William Barnham

Last updated July 09, 2024

William Barnham (1606 - March 1675) was a mayor of Norwich and an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1659 and 1660.

Early life

Barnham was probably born in Thetford, the son of Peter Barnham (b. 1544) of that city. The suggestion that he was a son of Sir Francis Barnham of Hollingbourne and his wife Elizabeth Leonard, daughter of Sampson Lennard ^[1] is an error. The subject of this entry has sometimes been confused with both William Barnham (b. 1613) and with his own grand nephew William Barnham, esquire (1651-1718), based upon their supposed tenure as mayor of Norwich. However, neither of them held that office. The statement that William was baptised at Saint Martin-in-the-Fields on 19 May 1613 is also unlikely, based upon the year and place of his birth, and probably refers to William Barnham (b. 1613) of Boughton Monchelsey, Kent.

Career as politician

He was a hosier of Norwich and became an alderman.^[2] He was mayor of Norwich in 1652.^[1] A parliamentary sympathizer in the Civil War, he held municipal office from 1646 and throughout the Interregnum, and was returned to Richard Cromwell's Parliament for the city. In 1659, Barnham was elected Member of Parliament for Norwich in the Third Protectorate Parliament.^[2] He signed the address to George Monck, 1st Duke of Albemarle for a free Parliament, and in 1660 he was elected without contest as MP for Norwich in the Convention Parliament.^[2] He stood for parliament in 1661 but came third in the poll.^[2] He was listed by Lord Wharton as a friend, but his only known activity in the Convention was on the committee to encourage shipping and woollen manufactures. He was heavily defeated at the general election, and displaced as alderman by the commissioners for corporations, although he had subscribed £8 to the voluntary gift to the King. Several times re-elected, he never resumed office because, as a hard-shell Presbyterian, he would not renounce the Covenant. After extensive charitable bequests to Thetford, he left property in Horsham St., Faith and Beeston to two kinsmen, Thomas and John Barnham [N.B., probably his nephews, sons of his brother Thomas]. The latter was court candidate for Norwich in 1688, but no other member of his family entered Parliament.

Marriages and later life

William married (1) unknown, (2) Elizabeth Windham, of Stokesby with Herringsby, Norfolk, England; buried 30 Dec 1690 in Saint John Maddermarket, Norwich, Norfolk, England and (3) Mary Booty, of Hardingham, Norfolk, England, widow of Francis Booty and daughter of Rev. William Grigson, rector of Hardingham; d.s.p., buried 23 May 1659 in Saint John Maddermarket, Norwich, Norfolk, England.^[2] Barnham died at the age of 61 and was buried 22 Mar 1675 at the church of Saint John Maddermarket, Norwich, Norfolk, England.

Related Research Articles

Sir Henry Hobart, 4th Baronet was an English Whig politician and baronet. He represented several seats in the House of Commons of England between 1681 and 1698, when he was killed in a duel with Oliver Le Neve.

Sir Ralph Verney, 1st Baronet DL, JP was an English baronet and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1690.

Sir Denny Ashburnham, 1st Baronet was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1660 and 1689.

Sir John Robinson, 1st Baronet, of London was an English merchant and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1660 and 1667. He was Lord Mayor of London in 1662.

The Pettus Baronetcy of Rackheath in Norfolk, England, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 23 September in 1641 for Thomas Pettus, the High Sheriff of Norfolk. The sixth Baronet was the High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1746. The title became extinct on his death in 1772.

Sir Francis Barnham (1576–1646) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1604 and 1646. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.

Sir Richard Meredith, 2nd Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1656 to 1659.

Framlingham Gawdy was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1614 to 1648. He was a passive Parliamentarian during the English Civil War.

Sir William Gawdy, 1st Baronet was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1661 to 1669.

Sir Thomas Barnardiston, 1st Baronet was an English baronet, landowner, soldier and MP who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1640 and 1659. He fought on the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War.

The Church of St John the Baptist, Maddermarket, is a redundant Anglican church in the city of Norwich, Norfolk, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.

Thomas Atkins was Lord Mayor of London and an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640 and from 1647 to 1653 and was Lord Mayor of London in 1644. He supported the Parliamentary cause in the English Civil War.

Sir Robert Barnham, 1st Baronet of Boughton Monchelsea Place was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.

Sir Edwin Rich was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640.

Sir Charles Le Grosse of Crostwight Hall near North Walsham in Norfolk, England, was a politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1653.

Sir Gilbert Ireland of Hale Hall, Lancashire was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1654 and 1675.

John Ramsden was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1659 and 1660.

Thomas Turgis was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1659 and 1704, eventually in 1701 becoming the Father of the House, as the member with the longest unbroken service.

Christopher Layer, of Norwich, Norfolk, was an English merchant, burgess of Norwich, and briefly a Member of Parliament.

References

1 2 John Burke, John Bernard Burke A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies
1 2 3 4 5 History of Parliament Online - Barnham, William (This source suggests that Barnham was born in Thetford and does not corroborate Burke's birth attribution which, as previously mentioned, applies to a different person)

Parliament of England
Preceded by John Hobart Bernard Church	Member of Parliament for Norwich 1659 With: John Hobart	Succeeded by Thomas Atkins

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Burke-1] 1 2 John Burke, John Bernard Burke A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies

[HOP-2] 1 2 3 4 5 History of Parliament Online - Barnham, William (This source suggests that Barnham was born in Thetford and does not corroborate Burke's birth attribution which, as previously mentioned, applies to a different person)

[1]

[2]