William Widdrington, 1st Baron Widdrington
Encyclopedia
Sir William Widdrington of Widdrington
, Northumberland
, was created 1st Baron Widdrington
of Blankney in the Peerage of England on 2 November 1643.
He was the son and heir of Sir Henry Widdrington
of Widdrington (d. 1623) and in 1629 married Mary Thorold, heiress of Blankney Hall, Blankney
, near Lincoln
.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Northumberland
in 1636. He was then elected Member of Parliament
for Northumberland
in both the Short
and the Long Parliament
s of 1640-1642, but in August 1642 he was expelled for taking up arms in support of Charles I
.
During the Civil War
he fought for the King chiefly in Yorkshire
and Lincolnshire
and on 9 July 1642 was rewarded for his loyalty to the Crown by creation as 1st Baronet Widdrington of Widdrington.
He served as governor of Lincoln
in 1643, and on 2 November 1643 was elevated to the Peerage as 1st Baron Widdrington
of Blankney.
In 1644, after helping to defend York
, and the Kings defeat at Marston Moor he left England with the Duke of Newcastle
for exile in Hamburg
.
In 1648 he was condemned to death in his absence by the House of Commons
and his estates were confiscated. He returned in 1650 when he accompanied Charles II
to Scotland
and in 1651 he was mortally wounded while fighting for him at Wigan
.
Widdrington
Widdrington may refer to:Places*Widdrington, place in Northumberland, England included with Widdrington Station and Stobswood*Widdrington railway station, railway station in Northumberland, England...
, Northumberland
Northumberland
Northumberland is the northernmost ceremonial county and a unitary district in North East England. For Eurostat purposes Northumberland is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three boroughs or unitary districts that comprise the "Northumberland and Tyne and Wear" NUTS 2 region...
, was created 1st Baron Widdrington
Baron Widdrington
Baron Widdrington, of Blankney in the County of Lincoln, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 2 November 1643 for Sir William Widdrington, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Widdrington in the County of Northumberland, in the Baronetage of England on 9 July...
of Blankney in the Peerage of England on 2 November 1643.
He was the son and heir of Sir Henry Widdrington
Henry Widdrington
Henry Widdrington was an English politician.He was a Member of Parliament for Morpeth from 1661 to his death in 1665....
of Widdrington (d. 1623) and in 1629 married Mary Thorold, heiress of Blankney Hall, Blankney
Blankney
Blankney is a village and civil parish in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England, with a population of 239 according to the 2001 census. The village is about south of Lincoln and north of Sleaford...
, near Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
.
He was appointed High Sheriff of Northumberland
High Sheriff of Northumberland
This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland.The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilities associated with the post...
in 1636. He was then 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 Northumberland
Northumberland (UK Parliament constituency)
Northumberland, was a County 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 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.The constituency was split into two...
in both the Short
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....
and 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...
s of 1640-1642, but in August 1642 he was expelled for taking up arms in support 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...
.
During the Civil War
English Civil War
The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...
he fought for the King chiefly in Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
and Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire
Lincolnshire is a county in the east of England. It borders Norfolk to the south east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south west, Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire to the west, South Yorkshire to the north west, and the East Riding of Yorkshire to the north. It also borders...
and on 9 July 1642 was rewarded for his loyalty to the Crown by creation as 1st Baronet Widdrington of Widdrington.
He served as governor of Lincoln
Lincoln, Lincolnshire
Lincoln is a cathedral city and county town of Lincolnshire, England.The non-metropolitan district of Lincoln has a population of 85,595; the 2001 census gave the entire area of Lincoln a population of 120,779....
in 1643, and on 2 November 1643 was elevated to the Peerage as 1st Baron Widdrington
Baron Widdrington
Baron Widdrington, of Blankney in the County of Lincoln, was a title in the Peerage of England. It was created on 2 November 1643 for Sir William Widdrington, 1st Baronet. He had already been created a Baronet, of Widdrington in the County of Northumberland, in the Baronetage of England on 9 July...
of Blankney.
In 1644, after helping to defend York
York
York is a walled city, situated at the confluence of the Rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. The city has a rich heritage and has provided the backdrop to major political events throughout much of its two millennia of existence...
, and the Kings defeat at Marston Moor he left England with the Duke of Newcastle
Duke of Newcastle
Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne is a title which has been created three times in British history while the title of Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne has been created once. The title was created for the first time in the Peerage of England in 1664 when William Cavendish, 1st Marquess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne...
for exile in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
.
In 1648 he was condemned to death in his absence by the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
and his estates were confiscated. He returned in 1650 when he accompanied Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
to Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
and in 1651 he was mortally wounded while fighting for him at Wigan
Battle of Wigan Lane
The Battle of Wigan Lane was fought on 25 August 1651 during the Third English Civil War, between Royalists under the command of the Earl of Derby and elements of the New Model Army under the command of Colonel Robert Lilburne...
.