Francis Popham MP (1573 - 1644)

Born 1573 in England

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Biography

Francis Popham MP is Notable.

Francis Popham born in 1573, the only son of Sir John Popham^[1] (1531–1607), of Wellington, Somerset and Littlecote, Berkshire (now Wiltshire), Speaker of the House of Commons, Attorney General and Lord Chief Justice of England, by his wife Amy Adams, daughter of Hugh Adams of Castleton, St Athan, Glamorgan.

Sir Francis Popham was MP for Somerset, Wiltshire, Marlborough, Great Bedwyn, Chippenham and Minehead^[2]. Francis was the eldest son. Educated at Balliol College, Oxford, called to the Middle Temple. He succeeded his father to the baronetcy in 1607.

Francis Popham married Anne Dudley, daughter and heiress of John Dudley (alias Sutton)^[3] (1569–1645), MP, of Stoke Newington, Middlesex, and of Compton Hallows, Staffordshire, second son of Edward Sutton, 4th Baron Dudley of Dudley Castle, Staffordshire, by his second wife Jane Stanley, daughter of Edward Stanley, 3rd Earl of Derby. However, Francis Popham's wife is also described as a daughter of John Dudley of Yanwath and an heiress of Thomas Sutton, founder of the Charterhouse.

By his wife he had four sons and seven daughters, including:

1. John (died 1638), MP
2. Alexander, MP
3. Edward, a General at Sea during the English Civil War.
4. Jane (died 1668), wife of Thomas Luttrell (1583–1644), MP, of Dunster Castle, Somerset.
5. Frances married the Viscount Conway
6. Amy married William Borlase

Francis Popham died in 1644 and was buried at Stoke Newington on 15 August 1644, but in March 1647 was moved to Bristol.

Sir Francis Popham (1573–1644) of Wellington, Somerset and Littlecote, Berkshire(now Wiltshire), was an English soldier and landowner who was elected a Member of Parliament nine times, namely for Somerset (1597), Wiltshire (1604), Marlborough (1614), Great Bedwin (1621), Chippenham 1624, 1625, 1626, 1628-9), and for Minehead (1640-4).

He matriculated at Balliol College, Oxford, on 17 May 1588 at the age of 15, and entered the Middle Temple in 1589. As a soldier he served under Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (1566–1601) in Spain and was knighted by him at Cadiz in June 1596.

In 1597 Popham was elected Member of Parliament for Somerset. Hewas a J.P. for Wiltshire from 1597 and for Somerset by 1602. He was also DeputyLieutenant for both counties. In 1603 he was made Knight of the Bath. He was elected MP for Wiltshire in 1604. In 1607 he succeeded to the estates of Littlecote on the death of his father. He became constable of Taunton Castle in 1613. In 1614 he was elected MP for Marlborough and in 1621, MP for Great Bedwin. He was elected MP for Chippenham at a by-election in 1624 and was re-elected for the same seat in 1625, 1626 and 1628. He sat until 1629 when King Charles dispensed with parliament for eleven years.

In November 1640, due to the influence ofhis son-in-law Thomas Luttrell (1583–1644) of Dunster Castle, Somerset, Popham was elected MP for the Luttrell pocket borough of Minehead in the Long Parliament and sat until his death.

Popham was considered to have inherited his father's grasping disposition. He was constantly involved in lawsuits, which he was charged with conducting in a vexatious manner. Like his father, he took an active interest in the settlement of the North American colonies of Virginia and New England, and was a member of council of both colonies.

Sources

1. ↑ Crowell, Charles E, "Partial Genealogy of the Popham Family", private, 1898, Archive.org, p. 5
2. ↑ A History of Parliament online, biography of Sir Francis Popham].
3. ↑ Crowell, Charles E, "Partial Genealogy of the Popham Family", private, 1898, Archive.org, p. 10

See also:

• Wikipedia: Francis Popham (1573–1644)

• Wikidata: Item Q5482220, en:Wikipedia

• The Peerage: Sir Francis Popham

• Geni: Sir Francis Popham, MP

• A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies of England by John Burke and Sir Bernard Burke, page 413.