Sir Simonds d'Ewes, 1st Baronet
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Sir Simonds d'Ewes, 1st Baronet (December 18, 1602, Milden, Suffolk, England - April 18, 1650) was an antiquary and politician. He was bred for the bar, was a member of the Long Parliament and left notes on its transactions. d'Ewes took the Puritan side in the Civil War. His Journal of all the Parliaments of Elizabeth is of value; he left an Autobiography and Correspondence.
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[edit] Life and political career
Simonds d'Ewes was born the eldest son of Paul d'Ewes, of Milden, Suffolk, and Cecelia, the heiress of Sir Richard Simonds. He was sent to the Grammar school at Bury St. Edmunds, and then to St John's College, Cambridge.
He was admitted to the Middle Temple in 1611, and in 1623 was called to the Bar. It was here that he began his accumulation of material that would lead to his famed career in Antiquities.
His marriage, in 1626, to Anne Clopton, heiress to Sir William Compton, of Luton's Hall in Suffolk, brought him a considerable addition to his wealth. He was knighted by Charles I on 6 December.
In 1639, d'Ewes was High Sheriff of Suffolk, and 1640, he was elected as member for Sudbury, sitting in the Long Parliament in opposition of the King's arbitrary rule.[1] Although he was a puritan, he was given a baronetcy, possibly as an attempt to buy allegiance, in July. However, on the outbreak of Civil War in 1642, d'Ewes joined the Parliamentarians. He remained in Parliament until 1648, when Colonel Thomas Pride expelled him, along with many other members of Parliament, for not supporting the Grandees of the Army and the Independents. This became popularly known as Pride's purge.
After 1648, d'Ewes devoted himself to literary studies[1] and died on 18 April 1650, after having married again, to Elizabeth Willoughby, daughter of Sir Henry Willoughby, Bt.
[edit] Antiquarian
Simonds d'Ewes is perhaps best known for his work as an antiquarian. He is known for his transcriptions of important historical documents, most of which do not survive today, and the Journals of all the Parliaments during the Reign of Queen Elizabeth. However, although d'Ewes was ambitious in this field, he lacked the ability to generalise or construct effectively, and died without publishing any major work, except The Primitive Practice for Preserving Truth (1645) and a few speeches (The Journals of all the Parliaments during the Reign of Queen Elizabeth was published posthumously in 1682 by his nephew, the lawyer and antiquary Paul Bowes).
He had a large collection of historical and ancient manuscripts, most of which he transcribed. These documents tell give an insight into what life was like in the ancient and historical worlds, in way of use of language and, in general, an insight into their daily routine.
[edit] Legacy
Simonds d'Ewes, although known for the events in parliament during the 1640s, is best known for his contribution to the antiquarian world. If it wasn't for d'Ewes fascination and dedication to his field of interest, the story behind the documents he transcribed, although the originals are lost, remain in the transcriptions. He also kept a diary, which gives an insight into the events in Parliament; the glimpses of his own, possibly self-loving, character are also present.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Orchard, James (ed.), The Autobiography and Correspondence of Sir Simonds D'Ewes, Bart., page 7 of Preface online at books.google.co.uk, accessed 14 April 2008
- The Journals of all the Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth: full text at British History Online.
- This article incorporates text from the public domain 1907 edition of The Nuttall Encyclopædia.
