, which returned two Members of Parliament , known traditionally as knights of the shire, to the House of Commons of England until 1707, the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from...
, and was knighted (KB
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
) at the coronation of 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...
early the following year. He was High Sheriff of Somerset
High Sheriff of Somerset
The Office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient High Sheriff title which has been in existence for over one thousand years. The position was once a powerful position responsible for collecting taxes and enforcing law and order in Somerset a county in South West England. In modern times the...
in 1628, and was elected once more to represent the county in 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...
of 1640. On the outbreak of the Civil War he declared for the King and was consequently disabled from sitting in Parliament in August 1642.
Sir John raised five regiments at his own expense for the Royal army, serving under Hertford
William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset
Sir William Seymour, 2nd Duke of Somerset, KG was an English nobleman and Royalist commander in the English Civil War....
in his campaign through the West Country, and after the capture of Taunton, he was the appointed its governor. When he was captured on the surrender of Exeter
Exeter
Exeter is a historic city in Devon, England. It lies within the ceremonial county of Devon, of which it is the county town as well as the home of Devon County Council. Currently the administrative area has the status of a non-metropolitan district, and is therefore under the administration of the...
in 1646, he refused to take the covenant or to swear not to bear arms against Parliament in future, and was committed for trial on charges of high treason. He was imprisoned in 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...
and after many delays finally brought to trial in December 1650, but the High Court refused to sentence him and referred his case back to Parliament. His case was much discussed in Parliament but never settled, and he remained imprisoned for the entire Commonwealth period. (Clarendon
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon
Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon was an English historian and statesman, and grandfather of two English monarchs, Mary II and Queen Anne.-Early life:...
in his History of the Rebellion recorded that Stawell was "in the first form of those who had made themselves obnoxious to parliament." His estates were seized and sold to meet claims of damages against him, but the proceedings were entirely arbitrary and probably illegal even under the new regime's own laws.) Released at 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...
, his estates were restored and he was once more elected MP for Somerset in 1661, but died early the following year.
His son, Ralph
Ralph Stawell, 1st Baron Stawell
Ralph Stawell, 1st Baron Stawell was an English landowner, soldier, Member of Parliament and peer.Stawell married firstly Ann, a daughter of John Ryves, Esquire, and by her had one son, John...
(c. 1640–1689), was raised to the peerage as Baron Stawell in 1683, partly in recognition of Sir John's service to the Crown.