William Coryton
Encyclopedia
William Coryton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
at various times between 1624 and 1641. He was expelled from parliament for falsyfying returns.
Coryton was the eldest son of Peter Coryton of Coryton
and Newton Ferrers
, Devon
, and his wife Joan Wreye, daughter of John Wreye of Militon, Cornwall.
Coryton was appointed vice-warden of the stannaries
in 1603 and High Sheriff of Cornwall
for 1613. In 1624 he was elected Member of Parliament
for Cornwall
. He was elected MP for Liskeard
in 1625 and again MP for Cornwall in 1626.
In July 1627 Coryton was arrested for refusing to subscribe the forced loan of that year, and imprisoned in the Fleet prison
, where he remained until March 1628. His place of vice-warden of the stannaries was in the meantime given to John Mohun
. In view of the opening of parliament in 1628, he was released and was re-elected MP for Cornwall. He spoke in the debate on religious grievances on 27 January 1629, in that on tonnage and poundage
which followed, and in other debates. His tone was described as "studiously moderate".
Coryton was present on 2 March 1629 when the speaker was forcibly held in his seat. After his fellow MP Sir John Eliot
had read a remonstrance on tonnage and poundage, the speaker Sir John Finch refused to put it to the house, and rose to dissolve the assembly. Finch was then held in his seat by Denzil Holles and Benjamin Valentine
while resolutions against Arminianism
and illegal exactions were read and declared carried. Coryton was subsequently charged with having aided and abetted Eliot, Holles, and the rest, and even with having assaulted Francis Winterton, member for Dunwich
, Suffolk
. He was summoned with the other "conspirators" before the Star-chamber, and appeared, but refused to plead on the ground of privilege of parliament. He was accordingly committed a close prisoner to the Tower of London
. An application for a habeas corpus made on his behalf in the following May was refused. He made submission, however, was released, and reinstated in his office in the stannaries court at some date prior to 16 January 1630. His administration of justice in the stannaries court gave much dissatisfaction to suitors, and in or about 1637 he was arrested on a charge of false imprisonment. The matter, however, was not pressed, and on his release he resumed his judicial duties.
In April 1640 Coryton was elected MP for Grampound
for the Short Parliament
in an apparent double return, and was re-elected MP for Grampound for the Long parliament
in November 1640. He was at the time mayor of Bossiney and was found guilty on petition of falsifying the returns for the election at Bossiney
. He was also found guilty of maladministration in the stannaries court and was "not admitted to sit" in parliament. At the same time he was removed from the office of vice-warden of the stannaries, and also from the stewardship of the duchy
and deputy-lieutenancy
of the county of Cornwall
which he then held.
Coryton died on 1 May 1651, and was buried in the church of St Mellion
, near Plymouth
. A rhyming inscription on his tomb describes him as
Both good and great, and yet beloved;
In judgment just, in trusts approved.
Coryton married Elizabeth Chichester, daughter of Sir John Chichester de Raleigh
, who survived him, dying on 26 January 1656–7, and had four sons and seven daughters. His son and successor, John, was created a baronet on 27 February 1662 (see Coryton Baronets
).
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
at various times between 1624 and 1641. He was expelled from parliament for falsyfying returns.
Coryton was the eldest son of Peter Coryton of Coryton
Coryton, Devon
Coryton is a village and civil parish in the West Devon district of Devon, England, to the north west of Tavistock.Coryton is in the valley of the River Lyd. It has a church and a former mill. There was formerly a railway station on the Launceston and South Devon Railway , closed in 1962....
and Newton Ferrers
Newton Ferrers
Newton Ferrers is a village in the civil parish of Newton and Noss in the English county of Devon, located about south-east of Plymouth on the River Yealm estuary. It lies within the South Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-History:...
, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, and his wife Joan Wreye, daughter of John Wreye of Militon, Cornwall.
Coryton was appointed vice-warden of the stannaries
Stannary Courts and Parliaments
The Stannary Parliaments and Stannary Courts were legislative and legal institutions in Cornwall and in Devon , England. The Stannary Courts administered equity for the region's tin-miners and tin mining interests, and they were also courts of record for the towns dependent on the mines...
in 1603 and High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
for 1613. In 1624 he was elected 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,...
for Cornwall
Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
Cornwall is a former county constituency covering the county of Cornwall, in the South West of England. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of England then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
. He was elected MP for Liskeard
Liskeard (UK Parliament constituency)
Liskeard was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.- History :...
in 1625 and again MP for Cornwall in 1626.
