Theophilus Oglethorpe
Encyclopedia
Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe (14 September 1650 – 10 April 1702) was an English soldier and MP.
The son of Sutton Oglethorpe, he came of an old Yorkshire
family from Bramham
and he had loyally supported King Charles I
against the Cromwellian forces, and in consequence suffered severely at the hands of the Puritans with his home and lands being confiscated. With the restoration of the Monarchy, the Oglethorpes, as good Royalists came back into favour, and young Theophilus, soon a dashing major of Dragoons lodged adjacent to Whitehall, fell in love with Eleanor Wall, ‘sempstriss’ to the King and who lodged at the palaces. They were married and continued in Royal favour, becoming particularly attached to the Duke of York, afterwards James II
; Theophilus became his principal equerry
, and in the new Parliament elected following his accession to the throne, Theophilus was elected MP for Morpeth
.
Theophilus played a prominent part in the defeat of James, Duke of Monmouth
at Sedgemoor
, being hailed as something of a hero. However, his fortunes changed with those of the King, and when James II was forced to abdicate, Oglethorpe accompanied his King to France. His retirement from the Army following the Glorious Revolution
in 1688/9, and from all other offices, officially burying himself in his new home at Westbrook, served as a cloak for the continued plotting of himself and his wife, Eleanor, on behalf of the ‘king over the water’.
The result was that Theophilus was soon the subject of a warrant as a Jacobite
conspirator. Following various alarms and adventures he was finally captured on 30 May 1691, but received light punishment being required to pay a fine of forty shillings for failing to take the oaths of allegiance to William and Mary
. In and out of the country, he continued occasionally hiding at Westbrook and from time to time plotting and counter-plotting until after the death of Queen Mary II
. Throughout the whole of this time, although loyally devoting himself to the Stuart cause, Theophilus had remained a Protestant as his father had been, and when James II finally rid his court at Saint-Germain
of all non-Catholics in response to the pressure of his French hosts, Theophilus, after twenty years of service to the Stuarts, ruefully returned to Godalming
and, in the late autumn of 1696, took the oath of loyalty to William III
.
Theophilus returned to Godalming in the late Autumn of 1696. In 1698 he was elected Member of Parliament
for the Surrey
borough of Haslemere
, and three of his sons - the oldest, Lewis
, his second son, also called Theophilus
, and a third James
, were all also subsequently MPs for the same constituency. Sir Theophilus died in 1702.
His son, Lewis Oglethorpe
, who was a keen and devoted follower of Marlborough
, gave up politics for the Army but died of a wound in the Battle of Schellenberg
in 1704. The younger Theophilus
became an even more ardent Jacobite than his father and soon relinquished his parliamentary duties, his position as Squire of Westbrook, and his native lands and spent the rest of his life abroad involved in all the intrigues and plans that continuously surrounded the Stuart case, dying at the Court of St-Germain. James Oglethorpe
, after also seeing active military service, had a thirty-year career in Parliament and was the founder of the colony of Georgia
.
The son of Sutton Oglethorpe, he came of an old Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
family from Bramham
Bramham cum Oglethorpe
Bramham cum Oglethorpe, more well known as just "Bramham", is a village and civil parish in the City of Leeds metropolitan borough, West Yorkshire, England.- Overview :According to the 2001 census the parish had a population of 1,715...
and he had loyally supported 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...
against the Cromwellian forces, and in consequence suffered severely at the hands of the Puritans with his home and lands being confiscated. With the restoration of the Monarchy, the Oglethorpes, as good Royalists came back into favour, and young Theophilus, soon a dashing major of Dragoons lodged adjacent to Whitehall, fell in love with Eleanor Wall, ‘sempstriss’ to the King and who lodged at the palaces. They were married and continued in Royal favour, becoming particularly attached to the Duke of York, afterwards James II
James II of England
James II & VII was King of England and King of Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII, from 6 February 1685. He was the last Catholic monarch to reign over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland...
; Theophilus became his principal equerry
Equerry
An equerry , and related to the French word "écuyer" ) is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon a Sovereign, a member of a Royal Family, or a national...
, and in the new Parliament elected following his accession to the throne, Theophilus was elected MP for Morpeth
Morpeth (UK Parliament constituency)
Morpeth was a borough constituency centred on the town of Morpeth in Northumberland represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of England until 1707, the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and then the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
.
Theophilus played a prominent part in the defeat of James, Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth
James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch, KG, PC , was an English nobleman. Originally called James Crofts or James Fitzroy, he was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the eldest illegitimate son of Charles II and his mistress, Lucy Walter...
at Sedgemoor
Battle of Sedgemoor
The Battle of Sedgemoor was fought on 6 July 1685 and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerset, England.It was the final battle of the Monmouth Rebellion and followed a series of skirmishes around south west England between the forces of James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth and the...
