Edmund Prideaux
Encyclopedia
Sir Edmund Prideaux was an English lawyer and Member of Parliament
, who supported the Parliamentary
cause during the English Civil War
. He was briefly solicitor-general
but chose to resign rather than participate in the regicide of Charles I and was afterwards attorney-general a position he held until he died. During the Civil War and for most of the First Commonwealth he ran the postal service for Parliament.
), an eminent lawyer, of the Inner Temple and member of an ancient family originally of Prideaux Castle
, Cornwall, by his second wife, Catherine, daughter of Piers Edgecombe of Mount Edgecumbe
in Devonshire (now in Cornwall), was born at his father's seat, Netherton
, near Honiton
.
Prideaux graduated M.A. at Cambridge, and on 6 July 1625 was admitted ad eundem at Oxford. On 23 November 1623 he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple: his practice was chiefly in chancery. He became recorder of Exeter, and subsequently, in 1649, of Bristol.
for Lyme Regis
(which seat he held till his death), and forthwith took sides against King Charles I
. His subscription for the defence of parliament, in 1642, was £100. By his own side he was regarded as one of the persons best informed as to the state of feeling in the west of England.
For three years, from 10 November 1643 until it was transferred to the custody of the speakers of the two houses, Prideaux was one of the commissioners in charge of the Great Seal of Parliament
, an office worth £1,500 a year, and, as a mark of respect, was, by order of the House of Commons, called within the bar with precedence next after the solicitor-general. Prideaux had also been one of the Parliamentary commissioners appointed to negotiate with the king's commissioners at Uxbridge
in January 1645.
. This office he resigned when the king's trial became imminent; John Cook was solicitor-general on that occasion and subsequently. But Prideaux did not lose favour with his party. On 9 April 1649 he was appointed attorney-general, and remained in that office for the rest of his life.
office, granted in 1633. Prideaux served as chairman of the committee appointed in 1642 upon the rates of inland letters. In 1644 he was appointed, by resolution of both houses, "master of the posts, messengers, and couriers"; and he continued at intervals, as directed by the House of Commons or otherwise, to manage the postal service. He was ordered to arrange a post to Hull and York, and also to Lyme Regis, in 1644; in 1649 to Chester, Holyhead, and Ireland, and also to Bideford; in 1650 to Kendal, and in 1651 to Carlisle. By 1649 he is said to have established a regular weekly service throughout the kingdom.
Rumour assigned to Prideaux post office an income of £15,000 a year. Blackstone states that his reforms saved the country £5,000 a year; at any rate it was so profitable as to excite rivalry. "Encouraged by the opinion of the judges given in the House of Lords in the case of the Earl of Warwick v. Witherings, 9 July 1646, that the clause in Witherings's patent for restraint of carrying letters was void", Oxenbridge, Thomson, and others endeavoured to carry on a cheap and speedy post of their own, and Prideaux met them by a variety of devices, some in the way of ordinary competition, others in the shape of abuses of power and breaches of the law. The common council of London endeavoured, in 1650, to organise the carriage of letters, but Prideaux brought the matter before parliament, which referred the question to the Council of State, 21 March 1650, and on the same day the Council made an order that Attorney General Prideaux should take care of the business of the inland post, and be accountable for the profits quarterly, and a committee was appointed to confer with him as to the management of the post.
After various claims had been considered, parliament, on 21 March 1652, resolved that the office of postmaster ought to be in the sole disposal of the house, and the Irish and the Scotch committee, to which the question was referred, reported in favour of letting contracts for the carriage of letters. Prideaux contended that the office of postmaster and the carrying of letters were two distinct things, and that the resolution of parliament of 1652 referred to the former only; but eventually all previous grants were held to be set aside by that resolution, and contracts were let for the inland and foreign mails to John Manley in 1653.
, Devonshire, (now Dorset) and built a large house there. On 31 May 1658 he was made a baronet for "his voluntary offer for the mainteyning of thirty foot-souldiers in his highnes army in Ireland".
Prideaux died, leaving a great fortune, on 19 August 1659. John Andrew Hamilton stated in the DNB
biography on Prideaux that "He appears to have been a sound chancery lawyer and highly esteemed by his party as a man of religion as well as learning".