In July 1627 Coryton was arrested for refusing to subscribe the forced loan of that year, and imprisoned in the Fleet prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
, where he remained until March 1628. His place of vice-warden of the stannaries was in the meantime given to John Mohun
John Mohun, 1st Baron Mohun of Okehampton
John Mohun, 1st Baron Mohun of Okehampton was an English politician.He was the eldest son of Sir Reginald Mohun, 1st Baronet, and was educated at Exeter College, Oxford, graduating in 1608, and joining the Middle Temple...
. In view of the opening of parliament in 1628, he was released and was re-elected MP for Cornwall. He spoke in the debate on religious grievances on 27 January 1629, in that on tonnage and poundage
Tonnage and Poundage
Tonnage and Poundage were certain duties and taxes first levied in Edward II's reign on every tun of imported wine, which came mostly from Spain and Portugal, and on every pound weight of merchandise exported or imported. Traditionally tonnage and poundage was granted by Parliament to the king...
which followed, and in other debates. His tone was described as "studiously moderate".
Coryton was present on 2 March 1629 when the speaker was forcibly held in his seat. After his fellow MP Sir John Eliot
John Eliot (statesman)
Sir John Eliot was an English statesman who was serially imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he eventually died, by King Charles I for advocating the rights and privileges of Parliament.-Family and early life:...
had read a remonstrance on tonnage and poundage, the speaker Sir John Finch refused to put it to the house, and rose to dissolve the assembly. Finch was then held in his seat by Denzil Holles and Benjamin Valentine
Benjamin Valentine
Benjamin Valentine , was an English parliamentarian.Valentine was probably a native of Cheshire. He was elected on 3 March 1627–1628 to represent the borough of St. Germans in the parliament of 1628–9. He was in the House of Commons on 2 March 1628–9 when Speaker Finch would have obeyed King...
while resolutions against Arminianism
Arminianism
Arminianism is a school of soteriological thought within Protestant Christianity based on the theological ideas of the Dutch Reformed theologian Jacobus Arminius and his historic followers, the Remonstrants...
and illegal exactions were read and declared carried. Coryton was subsequently charged with having aided and abetted Eliot, Holles, and the rest, and even with having assaulted Francis Winterton, member for Dunwich
Dunwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunwich was a parliamentary borough in Suffolk, one of the most notorious of all the rotten boroughs. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1298 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act....
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. He was summoned with the other "conspirators" before the Star-chamber, and appeared, but refused to plead on the ground of privilege of parliament. He was accordingly committed a close prisoner to 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...
. An application for a habeas corpus made on his behalf in the following May was refused. He made submission, however, was released, and reinstated in his office in the stannaries court at some date prior to 16 January 1630. His administration of justice in the stannaries court gave much dissatisfaction to suitors, and in or about 1637 he was arrested on a charge of false imprisonment. The matter, however, was not pressed, and on his release he resumed his judicial duties.
In April 1640 Coryton was elected MP for Grampound
Grampound (UK Parliament constituency)
Grampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...
for the Short Parliament
Short Parliament
The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....
in an apparent double return, and was re-elected MP for Grampound for 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 November 1640. He was at the time mayor of Bossiney and was found guilty on petition of falsifying the returns for the election at Bossiney
Bossiney (UK Parliament constituency)
Bossiney was a parliamentary constituency in Cornwall, one of a number of Cornish rotten boroughs, and returned two Members of Parliament to the British House of Commons from 1552 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
. He was also found guilty of maladministration in the stannaries court and was "not admitted to sit" in parliament. At the same time he was removed from the office of vice-warden of the stannaries, and also from the stewardship of the duchy
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
and deputy-lieutenancy
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of the county of Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
which he then held.
Coryton died on 1 May 1651, and was buried in the church of St Mellion
St Mellion
St Mellion is a village and rural civil parish in east Cornwall, United Kingdom. The parish is three miles south of Callington and is in the St Germans Registration District. The population in the 2001 census was 377...
, near Plymouth
Plymouth
Plymouth is a city and unitary authority area on the coast of Devon, England, about south-west of London. It is built between the mouths of the rivers Plym to the east and Tamar to the west, where they join Plymouth Sound...
. A rhyming inscription on his tomb describes him as
Both good and great, and yet beloved;
In judgment just, in trusts approved.
Coryton married Elizabeth Chichester, daughter of Sir John Chichester de Raleigh
Chichester Baronets
There have been three Baronetcies created for persons with the surname Chichester, one in the Baronetage of England and two in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. One creation is extant as of 2008....
, who survived him, dying on 26 January 1656–7, and had four sons and seven daughters. His son and successor, John, was created a baronet on 27 February 1662 (see Coryton Baronets
Coryton Baronets
The Coryton Baronetcy, of Newton in the County of Cornwall, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 27 February 1662 for John Coryton, Member of Parliament for Callington, Cornwall and Launceston. He was the son of Sir William Coryton. The second Baronet represented Newport and...
).