John Kempe (MP)

John Kempe (c 1610 - 5 October 1652) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1640 to 1652. He supported the Parliamentarian cause in the English Civil War.

Kempe was the son of Thomas Kempe of Beaulieu, and his wife Mary Oglander daughter of Sir William Oglander. His father died in 1622, leaving him the family estate, and his mother remarried Bromfield.[1] He was admitted at Gray's Inn on 2 May 1631.[2][3]

In April 1640, Kempe was elected Member of Parliament for Lymington in the Short Parliament. In 1645, he elected MP for Christchurch in the Long Parliament.[4][5] He carried the demands of the Parliamentarians to the King Charles when he was imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle,[1] but is not recorded in the Rump Parliament after Pride's Purge'

Kempe lived at Bucker's Hard, near Beaulieu and at Haywood in the parish of Boldre. He died unmarried in 1652 at the age of 41 and was buried at Boldre Church on 7 October.[1] There remains a striking alabaster bust with a Latin inscription on the north wall of the nave at Boldre Church.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Frederick Hitchin- Kemp A general history of the Kemp and Kempe families of Great Britain and her colonies, with arms, pedigrees, portraits, illustrations of seats, foundations, chantries, monuments, documents, old jewels, curios, etc
  2. ^ Gray's Inn Admission Register 1521-1889
  3. ^ The work by Hitchen-Kemp, states that Kempe was mayor of Christchurch three times between 1625 and 1640. This is unlikely given his age and may refer to another John Kemp of Christchurch also mentioned in the work.
  4. ^ Browne Willis Notitia parliamentaria, or, An history of the counties, cities, and boroughs in England and Wales: ... The whole extracted from mss. and printed evidences 1750 pp229-239
  5. ^ G N Godwin The Civil War in Hampshire and the Story of Basing House
  6. ^ Boldre and South Baddesley Benefice
Parliament of England
Preceded by
Parliament suspended since 1629		 Member of Parliament for Lymington
1640
With: John Doddington		 Succeeded by
John Button
Henry Campion
Preceded by
Matthew Davis
Henry Tulse		 Member of Parliament for Christchurch
1640-1653
With: Richard Edwards		 Succeeded by
Not represented in Barebones Parliament