Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis
| Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis of Eye |
|
|---|---|
| In office 1660–1662 |
Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Baron Cornwallis of Eye (19 April 1632 – 13 April 1673) was a British nobleman, politician, and county magistrate. He served as a Member of Parliament.
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[edit] Early years
Charles was born in Culford, Suffolk, the son of Sir Frederick Cornwallis, 1st Baron Cornwallis and Elizabeth Ashburnham. His paternal grandparents were Admiral Sir William Cornwallis and Jane Meautys (died 1 July 1627). His maternal grandparents were Sir John Ashburnham and Elizabeth Beaumont, Baroness of Cramond. Charles' parents lived much of the time in London, his father being a Royalist and an Equerry to Charles I, while his mother was a Lady-in-Waiting to the Queen.
With his parents busy at Court, Charles and his three siblings were raised at Culford Hall by their grandmother, Lady Jane, who was by then married to her second husband, Sir Nathaniel Bacon. Their home, Culford Hall, had been built by Lady Jane's father-in-law, Sir Nicholas Bacon, 1st Baronet. It is through Lady Jane that Culford Hall eventually passed from Bacon to Frederick, becoming home to the Earls of Cornwallis.[1]
[edit] Career
During his career, he served as a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber in 1660 before becoming an M.P. for Eye, an office he held during the period of 1660 through 1662. As a county magistrate, he was one of the appointees at the assize who oversaw a test of an accused women in the Lowestoft Witch Trial.[2][3]
Charles was knighted in 1661. He succeeded to the titles of 2nd Baron Cornwallis of Eye, and 2nd Baronet Cornwallis, in January 1662.
[edit] Family
At age 19, Charles married Margaret Playsted (died 1668), daughter of Sir Thomas Playsted of Arlington, East Sussex. They had eleven children but, as their eldest two sons died young, their son Charles succeeded to the title. He is buried under a monument[4] in St. Mary's Church, Culford.[2] St. Mary's Church was built by their daughter-in-law Elizabeth's father, Sir Stephen Fox.[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b White, William (1844). History, gazetteer, and directory of Suffolk, and the towns near its borders. Sheffield. pp. 684. OCLC 35158915. http://books.google.com/books?id=ZgxIAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA684&lpg=PA684&dq=%22culford+hall%22&source=web&ots=WcmPTrW25y&sig=rKomF6TXCXBk15y4kzzDTCLpc7M&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=5&ct=result.
- ^ a b "LORD CHARLES CORNWALLIS (1632 – 1673) 2ND BARON CORNWALLIS OF EYE". lowestoftwitches.com. http://www.lowestoftwitches.com/lord_cornwallis.htm. Retrieved 2008-12-06.
- ^ Geis, G.; Bunn, I. (1997). A Trial of Witches: A Seventeenth-century Witchcraft Prosecution. Routledge. pp. 86–87. ISBN 0415171091. http://books.google.com/books?id=xrWKO7EaPakC&pg=PA87&lpg=PA87&dq=Cornwallis+Lowestoft+witch&source=web&ots=t8uXuyPyFQ&sig=zdUiJSYvOfgVJQSqJffohu2Cv3o&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result.
- ^ A Concise Description of Bury St. Edmund's, and Its Environs.. 1827. pp. 89. OCLC 59487091. http://books.google.com/books?id=kqkHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA89&lpg=PA89&dq=%22Charles+Cornwallis%22+monument+culford&source=web&ots=zhjWsr_kQT&sig=L6es5WGCOhNixqDo2ImOMOBQlgs&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=4&ct=result.
[edit] External links
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by unknown |
Member of Parliament for Eye with unknown 1660–1662 |
Succeeded by unknown |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by Frederick Cornwallis |
Baron Cornwallis 1662–1673 |
Succeeded by Charles Cornwallis |
