Edmund Dunch, Baron Burnell of East Wittenham
Encyclopedia
Edmund Dunch was an English Member of Parliament
who supported the Parliamentary cause before and during the English Civil War
. During the Interregnum he sat as an Member of Parliament. In 1659, after the Protectorate
and before the Restoration, regaining his seat in the Rump he also sat in Committee of Safety
. After the restoration of the monarchy he was not exempted under the Act of Pardon and Oblivion but the titles granted to him under the Protectorate were not recognised under the restored monarchy of Charles II
.
(MP) for Berkshire
in 1624 and was re-elected in 1625 and 1626. In 1628 he was elected MP for Wallingford
(then Berkshire
(now Oxfordshire
)). and Sheriff of Berkshire 1633-34.
A Royal warrant was issued for his arrest in 1639 for failure to pay ship money
in support of King Charles I. John Hampden
represented him at his trial, and he escaped punishment. See document ACC/0447 at the London Metropolitan Archives. He was re-elected to serve for Wallingford in the Short Parliament
of 1640. He also represented Wallingford in the Long Parliament
that first sat in 1640. He supported the parliamentary cause in the Civil War, signing the Protestation in 1641. His manor and possessions at Little Wittenham
were taken from him by the king and given to Thomas Blagge
, governor of Wallingford Castle
. In 1644, Dunch directed a parliamentary committee to send military forces into areas around Oxfordshire
and Berkshire
, including Wallingford. He took the oath prescribed in the Act enforcing the Solemn League and Covenant
in 1647. He was on the Parliamentary Committee for Compounding with Delinquents
that levied fines on the estates of Royalists. In 1648, was a Protester against any agreement with the King Charles.
After the capture of Charles I, Dunch survived Pride’s Purge of MPs who did not want Charles tried
and was part of the Rump Parliament
. In 1654, he was elected MP for Berkshire in the First Protectorate Parliament
) and in 1656 he was re-elected MP for Berkshire in the Second Protectorate Parliament
. In he was governor of Wallingford Castle
. John Hedges states that Dunch was selected to be a member of Cromwell's Other House
in 1658 as Baron Burnell of East Wittenham, however George Cokayne while detailing Cromwell's granting of the Barony to Dunch does not mention his membership of the Other House and he is not included in Cobbett's list of members of that house.
After Oliver Cromwell’s son Richard
resigned from power as second Lord Protector
, Dunch may have joined the Committee of Safety
in 1659. A fine was levied against Dunch for non-attendance at Parliament in 1659 but later withdrawn. After the restoration Charles II did not recognise Dunch’s baronage (the only one made by Cromwell not renewed by Charles II), but unlike the surviving Regicides, Dunch was not exempted from the general pardon granted under Indemnity and Oblivion Act
. He was Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1667-68.
(grandfather of the Protector Oliver Cromwell). This made him a cousin of John Hampden
and Oliver Cromwell.
Edmund Dunch married Bridget daughter of Anthony Hungerford
, and inherited £60,000 on her father's death. His son Hungerford Dunch
(1639–1680) was also an MP for Wallingford, as was his grandson Edmund Dunch
, the last of the male line of the Dunches.
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,...
who supported the Parliamentary cause before and 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...
. During the Interregnum he sat as an Member of Parliament. In 1659, after the Protectorate
The Protectorate
In British history, the Protectorate was the period 1653–1659 during which the Commonwealth of England was governed by a Lord Protector.-Background:...
and before the Restoration, regaining his seat in the Rump he also sat in Committee of Safety
English Committee of Safety
The Committee of Safety, established by the Parliamentarians in July 1642, was the first of a number of successive committees set up to oversee the English Civil War against King Charles I, and the Interregnum.-1642–1644:...
. After the restoration of the monarchy he was not exempted under the Act of Pardon and Oblivion but the titles granted to him under the Protectorate were not recognised under the restored monarchy of 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...
.
Biography
Edmund Dunch 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,...
(MP) for Berkshire
Berkshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Berkshire was a parliamentary constituency in England, represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885...
in 1624 and was re-elected in 1625 and 1626. In 1628 he was elected MP for Wallingford
Wallingford (UK Parliament constituency)
Wallingford was a constituency in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.It was a parliamentary borough created in 1295, centred on the market town Wallingford in Berkshire . It used to return two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons; this was cut to one in 1832, and...
(then Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
(now Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
)). and Sheriff of Berkshire 1633-34.
A Royal warrant was issued for his arrest in 1639 for failure to pay ship money
Ship money
Ship money refers to a tax that Charles I of England tried to levy without the consent of Parliament. This tax, which was only applied to coastal towns during a time of war, was intended to offset the cost of defending that part of the coast, and could be paid in actual ships or the equivalent value...
in support of King Charles I. 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)...
represented him at his trial, and he escaped punishment. See document ACC/0447 at the London Metropolitan Archives. He was re-elected to serve for Wallingford 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....
of 1640. He also represented Wallingford in 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...
that first sat in 1640. He supported the parliamentary cause in the Civil War, signing the Protestation in 1641. His manor and possessions at Little Wittenham
Little Wittenham
Little Wittenham is a village and civil parish on the south bank of the River Thames, northeast of Didcot in South Oxfordshire. It has one of only 220 habitats across Europe which is designated as a Special Area of Conservation under the European Union's Habitats Directive , on the Conservation of...
were taken from him by the king and given to Thomas Blagge
Thomas Blagge
Colonel Thomas Blagge was an English soldier, a supporter of Charles I in the English Civil War.-Life:He came from Horningsheath, Suffolk, and was Groom of the Chamber to Charles I. From 1642 he was Governor of Wallingford Castle, and commanded a foot regiment of 1000 men...