, Devonshire; and, secondly, to Mary, daughter of Every of Cottey in Somerset. By the latter he had one son, to whom John Tillotson
, afterwards archbishop, was tutor. The son took part in Monmouth's rebellion, and bribed Judge Jeffreys heavily to save his life.
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
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
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...
. He was briefly solicitor-general
Solicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
but chose to resign rather than participate in the regicide of Charles I and was afterwards attorney-general a position he held until he died. During the Civil War and for most of the First Commonwealth he ran the postal service for Parliament.
Early life
Prideaux was the second son of Sir Edmund Prideaux, 1st Baronet (see Prideaux BaronetsPrideaux Baronets
The Prideaux Baronetcy, of Netherton in the County of Devon, was a title in the Baronetage of England. It was created on 17 July 1622 for Edmund Prideaux. The third Baronet sat as Member of Parliament for Liskeard and St Mawes. The fourth Baronet was Member of Parliament for Tregony...
), an eminent lawyer, of the Inner Temple and member of an ancient family originally of Prideaux Castle
Prideaux Castle
Prideaux Castle is a quadrivallate Iron Age hillfort situated atop a 133 m high conical hill near the southern boundary of the parish of Luxulyan, Cornwall, in the United Kingdom...
, Cornwall, by his second wife, Catherine, daughter of Piers Edgecombe of Mount Edgecumbe
Mount Edgcumbe House
Mount Edgcumbe House is a stately home in south-east Cornwall. It is a Grade II listed building and the gardens are listed as Grade I in the Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest in England....
in Devonshire (now in Cornwall), was born at his father's seat, Netherton
Northleigh
Northleigh is a village in the civil parish of Southleigh in the East Devon district of Devon, England. Its nearest town is Colyton, which lies approximately south-east from the village....
, near Honiton
Honiton
Honiton is a town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. The town's name is pronounced in two ways, and , each pronunciation having its adherents...
.
Prideaux graduated M.A. at Cambridge, and on 6 July 1625 was admitted ad eundem at Oxford. On 23 November 1623 he was called to the bar at the Inner Temple: his practice was chiefly in chancery. He became recorder of Exeter, and subsequently, in 1649, of Bristol.
Long Parliament
Prideaux was returned to the Long ParliamentLong 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...
for Lyme Regis
Lyme Regis (UK Parliament constituency)
Lyme Regis was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, and then one member from 1832 until 1868, when the borough was abolished.-1295-1629:...
(which seat he held till his death), and forthwith took sides against King Charles I
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...
. His subscription for the defence of parliament, in 1642, was £100. By his own side he was regarded as one of the persons best informed as to the state of feeling in the west of England.
For three years, from 10 November 1643 until it was transferred to the custody of the speakers of the two houses, Prideaux was one of the commissioners in charge of the Great Seal of Parliament
Great Seal of the Realm
The Great Seal of the Realm or Great Seal of the United Kingdom is a seal that is used to symbolise the Sovereign's approval of important state documents...
, an office worth £1,500 a year, and, as a mark of respect, was, by order of the House of Commons, called within the bar with precedence next after the solicitor-general. Prideaux had also been one of the Parliamentary commissioners appointed to negotiate with the king's commissioners at Uxbridge
Treaty of Uxbridge
The Treaty of Uxbridge of early 1645 was a significant but abortive negotiation to try to end the First English Civil War.-Background:Parliament drew up 27 articles in November 1644 and presented them to Charles I of England at Oxford. Much input into these Propositions of Uxbridge was from...
in January 1645.
Resignation before the regicide
On 12 October 1648 he was appointed by parliament solicitor-generalSolicitor General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law...
. This office he resigned when the king's trial became imminent; John Cook was solicitor-general on that occasion and subsequently. But Prideaux did not lose favour with his party. On 9 April 1649 he was appointed attorney-general, and remained in that office for the rest of his life.
