Humphrey Coningsby

For other people named Humphrey Coningsby, see Humphrey Coningsby (disambiguation).

Humphrey Coningsby (born ca. 1623) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1641 to 1644. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War.

Hampton Court Castle, Herefordshire - seat of the Coningsby family

Coningsby was the eldest son of Fitzwilliam Conningsby, of Hampton Court, Herefordshire, and Cicely Nevill, daughter of Henry Nevill, 9th Baron Bergavenny. He matriculated at Lincoln College, Oxford on 23 February 1638, aged 15. He was of the Middle Temple in 1639.[1]

In November 1641, Coningsby was elected Member of Parliament for Herefordshire in the Long Parliament, replacing his father who had been expelled as a monopolist.[2] He supported the King and was disabled from sitting in parliament on 22 January 1644.

Coningsby married Lettice Loftus, eldest daughter of Sir Arthur Loftus of Rathfarnham, Ireland. Their son Thomas became Earl Coningsby.[3]

In later life he is said to have suffered from mental health problems and to have died demented. His son Thomas accused Ferdinando Gorges, a wealthy Barbadian merchant who had lent his father large sums of money, of exercising undue influence over him. Notwithstanding this, Thomas married Gorges's daughter Barbara and had a number of children by her. [4]

References

  1. ^ 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500-1714: Colericke-Coverley', Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 304-337. Date accessed: 16 May 2011
  2. ^ Willis, Browne (1750). Notitia Parliamentaria, Part II: A Series or Lists of the Representatives in the several Parliaments held from the Reformation 1541, to the Restoration 1660 ... London. pp. 229–239.
  3. ^ Courtney, W. P. (1887). "Coningsby, Thomas, Earl (1656?–1729)". Dictionary of National Biography Vol. XII. Smith, Elder & Co. Retrieved 23 October 2007. The first edition of this text is available at Wikisource: "Coningsby, Thomas (1656?-1729)" . Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1885–1900.
  4. ^ Raymond Gorges (1944): A History of the Family of Gorges https://archive.org/details/storyoffamilythr00gorg/page/238/mode/2up?q=Coningsby Boston, privately printed, pp. 201-204. Date accessed: 16 Mar 2024.
Parliament of England
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Herefordshire
1641–1644
With: Sir Robert Harley 		Succeeded by