Colonel John Birch(7 September 1615 – 10 May 1691) was a soldier and politician fromManchesterinEngland.He fought for theParliamentariansin theFirst English Civil War,and was aMember of Parliamentat various times between 1646 and 1691.
Colonel John Birch | |
|---|---|
 John Birch's monument, St Peter & St Paul's, Weobley[a] | |
| MP forWeobley | |
| In office 1679–1691 | |
| MP forPenryn | |
| In office 1661–1679 | |
| High Stewardof Leominster | |
| In office 1648–1660 | |
| MP forLeominster | |
| In office 1646–1660 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1615 Ardwick Manor, nearManchester |
| Died | 10 May 1691(aged 75) Garnstone Manor,Weobly |
| Resting place | St Peter and St Paul's, Weobley |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouse(s) | Alice Deane (died 1671) Winifred Norris (died 1717) |
| Relations | Thomas Birch (1608-1678) |
| Children | Two sons, three daughters |
| Parent(s) | Samuel and Mary Birch |
| Occupation | Wine merchant, soldier, politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  England1642–1646 |
| Years of service | 1642 to 1646 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands | Governor ofHereford1645-1646 |
| Battles/wars | |
Considered a moderate, he was excluded from Parliament inPride's Purgeof December 1648, and prevented from taking his seat forLeominsterunder theProtectorate.After the 1660Stuart Restoration,he was restored to favour and sat on over 122 Parliamentary Committees. During the 1679Exclusion Crisis,he supported barring theCatholicJames IIfrom the throne, and subsequently backed the 1689Glorious Revolution.
A contemporaryGilbert Burnetlater described him as "...the roughest and boldest speaker in the House, [with]] the language and phrases of a carrier...he spoke always with much life and heat, but judgment was not his talent."[1]
Personal details
editJohn Birch was born 7 September 1615, eldest surviving son of Samuel and Mary Birch. A wealthyPresbyterianmerchant, his father owned Ardwick Manor, outsideManchester.He had two brothers, Samuel (1621-1683), and Thomas (1633-1700).[2]He moved toBristolin 1633, where he set up as a wine merchant.[3]
Birch married Alice Deane (died 1671), daughter of a Bristol merchant. They had five children who lived to adulthood; John (c. 1647– after 1683), Samuel (died 1704), Mary (ca.1645–1728), Elizabeth and Sarah (died 1702). There were no children from his second marriage to Winifred Norris, who died in 1717.[3]
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
editAt the start of theFirst English Civil Warin August 1642, Birch was a captain in theBristolmilitia and served with theParliamentariangarrison. He later recorded that some of his men viewed the war as a break from routine, with better pay and rations than in civilian life and were concerned it might end too soon.[4]
After theRoyalistscapturedthe town in June 1643,the garrison was given a pass toLondon.With the help of SirArthur Haselrig,Birch was commissioned in the army commanded byWilliam Waller,and quickly proved an energetic and courageous officer. In November 1643, he served in the firstSiege of Basing House,and was slightly wounded in theBattle of Altonon 13 December. Less than a week later, he was shot in the stomach in anassault on Arundel Castle,allegedly surviving only because the cold weather stemmed the flow of blood.[5]
Birch recovered in time to fight atCheritonin March 1644, a Parliamentarian success that forcedCharles Ionto the defensive inSouth East England.[6]AtCropredy Bridgein June, he commanded the rearguard that held the bridge long enough to allow Waller's main force to retreat. Shortly after this, Birch raised a regiment of infantry which was shipped toPlymouthto reinforce the garrison. He spent the rest of the war inSouth West Englandand theWelsh Marches.[7]
Although not part of theNew Model Army,his unit took part in its 1645 Western Campaign including the capture ofBridgwaterandBristol.On 17 December 1645, Birch led a surprise night-time attack on the Royalist garrison ofHereford,which had recently repulsed amonth-long siegeby ScotsCovenanters,[8]and the Royalist commanderBarnabas Scudamorewas later accused of betrayal.[9]Appointed Governor of Hereford, Birch also fought atStow-on-the-Woldin March 1646, the last major battle of the war, and capturedGoodrich Castlein June, just before the war ended.[10]
However, victory resulted in increasingly bitter disputes over the post-war political settlement between radicals within the New Model likeOliver Cromwell,and the moderate party in Parliament, which included his former commander William Waller, andDenzil Holles.[11]At the same time, Parliament's desperate economic position made reductions in the military a matter of urgency. Birch became involved in a struggle with the other regional Parliamentarian commander,Edward Harley,as both men sought to ensure their troops were the ones retained.[12]
One of the few members of the locallanded gentryto support Parliament in 1642, Harley defeated Birch in 1646 asMPforHerefordshire.Despite this setback, in September Birch was elected forLeominster,but under theSelf-denying Ordinancewas required to give up his military commission.[12]AppointedHigh stewardof Leominster in 1648, he also invested heavily in purchasing church lands, which made him extremely wealthy.[13]Disputes over a peace settlement with Charles I and religious policy splitParliamentbetween moderates like Birch, and more radicalreligious Independentssuch asOliver Cromwell,including his cousinThomas Birch.After theSecond English Civil Warhe was excluded from Parliament inPride's Purgeof 6 December 1648.[14]
