Daily entries from the 17th century London diary
If you would like to write a summary for this topic, email phil [at] gyford [dot] com
Wikipedia
John Bradshaw (1602-October 31, 1659) was an English judge and regicide.
[edit] Early Life
John Bradshaw, the second son of Henry Bradshaw and Mary Marbury was born in 1602 at Wibersley Hall and baptized on December 10th in Stockport Church. As a child he attended the free school at Stockport, as well as schools in Bunbury, Chesire, and Middleton.[1] According to tradition, while his family was living in Macclesfield he wrote the following inscription on a gravestone:
"My brother Henry must heir the land, My brother Frank must be at his command; Whilst I, poor Jack, will do that That all the world will wonder at!"[2]
After studying law in London, he was called to the bar at Gray’s Inn on April 23rd, 1627. He served on the provincial bar of Congleton until he became mayor in 1637.[3] John Milton wrote highly of Bradshaw’s aptitude during his public service, saying that “All his early life he was sedulously employed in making himself acquainted with the laws of the country; he then practiced with singular success and reputation at the bar.”[4] Interestingly, when Bradshaw was named as the Lord President of Charles I’s trial, the king, as well as much of the court, professed to having never heard of him.
At some time between 1640 and 1643, Bradshaw moved from Congleton to Basinghall Street in London. In 1643 he was a candidate for the post of the judge of the London sheriff’s court. He was elected, and maintained the post until his death.[5]
[edit] Trial of Charles I
In 1649 he was made president of the parliamentary commission to try the king. Other lawyers of greater prominence had refused the position. Bradshaw himself did not attend court until the third session after his appointment, apologizing on the grounds that he disavowed his ability to perform “so important a task.”[6] While he served as the Lord President, he was flanked by an impressive personal guard and carried a sword at his side. He wore scarlet robes and a “broad-brimmed, bullet-proof iron hat, which he had covered over with velvet.”[7]
Bradshaw was a controversial choice as Lord President, and opinions of his efficiency as a judge varied. Bulstrode Whitelocke believed that he was “learned in his profession,” but Thomas Fuller dismissed him as a man “of execrable memory, of whom nothing good is remembered.”[8] After declaring Charles I guilty as a “Tyrant, Traitor, Murderer, and a public enemy,” Bradshaw did not allow the king any final words. Under British law, a condemned prisoner is no longer alive and therefore does not have the right to speak, and Bradshaw followed this tradition strictly. [9]
For a short time, Bradshaw was rewarded with honors and offices and acted (1649–53) as President of the Council of State.
[edit] Life After Trial
He was forced to retire when Oliver Cromwell, as Lord General, later Lord Protector of England, dissolved the council. Bradshaw became an opponent of The Protectorate, was a prominent member of the Commonwealth, and a strong Republican.
After Oliver Cromwell died in 1658, his son, Richard Cromwell, succeeded him as Lord Protector. Bradshaw moved to Westminster in 1659 after falling dangerously ill, and died on October 31st of the same year. He was buried with great honors at Westminster Abbey, and his eulogy was eloquently performed by John Rowe.[10]
[edit] Posthumous Execution
Charles II was restored to power in 1660. On January 30th, 1661 Bradshaw, along with the bodies of Oliver Cromwell and Henry Ireton, was exhumed and displayed in chains all day on the gallows at Tyburn. At sunset the bodies were beheaded. The bodies were thrown into a common pit and the heads were displayed on pikes on top of Westminster Hall. [11]
[edit] References
“Bradshaw, John”. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. VIII. 1921.
Sachse, William L. "England's "Black Tribunal": an Analysis of the Regicide Court." The Journal of British Studies 12 (1973): 69-85. JSTOR. 3 Mar. 2008.
Stratford, Esme W. King Charles the Martyr, 1643-1649. Westport, CT: Greenwood P, 1975. 318-342.
Wedgwood, C. V. A Coffin for King Charles. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1964. 183
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ “Bradshaw, John”. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. VIII. 1921.
- ^ Stratford, Esme W. King Charles the Martyr, 1643-1649. Westport, CT: Greenwood P, 1975. 318-342.
- ^ “Bradshaw, John”. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. VIII. 1921.
- ^ Sachse, William L. "England's "Black Tribunal": an Analysis of the Regicide Court." The Journal of British Studies 12 (1973): 69-85. JSTOR. 3 Mar. 2008.
- ^ “Bradshaw, John”. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. VIII. 1921.
- ^ Sachse, William L. "England's "Black Tribunal": an Analysis of the Regicide Court." The Journal of British Studies 12 (1973): 69-85. JSTOR. 3 Mar. 2008.
- ^ Sachse, William L. "England's "Black Tribunal": an Analysis of the Regicide Court." The Journal of British Studies 12 (1973): 69-85. JSTOR. 3 Mar. 2008.
- ^ Sachse, William L. "England's "Black Tribunal": an Analysis of the Regicide Court." The Journal of British Studies 12 (1973): 69-85. JSTOR. 3 Mar. 2008.
- ^ Wedgwood, C. V. A Coffin for King Charles. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1964. 183
- ^ “Bradshaw, John”. The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. VIII. 1921.
- ^ Wedgwood, C. V. A Coffin for King Charles. New York: The Macmillan Co., 1964. 183
[edit] External links
- Biography of John Bradshaw British Civil Wars website
- Biography of John Bradshaw nndb.com
