John Hampden? Who’s he? Why is he significant? You may be surprised. Read on ….
The following is a very informative article from Dr Beth Rogers, chair of the John Hampden Society. (Here is a link to John Hampden Society.). The John Hampden Society exists to bring together people with an interest in John Hampden, and to encourage wider knowledge of this great 17th century Parliamentarian, his life and times.
“A gallant man, an honest man, an able man” – Arthur Goodwin writing about John Hampden
Prestwood residents will be aware of the neighbouring Hampden villages and local places and schools named after John Hampden, South Bucks’ historical celebrity. You may even have done the Hampden Monument walk or seen the Ship Money monument in Honor End Lane.
You may even have wondered – just how significant was this person?
The monument inscription gives a very important reason. “He upheld the right of the people” by opposing the Ship Money tax that King Charles I imposed without the consent of the elected Parliament. As the figurehead who was tried for the non-payment of this tax, John Hampden is often credited with establishing the principle of “no taxation without representation” which was taken up by the American revolutionaries in the 18th century, and the Chartists and the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the 19th century. We may be proud that a modest South Bucks gentleman had such an impact.
John Hampden was described as a pragmatic strategist by eminent historian Dr Lynette Nusbacher in a recent talk to the John Hampden Society, He was brave as well. He went to prison on one occasion for refusing to contribute to a forced loan for the King, and saw a good friend die in prison. He risked losing his land and his head – the King eventually accused him of high treason. The Hampden family had been landowners in South Bucks since before the Norman Conquest and had been good servants to monarchs, such as Clerk of the Kitchen to Elizabeth I and Nurse to Edward VI. John Hampden was said to have aspired to be the tutor to the Prince of Wales (later Charles II). What had changed?
He was typical of minor gentry in the 17th century – he had been educated to run his estates and be a local representative in Parliament. To be educated in the early 17th century involved religious debate, and many Members of Parliament were not just Protestant, but what was described as Puritan, although that covered a wide spectrum of views from moderate to extreme dissent. John Hampden’s Parliamentary career which began in his twenties, was one of encouraging factions to work together, urging calm in heated situations, negotiating policy and making it work through committees. He did not speak at length like his contemporary John Pym, but historians have noted that what he said was convincing. He was called the most popular man in the House, and “Father of the People” as he wanted Parliament to work for the good of the whole nation.
Some readers may know the tradition that the door of the House of Commons is slammed in Black Rod’s face at the annual opening of parliament. John Hampden is one of the reasons the tradition exists. In 1642, King Charles entered the Commons intending to arrest five members, including Hampden, for high treason. They were not there. They had been given sanctuary in the City of London. Meanwhile, 6,000 men from Buckinghamshire walked to London to petition the King on behalf of “John Hampden, knight of our shire.”
Later that year, King Charles raised his standard, and the Civil War began. In proportion to the population, there was more loss of life in the Civil War in Britain than in World War One. John Hampden had to transition from political strategist to military commander, and his battalion of Buckinghamshire Greencoats played a critical role in halting the Royalist advance on London at the Battles of Brentford and Turnham Green. In 1643, he was wounded at the Battle of Chalgrove. It is said that, despite past animosity, King Charles offered to send his surgeon from Oxford to help him. John Hampden died, probably from sepsis, a few days later, and is buried in an unmarked grave at Great Hampden Church. The whole country grieved. A contemporary wrote: “Never Kingdom received a greater loss in one subject.”
The following photograph is of members of JHS by the John Hampden statue in the House of Commons.
Recent Comments