Arthur Goodwin
Encyclopedia
Arthur Goodwin was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons
at various times between 1621 and 1643. He supported the Parliamentary cause during the English Civil War
.
(1564–1634), a landed gentleman of Upper Winchendon
and his wife Elizabeth Grey (died 1630), daughter of Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey of Wilton. He was educated in Oxfordshire
at Lord Williams's School
. He was admitted a student of the Inner Temple
in 1613 and graduated with BA from Magdalen College, Oxford
in 10 February 1614.
for Wycombe
. He was re-elected MP for Wycombe in 1624. In 1626, he was elected MP for Aylesbury
.
In April 1640, Goodwin was elected with his friend John Hampden
as MP for Buckinghamshire
in the Short Parliament
. He was re-elected MP for Buckinghamshire in November 1640 for the Long Parliament
. Goodwin was a strong Parliamentarian and Puritan
and opposed many of the policies of Charles I of England
. When open war broke out between Parliament and the King, he gave substantial sums to the Parliamentarian cause, and commanded a cavalry regiment.
and Turnham Green
. However, he was primarily active on his home ground in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding counties. In August 1643, he joined Hampden and Bulstrode Whitelocke
to capture the Earl of Berkshire
, who had been attempting to execute a commission of array
in Oxfordshire
for the King. Hampden and Goodwin also captured the Earl of Northampton
at Daventry
that year.
Goodwin was appointed Parliamentary commander-in-chief of Buckinghamshire in January 1643, and made an unsuccessful attempt to seize Brill
. While harrying Prince Rupert
's troops after the siege of Reading
, Hampden was wounded at Chalgrove Field on 18 June 1643. Although it is often reported that Goodwin persuaded him to leave the field and ride to Thame, where he died on 24 June there is no firm evidence that Goodwin even took part in the battle. Goodwin himself died shortly after, at Clerkenwell
, on 16 August 1643 of "camp fever".
in April 1618. They had one daughter Jane (1618–1658), who married Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton
in 1637.
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 1621 and 1643. He supported the Parliamentary cause 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...
.
Backgound and upbringing
Goodwin was the son of Francis GoodwinFrancis Goodwin (MP)
Sir Francis Goodwin was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1586 and 1626.Goodwin was the son of Sir John Goodwin and his second wife Anne Spencer, daughter of Sir William Spencer. In 1586, he was elected Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire. He was...
(1564–1634), a landed gentleman of Upper Winchendon
Upper Winchendon
Upper Winchendon is a village and also a civil parish within Aylesbury Valedistrict in Buckinghamshire, England. It is located about a mile south of Waddesdon, three and a half miles west of Aylesbury....
and his wife Elizabeth Grey (died 1630), daughter of Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey of Wilton. He was educated in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
at Lord Williams's School
Lord Williams's School
Lord Williams's School is a co-educational secondary school in Thame, Oxfordshire, United Kingdom. It is a comprehensive school, which takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 18...
. He was admitted a student of the Inner Temple
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
in 1613 and graduated with BA from Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
in 10 February 1614.
Parliamentary career
In 1621 Goodwin was elected Member of ParliamentMember 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 Wycombe
Wycombe (UK Parliament constituency)
Wycombe is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It currently elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post system of elections....
. He was re-elected MP for Wycombe in 1624. In 1626, he was elected MP for Aylesbury
Aylesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Aylesbury is a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. The Conservative Party has held the seat since 1924, and held it at the 2010 general election with a 52.2% share of the vote.-Boundaries:...
.
In April 1640, Goodwin was elected with his friend 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)...
as MP for Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
in 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....
. He was re-elected MP for Buckinghamshire 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...
. Goodwin was a strong Parliamentarian and Puritan
Puritan
The Puritans were a significant grouping of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th centuries. Puritanism in this sense was founded by some Marian exiles from the clergy shortly after the accession of Elizabeth I of England in 1558, as an activist movement within the Church of England...
and opposed many of the policies of Charles I of England
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...
. When open war broke out between Parliament and the King, he gave substantial sums to the Parliamentarian cause, and commanded a cavalry regiment.
Civil war
Goodwin took part at the Battle of EdgehillBattle of Edgehill
The Battle of Edgehill was the first pitched battle of the First English Civil War. It was fought near Edge Hill and Kineton in southern Warwickshire on Sunday, 23 October 1642....
and Turnham Green
Turnham Green
Turnham Green is a public park situated on Chiswick High Road, Chiswick, London. It is separated in two by a small road. Christ Church stands on the eastern half of the green. A war memorial stands on the eastern corner...
. However, he was primarily active on his home ground in Buckinghamshire and the surrounding counties. In August 1643, he joined Hampden and Bulstrode Whitelocke
Bulstrode Whitelocke
Sir Bulstrode Whitelocke was an English lawyer, writer, parliamentarian and Lord Keeper of the Great Seal of England.- Biography :...
to capture the Earl of Berkshire
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire
Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire was the second son of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk and Catherine Knyvet....
, who had been attempting to execute a commission of array
Commission of Array
A Commission of Array was a commission given by English royalty to officers or gentry in a given territory to muster and array the inhabitants and to see them in a condition for war, or to put soldiers of a country in a condition for military service...
in Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
for the King. Hampden and Goodwin also captured the Earl of Northampton
Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton
Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton , styled Lord Compton from 1618 to 1630, was an English peer, soldier and politician....
at Daventry
Daventry
Daventry is a market town in Northamptonshire, England, with a population of 22,367 .-Geography:The town is also the administrative centre of the larger Daventry district, which has a population of 71,838. The town is 77 miles north-northwest of London, 13.9 miles west of Northampton and 10.2...
that year.
Goodwin was appointed Parliamentary commander-in-chief of Buckinghamshire in January 1643, and made an unsuccessful attempt to seize Brill
Brill
Brill is a village and civil parish in Aylesbury Vale district in Buckinghamshire, England, close to the boundary with Oxfordshire. It is about north-west of Long Crendon and south-east of Bicester...
. While harrying Prince Rupert
Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Rupert, Count Palatine of the Rhine, Duke of Bavaria, 1st Duke of Cumberland, 1st Earl of Holderness , commonly called Prince Rupert of the Rhine, KG, FRS was a noted soldier, admiral, scientist, sportsman, colonial governor and amateur artist during the 17th century...
's troops after the siege of Reading
Reading, Berkshire
Reading is a large town and unitary authority area in England. It is located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the River Thames and River Kennet, and on both the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 motorway, some west of London....
, Hampden was wounded at Chalgrove Field on 18 June 1643. Although it is often reported that Goodwin persuaded him to leave the field and ride to Thame, where he died on 24 June there is no firm evidence that Goodwin even took part in the battle. Goodwin himself died shortly after, at Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell
Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. From 1900 to 1965 it was part of the Metropolitan Borough of Finsbury. The well after which it was named was rediscovered in 1924. The watchmaking and watch repairing trades were once of great importance...
, on 16 August 1643 of "camp fever".
Family
Goodwin married Jane Wenman, daughter of Richard Wenman, 1st Viscount WenmanRichard Wenman, 1st Viscount Wenman
Richard Wenman, 1st Viscount Wenman was an English soldier and Member of Parliament, with a title in the Peerage of Ireland.-Life:...
in April 1618. They had one daughter Jane (1618–1658), who married Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton
Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton
Philip Wharton, 4th Baron Wharton was an English peer.A Parliamentarian during the English Civil War, he served in various offices including soldier, politician and diplomat. He was appointed as the Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire by Parliament in July 1642...
in 1637.