Alexander Denton (Royalist)
Encyclopedia
Sir Alexander Denton was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
variously between 1625 and 1644. He supported the Royalists
during the English Civil War
.
Denton was the son of Sir Thomas Denton and his wife Susan Temple, daughter of John Temple of Stowe.
In the two parliamets of 1625 Denton was Member of Parliament
for Buckingham
. He was re-elected MP for Buckingham in April 1640 for the Short Parliament
and in November 1640 for the Long Parliament
.
Denton was a Royalist
and his house at Hillesden
became a focal point during the English Civil War
and was disabled from sitting in Parliament on 22 January 1644. In January 1644 Parliamentury forces occupied Hillesden House but they were ejected. In early February Colonel William Smith garrisoned Hillesden House with about 260 men to support the King at Oxford. The house was occupied at the time by many of the Denton family and some of the Verney family and Sir Alexander also arrived at the house by chance. A force of over 2000 men under Oliver Cromwell
and Samuel Luke
laid siege to the house at the beginning of March. After the surrender Smith and Denton were taken prisoner and moved to the Tower of London
, while the house was destroyed and the family beggared. Denton died a prisoner on New Years Day 1645. He was buried at Hillesden on 5 January 1645.
Denton married Mary Hampden, daughter of Edmund Hampden of Hertwell, and a cousin of John Hampden
on 3 September 1617. They had five sons and eight daughters. At one time John Kersey the elder
was tutor to the sons. The eldest son John Denton was killed at the Battle of Abingdon in 1644. Edmund Denton
was a Member of Parliament for Buckingham, and Alexander Denton was a judge, as well as MP for Buckingham after Edmund.
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...
variously between 1625 and 1644. He supported the Royalists
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
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...
.
Denton was the son of Sir Thomas Denton and his wife Susan Temple, daughter of John Temple of Stowe.
In the two parliamets of 1625 Denton was 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 Buckingham
Buckingham (UK Parliament constituency)
Buckingham is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
. He was re-elected MP for Buckingham in April 1640 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....
and in November 1640 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...
.
Denton was a Royalist
Cavalier
Cavalier was the name used by Parliamentarians for a Royalist supporter of King Charles I and son Charles II during the English Civil War, the Interregnum, and the Restoration...
and his house at Hillesden
Hillesden
Hillesden is a village and is also a civil parish within Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the very north of the county, about four miles south of Buckingham.The village name is Anglo Saxon in origin, and means 'Hild's hill'...
became a focal point 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...
and was disabled from sitting in Parliament on 22 January 1644. In January 1644 Parliamentury forces occupied Hillesden House but they were ejected. In early February Colonel William Smith garrisoned Hillesden House with about 260 men to support the King at Oxford. The house was occupied at the time by many of the Denton family and some of the Verney family and Sir Alexander also arrived at the house by chance. A force of over 2000 men under Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
and Samuel Luke
Samuel Luke
Sir Samuel Luke was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1640 to 1653 and in 1660.Luke was born in Southill, Bedfordshire, England to Sir Oliver Luke Member of Parliament and his wife Elizabeth Knightley...
laid siege to the house at the beginning of March. After the surrender Smith and Denton were taken prisoner and moved 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...
, while the house was destroyed and the family beggared. Denton died a prisoner on New Years Day 1645. He was buried at Hillesden on 5 January 1645.
Denton married Mary Hampden, daughter of Edmund Hampden of Hertwell, and a cousin of John Hampden
John Hampden
John Hampden was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643) was an English politician, the eldest son of William Hampden, of Hampden House, Great Hampden in Buckinghamshire, John Hampden (ca. 15951643)...
on 3 September 1617. They had five sons and eight daughters. At one time John Kersey the elder
John Kersey the elder
John Kersey the elder was an English mathematician, as well as a textbook writer.-Life:He was son of Anthony Carsaye or Kersey and Alice Fenimore, and was baptised at Bodicote, near Banbury, Oxfordshire, on 23 November 1616. He came to London, and gained a livelihood as a teacher...
was tutor to the sons. The eldest son John Denton was killed at the Battle of Abingdon in 1644. Edmund Denton
Sir Edmund Denton, 1st Baronet
Sir Edmund Denton, 1st Baronet , was an English politician.Denton was the member of an ancient Buckinghamshire family which had been granted the manor of Hillesdon by King Edward IV. He was returned to parliament as one of two representatives for Buckingham in 1698. The following year he was...
was a Member of Parliament for Buckingham, and Alexander Denton was a judge, as well as MP for Buckingham after Edmund.