Miles Corbet
| Miles Corbett MP | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Member of the [[Short Parliament, Long Parliament, Oxford Parliament (1644), Rump Parliament, Barebone's Parliament, First Protectorate Parliament, Second Protectorate Parliament, Third Protectorate Parliament Parliament]] for Yarmouth |
|
| In office 17 March 1628 – 16 March 1660 |
|
| Preceded by | Sir John Corbet, 1st Baronet |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c1594 Sprowston, Norfolk |
| Died | 19 April 1662 Tyburn gallows |
| Nationality | English |
| Political party | Parliamentarian |
| Occupation | Member of Parliament |
| Profession | Lawyer |
| Religion | Puritan |
Miles Corbet (1595 – 1662) was an English politician, recorder of Yarmouth and Regicide.
Contents |
[edit] Life
He was the son of Sir Thomas Corbet of Sprowston, Norfolk and the younger brother of Sir John Corbet, 1st Baronet, 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.[1]
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 regicides. 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.
[edit] Miles Corbet's ghost
During the reign of Cromwell, Corbet was in charge of Malahide Castle 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.
[edit] References
- ^ Sarah Barber, Corbett, Miles (1594/5–1662), Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