Postal service
For many years Prideaux was intimately and profitably connected with the postal service. The question of the validity of patents for the conduct of posts was raised in both houses of parliament in connection with the sequestration, in 1640, of Thomas Witherings'Thomas Witherings
Thomas Witherings was an English merchant and postal administrator who established the Royal Mail public letter service. He was a politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640.-Early life:...
office, granted in 1633. Prideaux served as chairman of the committee appointed in 1642 upon the rates of inland letters. In 1644 he was appointed, by resolution of both houses, "master of the posts, messengers, and couriers"; and he continued at intervals, as directed by the House of Commons or otherwise, to manage the postal service. He was ordered to arrange a post to Hull and York, and also to Lyme Regis, in 1644; in 1649 to Chester, Holyhead, and Ireland, and also to Bideford; in 1650 to Kendal, and in 1651 to Carlisle. By 1649 he is said to have established a regular weekly service throughout the kingdom.
Rumour assigned to Prideaux post office an income of £15,000 a year. Blackstone states that his reforms saved the country £5,000 a year; at any rate it was so profitable as to excite rivalry. "Encouraged by the opinion of the judges given in the House of Lords in the case of the Earl of Warwick v. Witherings, 9 July 1646, that the clause in Witherings's patent for restraint of carrying letters was void", Oxenbridge, Thomson, and others endeavoured to carry on a cheap and speedy post of their own, and Prideaux met them by a variety of devices, some in the way of ordinary competition, others in the shape of abuses of power and breaches of the law. The common council of London endeavoured, in 1650, to organise the carriage of letters, but Prideaux brought the matter before parliament, which referred the question to the Council of State, 21 March 1650, and on the same day the Council made an order that Attorney General Prideaux should take care of the business of the inland post, and be accountable for the profits quarterly, and a committee was appointed to confer with him as to the management of the post.
After various claims had been considered, parliament, on 21 March 1652, resolved that the office of postmaster ought to be in the sole disposal of the house, and the Irish and the Scotch committee, to which the question was referred, reported in favour of letting contracts for the carriage of letters. Prideaux contended that the office of postmaster and the carrying of letters were two distinct things, and that the resolution of parliament of 1652 referred to the former only; but eventually all previous grants were held to be set aside by that resolution, and contracts were let for the inland and foreign mails to John Manley in 1653.
Private practice and death
The loss of the office of postmaster and the carrying of letters affected Prideaux little; his legal practice continued to be large and lucrative, being worth £5,000 a year. He bought Ford Abbey, at ThornecombeThorncombe
Thorncombe is a village and civil parish in west Dorset, England, situated on the borders of Somerset and Devon, five miles south east of Chard. The civil parish has a population of 714 , and 8.4% of dwellings are second homes.-Geography:...
, Devonshire, (now Dorset) and built a large house there. On 31 May 1658 he was made a baronet for "his voluntary offer for the mainteyning of thirty foot-souldiers in his highnes army in Ireland".
Prideaux died, leaving a great fortune, on 19 August 1659. John Andrew Hamilton stated in the DNB
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
biography on Prideaux that "He appears to have been a sound chancery lawyer and highly esteemed by his party as a man of religion as well as learning".
Family
Prideaux was twice married: first, to a daughter of Collins of Ottery St MaryOttery St Mary
Ottery St Mary, known as "Ottery" , is a town in the East Devon district of Devon, England, on the River Otter, about ten miles east of Exeter on the B3174. It is part of a large civil parish of the same name, which also covers the villages of West Hill, Metcombe, Fairmile, Alfington, Tipton St...
, Devonshire; and, secondly, to Mary, daughter of Every of Cottey in Somerset. By the latter he had one son, to whom John Tillotson
John Tillotson
John Tillotson was an Archbishop of Canterbury .-Curate and rector:Tillotson was the son of a Puritan clothier at Haughend, Sowerby, Yorkshire. He entered as a pensioner of Clare Hall, Cambridge, in 1647, graduated in 1650 and was made fellow of his college in 1651...
, afterwards archbishop, was tutor. The son took part in Monmouth's rebellion, and bribed Judge Jeffreys heavily to save his life.
Further reading
- D Brunton & D H Pennington, Members of the Long Parliament (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
- Concise Dictionary of National Biography