, being hailed as something of a hero. However, his fortunes changed with those of the King, and when James II was forced to abdicate, Oglethorpe accompanied his King to France. His retirement from the Army following the Glorious Revolution
Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also called the Revolution of 1688, is the overthrow of King James II of England by a union of English Parliamentarians with the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau...
in 1688/9, and from all other offices, officially burying himself in his new home at Westbrook, served as a cloak for the continued plotting of himself and his wife, Eleanor, on behalf of the ‘king over the water’.
The result was that Theophilus was soon the subject of a warrant as a Jacobite
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
conspirator. Following various alarms and adventures he was finally captured on 30 May 1691, but received light punishment being required to pay a fine of forty shillings for failing to take the oaths of allegiance to William and Mary
William and Mary
The phrase William and Mary usually refers to the coregency over the Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, of King William III & II and Queen Mary II...
. In and out of the country, he continued occasionally hiding at Westbrook and from time to time plotting and counter-plotting until after the death of Queen Mary II
Mary II of England
Mary II was joint Sovereign of England, Scotland, and Ireland with her husband and first cousin, William III and II, from 1689 until her death. William and Mary, both Protestants, became king and queen regnant, respectively, following the Glorious Revolution, which resulted in the deposition of...
. Throughout the whole of this time, although loyally devoting himself to the Stuart cause, Theophilus had remained a Protestant as his father had been, and when James II finally rid his court at Saint-Germain
Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye
The Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a royal palace in the commune of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, in the département of Yvelines, about 19 km west of Paris, France. Today, it houses the Musée d'Archéologie Nationale ....
of all non-Catholics in response to the pressure of his French hosts, Theophilus, after twenty years of service to the Stuarts, ruefully returned to Godalming
Godalming
Godalming is a town and civil parish in the Waverley district of the county of Surrey, England, south of Guildford. It is built on the banks of the River Wey and is a prosperous part of the London commuter belt. Godalming shares a three-way twinning arrangement with the towns of Joigny in France...
and, in the late autumn of 1696, took the oath of loyalty to William III
William III of England
William III & II was a sovereign Prince of Orange of the House of Orange-Nassau by birth. From 1672 he governed as Stadtholder William III of Orange over Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel of the Dutch Republic. From 1689 he reigned as William III over England and Ireland...
.
Theophilus returned to Godalming in the late Autumn of 1696. In 1698 he was elected 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 the Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
borough of Haslemere
Haslemere (UK Parliament constituency)
Haslemere was a parliamentary borough in Surrey, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1584 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1584-1640:-1640-1832:Notes- References :...
, and three of his sons - the oldest, Lewis
Lewis Oglethorpe
Lewis Oglethorpe was an English Member of Parliament and soldier.Oglethorpe entered parliament in 1702 as member for Haslemere, for which his father Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe had previously been MP and which was later represented by his brothers Theophilus, junior and James.He was wounded at the...
, his second son, also called Theophilus
Theophilus Oglethorpe (born 1684)
Theophilus Oglethorpe, junior was an English Member of Parliament.Oglethorpe entered Parliament in 1708 as member for Haslemere, for which his father Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe and older brother Lewis had previously been MPs, and which was later represented by his younger brother James...
, and a third James
James Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
, were all also subsequently MPs for the same constituency. Sir Theophilus died in 1702.
His son, Lewis Oglethorpe
Lewis Oglethorpe
Lewis Oglethorpe was an English Member of Parliament and soldier.Oglethorpe entered parliament in 1702 as member for Haslemere, for which his father Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe had previously been MP and which was later represented by his brothers Theophilus, junior and James.He was wounded at the...
, who was a keen and devoted follower of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
, gave up politics for the Army but died of a wound in the Battle of Schellenberg
Battle of Schellenberg
The Battle of Schellenberg, also known as the Battle of Donauwörth, was fought on 2 July 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. The engagement was part of the Duke of Marlborough's campaign to save the Habsburg capital of Vienna from a threatened advance by King Louis XIV's Franco-Bavarian...
in 1704. The younger Theophilus
Theophilus Oglethorpe (born 1684)
Theophilus Oglethorpe, junior was an English Member of Parliament.Oglethorpe entered Parliament in 1708 as member for Haslemere, for which his father Sir Theophilus Oglethorpe and older brother Lewis had previously been MPs, and which was later represented by his younger brother James...
became an even more ardent Jacobite than his father and soon relinquished his parliamentary duties, his position as Squire of Westbrook, and his native lands and spent the rest of his life abroad involved in all the intrigues and plans that continuously surrounded the Stuart case, dying at the Court of St-Germain. James Oglethorpe
James Oglethorpe
James Edward Oglethorpe was a British general, member of Parliament, philanthropist, and founder of the colony of Georgia...
, after also seeing active military service, had a thirty-year career in Parliament and was the founder of the colony of Georgia
Province of Georgia
The Province of Georgia was one of the Southern colonies in British America. It was the last of the thirteen original colonies established by Great Britain in what later became the United States...
.