, governor of Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire , adjacent to the River Thames...
. In 1644, Dunch directed a parliamentary committee to send military forces into areas around Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire
Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
and Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, including Wallingford. He took the oath prescribed in the Act enforcing the Solemn League and Covenant
Solemn League and Covenant
The Solemn League and Covenant was an agreement between the Scottish Covenanters and the leaders of the English Parliamentarians. It was agreed to in 1643, during the First English Civil War....
in 1647. He was on the Parliamentary Committee for Compounding with Delinquents
Committee for Compounding with Delinquents
In 1643, near the start of the English Civil War, Parliament set up two committees the Sequestration Committee which confiscated the estates of the Royalists who fought against Parliament, and the Committee for Compounding with Delinquents which allowed Royalists whose estates had been...
that levied fines on the estates of Royalists. In 1648, was a Protester against any agreement with the King Charles.
After the capture of Charles I, Dunch survived Pride’s Purge of MPs who did not want Charles tried
High Court of Justice for the trial of Charles I
The High Court of Justice is the name given to the court established by the Rump Parliament to try King Charles I of England. This was an ad hoc tribunal created specifically for the purpose of trying the king, although the same name was used again for subsequent courts.Neither the involvement of...
and was part of the Rump Parliament
Rump Parliament
The Rump Parliament is the name of the English Parliament after Colonel Pride purged the Long Parliament on 6 December 1648 of those members hostile to the Grandees' intention to try King Charles I for high treason....
. In 1654, he was elected MP for Berkshire in the First Protectorate Parliament
First Protectorate Parliament
The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the House....
) and in 1656 he was re-elected MP for Berkshire in the Second Protectorate Parliament
Second Protectorate Parliament
The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons...
. In he was governor of Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle
Wallingford Castle was a major medieval castle situated in Wallingford in the English county of Oxfordshire , adjacent to the River Thames...
. John Hedges states that Dunch was selected to be a member of Cromwell's Other House
Cromwell's Other House
The Other House , established by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Humble Petition and Advice, was one of the two chambers of the Parliaments that legislated for England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, in 1658 and 1659, the final years of the Protectorate.During the Rule of...
in 1658 as Baron Burnell of East Wittenham, however George Cokayne while detailing Cromwell's granting of the Barony to Dunch does not mention his membership of the Other House and he is not included in Cobbett's list of members of that house.
After Oliver Cromwell’s son Richard
Richard Cromwell
At the same time, the officers of the New Model Army became increasingly wary about the government's commitment to the military cause. The fact that Richard Cromwell lacked military credentials grated with men who had fought on the battlefields of the English Civil War to secure their nation's...
resigned from power as second Lord Protector
Lord Protector
Lord Protector is a title used in British constitutional law for certain heads of state at different periods of history. It is also a particular title for the British Heads of State in respect to the established church...
, Dunch may have joined the Committee of Safety
English Committee of Safety
The Committee of Safety, established by the Parliamentarians in July 1642, was the first of a number of successive committees set up to oversee the English Civil War against King Charles I, and the Interregnum.-1642–1644:...
in 1659. A fine was levied against Dunch for non-attendance at Parliament in 1659 but later withdrawn. After the restoration Charles II did not recognise Dunch’s baronage (the only one made by Cromwell not renewed by Charles II), but unlike the surviving Regicides, Dunch was not exempted from the general pardon granted under Indemnity and Oblivion Act
Indemnity and Oblivion Act
The Indemnity and Oblivion Act 1660 is an Act of the Parliament of England , the long title of which is "An Act of Free and General Pardon, Indemnity, and Oblivion"....
. He was Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1667-68.
Family
Edmund Dunch was the son an heir of Sir William Dunch of Little Wittenham, Berkshire (d. 22 Jan. 1611), by Mary, daughter of Sir Henry Williams (alias Cromwell)Henry Williams (alias Cromwell)
Sir Henry Williams, alias Cromwell was a Knight of the Shire for Huntingdonshire and a grandfather of Oliver Cromwell.-Biography:Sir Henry Williams, of Welsh descent, the eldest son and heir of Sir Richard Williams, was highly esteemed by Queen Elizabeth I, who knighted him in 1563, and did him...
(grandfather of the Protector Oliver Cromwell). This made him 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)...
and Oliver Cromwell.
Edmund Dunch married Bridget daughter of Anthony Hungerford
Anthony Hungerford of Black Bourton
Sir Anthony Hungerford of Black Bourton , was a religious controversialist. He was knighted in 1608, and was deputy lieutenant of Wiltshire until 1624, when he resigned the office in favour of his eldest son Sir Edward.-Biography:...
, and inherited £60,000 on her father's death. His son Hungerford Dunch
Hungerford Dunch
Hungerford Dunch was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660 and from 1679 to 1680.-Biography:In 1660, Dunch was elected MP for both Wallingford and Cricklade for the Convention Parliament...
(1639–1680) was also an MP for Wallingford, as was his grandson Edmund Dunch
Edmund Dunch
Edmund Dunch was Master of the Royal Household to Queen Anne and a British Member of Parliament .-Biography:...
, the last of the male line of the Dunches.