Miles Corbet
Encyclopedia
Miles Corbet was an English politician, recorder of Yarmouth and Regicide.
, MP for Great Yarmouth from 1625 to 1629. He entered Lincoln's Inn and was appointed Recorder of Great Yarmouth.
Miles succeeded his brother John as MP
for Yarmouth
, England
, serving from 1640 to 1653, and was the very last of the signatories of Charles I
's death warrant
.
In 1644 he was made clerk of the Court of Wards. In 1655 he was appointed Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.
After the Restoration
of Charles II of England
in 1660, all the 59 men who had signed the death warrant for Charles I were in grave danger as they were considered regicide
s. Miles Corbet, like many of the 59, fled England. He went to the Netherlands
where he thought he would be safe. However, with two other regicides (John Okey
and John Barkstead
) he was arrested by the English ambassador to the Netherlands Sir George Downing and returned to England under guard. After a trial, he was found, guilty, and then hanged, drawn and quartered
on 19 April 1662.
north of Dublin, Ireland
. Local legend has it that each year, on the anniversary of Corbet's death
, his ghost
can be seen riding across parts of the castle ground.
Life
He was the son of Sir Thomas Corbet of Sprowston, Norfolk and the younger brother of Sir John Corbet, 1st BaronetSir John Corbet, 1st Baronet
Sir John Corbet, 1st Baronet was MP for Norfolk between 1624 and 1625 and Yarmouth between 1625 and 1626.He was the son of Sir Thomas Corbet of Sprowston, Norfolk, High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1612 and the elder brother of the regicide, Miles Corbet.His spent nearly a year imprisoned in Westminster...
, MP for Great Yarmouth from 1625 to 1629. He entered Lincoln's Inn and was appointed Recorder of Great Yarmouth.
Miles succeeded his brother John as MP
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 Yarmouth
Great Yarmouth (UK Parliament constituency)
Great Yarmouth is a 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....
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, serving from 1640 to 1653, and was the very last of the signatories of 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...
's death warrant
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...
.
In 1644 he was made clerk of the Court of Wards. In 1655 he was appointed Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer.
After the Restoration
English Restoration
The Restoration of the English monarchy began in 1660 when the English, Scottish and Irish monarchies were all restored under Charles II after the Interregnum that followed the Wars of the Three Kingdoms...
of Charles II of England
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...
in 1660, all the 59 men who had signed the death warrant for Charles I were in grave danger as they were considered regicide
Regicide
The broad definition of regicide is the deliberate killing of a monarch, or the person responsible for the killing of a monarch. In a narrower sense, in the British tradition, it refers to the judicial execution of a king after a trial...
s. Miles Corbet, like many of the 59, fled England. He went to the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
where he thought he would be safe. However, with two other regicides (John Okey
John Okey
John Okey was an English soldier, member of Parliament, and one of the regicides of King Charles I.-Early life and military career:...
and John Barkstead
John Barkstead
John Barkstead was an English Major-General and Regicide.Barkstead was a goldsmith in London; captain of parliamentary infantry under Colonel Venn; governor of Reading, 1645: commanded regiment at siege of Colchester; one of the king's judges, 1648; governor of Yarmouth, 1649, and of the Tower,...
) he was arrested by the English ambassador to the Netherlands Sir George Downing and returned to England under guard. After a trial, he was found, guilty, and then hanged, drawn and quartered
Hanged, drawn and quartered
To be hanged, drawn and quartered was from 1351 a penalty in England for men convicted of high treason, although the ritual was first recorded during the reigns of King Henry III and his successor, Edward I...
on 19 April 1662.
Miles Corbet's ghost
During the reign of Cromwell, Corbet was in charge of Malahide CastleMalahide Castle
Malahide Castle, parts of which date to the 12th century, lies, with over of remaining estate parkland , close to the village of Malahide, nine miles north of Dublin in Ireland.-History:...
north of Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. Local legend has it that each year, on the anniversary of Corbet's death
Death
Death is the permanent termination of the biological functions that sustain a living organism. Phenomena which commonly bring about death include old age, predation, malnutrition, disease, and accidents or trauma resulting in terminal injury....
, his ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
can be seen riding across parts of the castle ground.