1660 Restoration and after
editBirch met withCharles IIprior to theBattle of Worcesterin September 1651 but avoided direct participation, possibly due to the influence of his cousin Thomas, who remained loyal to theProtectorate.He retained his Leominster seat throughout the Commonwealth, although he was not allowed to take his seat, and later claimed to have been arrested 21 times. After theStuart Restorationin 1660, he was removed as High Steward of Leominster, and forced to sell his lands back to the church, ending his influence in the area. However, in 1661 he was returned as MP forPenryn,in theCavalier Parliament.[13]
Although he never held high political office, Birch sat on numerous committees, especially those connected to public spending and taxes, where he proved a relentless and astute auditor. His presence on the committee to review naval expenditure after theSecond Anglo-Dutch Warbrought him into contact withPepys,who noted he "do take it upon him to defend us, and do mightily do me right in all his discourse".[15]According to one commentator, he was "the roughest and boldest speaker in the House, who talked in the language and phrases of acarrier,but with a beauty and eloquence that was always acceptable ".[16]
TheAct of Uniformity 1662expelled Presbyterians from theChurch of England,among them being John, and his brother Samuel, who was evicted from his parish ofBampton, Oxfordshireas a result.[12]However, Birch voted for the1673 Test Act,which required holders of public office holders to beAnglicans,and became a member of the church. This was largely due to his opposition toCatholicism,and in theExclusion Crisis,he supported barring Charles' Catholic brotherJamesfrom the throne.[13]
Birch purchased Garnstone Manor,Weobly,in 1661, giving him control of itsParliamentary seat.First elected in 1679, he held it until his death in 1691, with the exception of 1685, when he stood down following the accession of James II. He regained it after the November 1688Glorious Revolution,and was prominent in debates over theBill of Rightsand the Revolutionary settlement.[12]
His last recorded Parliamentary appearance was in April 1690; he died at home on 10 May 1691, and was buried at St Peter and St Paul's, Weobley. The railings around his monument extended into the altar space, and were removed in 1694 byGilbert Ironside, Bishop of Hereford;the holes are still visible.[12]His youngest daughter, Sarah, inherited Garnstone, on condition she marry her cousin, anotherJohn Birch;he held the Weobley seat almost continuously from 1701, until his death in 1735.[17]
Notes
edit- ^Repaired after being damaged in 1694, this incorrectly gives his date of birth as 1626
References
edit- ^Burnet 1734,pp. 90–91.
- ^Burke 1838,p. 27.
- ^abBurke 1838,p. 28.
- ^Ackroyd 2014,p. 249.
- ^Plant 2006.
- ^Royle 2004,p. 288.
- ^Colonel John Birch’s Regiment.
- ^Hibbert 1993,p. 235.
- ^Hopper 2012,p. 186.
- ^Hull & Whitehorne 2008,p. 38.
- ^Gentles 2002,pp. 144–150.
- ^abcdeKey 2004.
- ^abcFerris 1983.
- ^Royle 2004,pp. 480–485.
- ^Pepys.
- ^Burnet 1734,p. 80.
- ^Sedgwick 1970.
Sources
edit- Ackroyd, Peter (2014).Civil War: The History of England Volume III.Macmillan.ISBN978-0230706415.
- Burke, John (1838).A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Commoners of Great Britain, Volume 4.Henry Colburn.
- Burnet, Gilbert (1734).History of My Own Time; Volume II(2015 ed.). Andesite.ISBN978-1298711793.
- Colonel John Birch’s Regiment."Colonel John Birch's Regiment of Foot".BCW Project.Retrieved20 April2021.
- Ferris, John P (1983).BIRCH, John (1615-91), of The Homme, nr. Leominster and Garnstone Manor, Weobley, Herefordshire inThe History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660–1690.Boydell & Brewer.
- Gentles, Ian (2002). Kenyon, John; Ohlmeyer, Jane (eds.).The Civil Wars in England inThe Civil Wars; a Military History of England, Scotland and Ireland 1638-1660.OUP.ISBN978-0192802781.
- Hibbert, Christopher (1993).Cavaliers and Roundheads; the English at war 1642-1649(1994 ed.). Harper Collins.ISBN978-0586090084.
- Hopper, Andrew (2012).Turncoats and Renegadoes: Changing Sides During the English Civil Wars.Oxford University Press.
- Hull, Lise; Whitehorne, Stephen (2008).Great Castles of Britain & Ireland.New Holland Publishers.ISBN978-1-84773-130-2.
- Key, Newton E (2004). "Birch, John".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/2429.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- Pepys, Samuel."Friday 21 February 1668 in The Diary of Samuel Pepys".Pepys Diary Online.Retrieved8 May2020.
- Plant, David (23 September 2006)."John Birch".BCW Project.Retrieved8 March2020.[better source needed]
- Royle, Trevor (2004).Civil War: The Wars of the Three Kingdoms 1638–1660(2006 ed.). Abacus.ISBN978-0-349-11564-1.
- Sedgwick, Romney (1970).BIRCH, John II (c.1666-1735), of Garnstone Manor, Weobley, Herefs. in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715–1754.CUP.
Bibliography
edit- Willis-Bund, John William(1905).The Civil War In Worcestershire, 1642-1646: And the Scotch Invasion Of 1651.Birmingham: The Midland Educational Company. pp.176–178.
External links
edit- John Webb. Military memoir of John Birch
- Brief history of the Life of John Birch(up to the start of his political career)
- Biography on British Civil Wars site
- Battle of Cropredy BridgeArchived3 August 2007 at theWayback Machine
- House of Commons Journalfor 22 December 1645 recording the arrival of news of the capture of Hereford
- References to Col Birchin The Diary ofSamuel Pepys
- Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs