Sir Wilfrid Lawson, MP, 1st Baronet, of Isell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Wilfrid_Lawson,_1st_Baronet,_of_I...

Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isel Hall, Cumberland (c. 1610–1688) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.

http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1660-1690/member/la...

Family and Education b. c.1610, o.s. of William Lawson of Isel by Judith, da. and h. of William Bewley of Hesket. educ. Queen’s, Oxf. matric. 21 Nov. 1628, aged 17. m. Jane (d. 8 June 1677), da. of Sir Edward Musgrave, 1st Bt., of Hayton Castle, 5s. (2 d.v.p.) 8da. Kntd. 26 Feb. 1641; suc. fa. c.1654; cr. Bt. 31 Mar. 1688.1

Offices Held

Commr. of array, Cumb. 1642; j.p. Cumb. ?1642-May 1643, Cumb. and Westmld. Oct. 1643-d.; commr. for assessment, Cumb. 1644-52, 1657, Aug. 1660-80, militia, Cumb. 1648, Cumb. and Westmld. Mar. 1660; mayor, Carlisle 1652-3, 1657-8; sheriff, Cumb. 1653-7, capt. of militia to 1659, Oct. 1660, dep. lt. c. Aug. 1660-d., commr. for recusants 1675.2

Col. (parliamentary) by 1644.3

Commr. for security [S] 1656.

Biography Lawson’s great-uncle acquired Isel by marriage in Elizabethan times, first representing Cumberland in 1593. His father, who inherited the estate in 1632, was a ship-money sheriff, but sat on the county committee in the Civil War. Lawson himself, though knighted in 1641 and nominated to the commission of array, took up arms for Parliament, and was appointed commander-in-chief for Cumberland in 1644. He held local office throughout the Interregnum, and sat for the county in Richard Cromwell’s Parliament. But his loyalty to the Rump was suspect, and he was imprisoned with Charles Howard after Booth’s rising.4

Lawson was re-elected for Cumberland in 1660 after a stiff contest with Sir George Fletcher. Lord Wharton marked him as a friend, entrusting him with the management of the Cumbrian and some of the west-country Members. An inactive Member of the Convention, he was appointed to 11 committees, including the committee of elections and privileges and those for the land purchases and indemnity bills. After the Restoration he was named to the committees to inquire into impropriate rectories and unauthorized Anglican publications. On 7 July (Sir) Christopher Clapham introduced a proviso to the indemnity bill requiring Lawson to make reparations to Sir Jordan Crosland and his wife for the plunder of Rydal. Lawson, in his only recorded speech, ‘made his defence, saying he never saw any plate or moneys’, and the House accepted this convenient myopia. He received Wharton’s statement of the case for modified episcopacy, but took no part in the proceedings, though he was appointed to two committees of minor importance in the second session.5

At the general election of 1661 Lawson had to step down to a borough seat at Cockermouth, where he enjoyed a strong burgage interest. Wharton again marked him as a friend, but he proved to be one of the least active Members of the Cavalier Parliament, and apparently veered towards the Court. He left no trace in the Journals till the 1666 session when he was added to the elections committee, and appointed to those to inquire into the charter of the Canary Company and to consider a bill for the relief of poor prisoners. His only other committee was the elections committee in 1673, and he three times defaulted on calls of the House. He received the government whip in 1675 and was described by Sir Richard Wiseman as ‘well known to my Lord Ogle [Henry Cavendish] and my Lord Carlisle [Charles Howard]’. On the working lists he was assigned to the management of (Sir) Joseph Williamson, but Shaftesbury marked him ‘worthy’ in 1677. He did not stand again, and presumably opposed exclusion, since he remained a j.p. and deputy lieutenant till his death. To the lord lieutenant’s questions in 1688 he replied:

In case I shall be chosen knight of the shire or burgess of a town when the King shall think fit to call a Parliament, I shall (God willing) be for taking off the Penal Laws and Tests. ... I will assist and contribute to the election of such Members as shall be for taking off the Penal Laws and Tests to the best of my knowledge. He was rewarded with a baronetcy, but died on 13 Dec. 1688, aged 79, and was buried at Isel. His grandson, the 2nd baronet, was returned for Cockermouth as a Tory in 1690.6

Ref Volumes: 1660-1690 Authors: M. W. Helms / Gillian Hampson / Eveline Cruickshanks Notes 1. Nicolson and Burn, Cumb. and Westmld. ii. 96; Northern Hist. v. 47. 2. HMC Portland, i. 186; Cumb. RO, D/MH/1. 3. CSP Dom. 1644-5, pp. 98, 614. 4. Nicolson and Burn, ii. 95; Northern Hist. v. 39, 47; Cal. Cl. SP, iv. 376. 5. CSP Dom. 1659-60, p. 415; HMC Le Fleming, 24; CJ, viii. 84; Bowman diary, f. 62v. 6. Westmld. RO, D/Ry 3228, 3314. Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isel (1610-1688) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.

Lawson married Jane Musgrave, daughter of Sir Edward Musgrave, 1st Baronet of Hayton Castle and had four sons and four daughters. His eldest son William married Milcah Strickland daughter of Sir William Strickland, 1st Baronet of Boynton, Yorkshire and had a son Wilfrid and two daughters. But William having previously lost his eyesight died within the lifetime of his father.[14] The second son Wilfrid was also MP for Cockermouth.

Notes

• The Lawson’s can trace their descent to John Lawson, who in the first year of Henry III (1216) was Lord of Fawkegrave in Yorkshire. (John Burke; John Bernard Burke (1844). A Genealogical & Heraldic History Of The Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies. London.)
• Brayton Hall, the seat and property of Sir Wilfred Lawson. Bart., is a beautiful mansion, occupying a pleasant situation, 1½ miles E. by N. of Aspatria, and 7 miles S.W. by W. of Wigton. Brayton estate forms a joint township with Aspatria, and was granted by Allan, second lord of Allerdale, to Ughtred, whose posterity assumed the local name. It was afterwards possessed by the Salkelds, and was sold by three coheiresses to the ancestors of its present owner, whose family was long seated at Isell, but anciently resided in Yorkshire; and derived their descent from John Lawson, Esquire, of Fawksgrave, in the reign of King Henry III. Sir Wilfred Lawson married the heiress of Isell, and was knighted by James I. He died without issue, and was succeeded by his nephew, William Lawson, Esquire, who espoused the sole heiress of Hesket. Sir Wilfred Lawson, his son, who married the daughter of Sir Edward Musgrave, of Hayton, was created baronet by Charles I. He bequeathed the manor of Isell to his grandson, William, and the manors of Brayton, Bassenthwaite, Hensingham, and Loweswater, to Wilfred. Sir Wilfred Lawson, Bart., son of William, was M.P. for Cockermouth, as also was his son and successor of the same name, whose two sons, Wilfred and Mordaunt, died without issue; after which the estates descended to Gilfred Lawson, Esq , of Brayton, who died in 1749, and was succeeded by his brother Alfred, who died in 1752. Sir Wilfred Lawson, his son, was a knight of the shire for Cumberland, in 1761, and died, unmarried, in 1762, when he was succeeded by his brother, Sir Wilfred Lawson, whose son (the late Sir Wilfred Lawson) much improved the mansion and adjacent grounds, and laid out extensive botanic gardens.
• from: Jefferson, Samuel. History and Antiquities of Carlisle: With an Account of the Castels, Gentlemen's Seats, and Antiquities, in the Vicinity, and Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Men. Carlisle, 1838. Print.

APPENDIX. pg 447 No IX. LIST OF THE MAYORS OF CARLISLE
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The following list has been compiled from the Audit-Book of the Corporation, where the names incidently occur. From the circumstance of the mayoralty commencing in one year, and terminating in the next, -- in some cases, the date given may be the year in which the mayor was elected, whilst in others it may be the year in which he left office; but the names may be relied on as being those of the actual mayors.

• 1653 Sir Wilfred Lawson, Knight
• 1657 Sir Wilfred Lawson, Knight
• 1665 Sir Philip Musgrave, Kt. & Bt.
• 1672 Sir Christopher Musgrave

Links

• ==Notes==
• Brayton Hall, the seat and property of Sir Wilfred Lawson. Bart., is a beautiful mansion, occupying a pleasant situation, 1½ miles E. by N. of Aspatria, and 7 miles S.W. by W. of Wigton. Brayton estate forms a joint township with Aspatria, and was granted by Allan, second lord of Allerdale, to Ughtred, whose posterity assumed the local name. It was afterwards possessed by the Salkelds, and was sold by three coheiresses to the ancestors of its present owner, whose family was long seated at Isell, but anciently resided in Yorkshire; and derived their descent from John Lawson, Esquire, of Fawksgrave, in the reign of King Henry III. Sir Wilfred Lawson married the heiress of Isell, and was knighted by James I. He died without issue, and was succeeded by his nephew, William Lawson, Esquire, who espoused the sole heiress of Hesket. Sir Wilfred Lawson, his son, who married the daughter of Sir Edward Musgrave, of Hayton, was created baronet by Charles I. He bequeathed the manor of Isell to his grandson, William, and the manors of Brayton, Bassenthwaite, Hensingham, and Loweswater, to Wilfred. Sir Wilfred Lawson, Bart., son of William, was M.P. for Cockermouth, as also was his son and successor of the same name, whose two sons, Wilfred and Mordaunt, died without issue; after which the estates descended to Gilfred Lawson, Esq , of Brayton, who died in 1749, and was succeeded by his brother Alfred, who died in 1752. Sir Wilfred Lawson, his son, was a knight of the shire for Cumberland, in 1761, and died, unmarried, in 1762, when he was succeeded by his brother, Sir Wilfred Lawson, whose son (the late Sir Wilfred Lawson) much improved the mansion and adjacent grounds, and laid out extensive botanic gardens.
• from: Jefferson, Samuel. History and Antiquities of Carlisle: With an Account of the Castels, Gentlemen's Seats, and Antiquities, in the Vicinity, and Biographical Memoirs of Eminent Men. Carlisle, 1838. Print.

APPENDIX. pg 447 No IX. LIST OF THE MAYORS OF CARLISLE
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The following list has been compiled from the Audit-Book of the Corporation, where the names incidently occur. From the circumstance of the mayoralty commencing in one year, and terminating in the next, -- in some cases, the date given may be the year in which the mayor was elected, whilst in others it may be the year in which he left office; but the names may be relied on as being those of the actual mayors.

• 1653 Sir Wilfred Lawson, Knight
• 1657 Sir Wilfred Lawson, Knight
• 1665 Sir Philip Musgrave, Kt. & Bt.
• 1672 Sir Christopher Musgrave

Links

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Wilfrid_Lawson,_1st_Baronet,_of_Isell
• http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/b/r/a/Nigel-T-Bradley/WE...
• https://archive.org/stream/historyofcountyo02hutc#page/289/mode/1up

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Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isel (1610-1688) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1679.

Parents: William Lawson (son of Gilfrid Lawson) and Judith Beweley, heiress to the manor of Hesket near Caldbeck

Married:

1. Jane Musgrave, daughter of Sir Edward Musgrave, 1st Baronet of Hayton Castle[13] and had four sons and four daughters.

Brief Biography

Lawson was born in 1610, the son of Sir Wilfred Lawson. He was knighted in 1641. At the beginning of the English Civil War Lawson became active on Oliver Cromwell’s behalf, setting up a garrison on St. Herbert’s Island, Derwent Water then part of his estate.[8] In 1643, he attempted to seize Carlisle Castle for the Parliament; however, the local gentry and the militia routed the parliamentarians and pursued them to Abbey Holme, only to release then on the understanding that they would discontinue their belligerence.[9] In 1652, he assisted a group of Cromwell’s supporter’s when they laid waste to Rydal Hall. His acts of aggression also included the persecution of the Quaker community.[10] He became sheriff of Cumberland in 1635, 1645-47, 1652-57 and again in 1678.

In 1660, Lawson was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for Cumberland in the Convention Parliament. In 1661 he was elected MP for Cockermouth in the second parliament Cavalier Parliament and sat until 1679.[11] In 1688, shortly before his death he purchased a baronetcy patent from James II, at a cost of around £2,000.[12] Lawson purchased Brayton from the Salkeld family. On his death he settled the family estate at Isel on his grandson Wilfrid son of his first son William, who subsequently became Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 2nd Baronet; and to Wilfrid his second son he conferred the estate of Brayton, so founding the line of ‘Brayton’ Lawson’s upon whom the baronetcy descended on failure of the Isel Lawsons.

Lawson married Jane Musgrave, daughter of Sir Edward Musgrave, 1st Baronet of Hayton Castle[13] and had four sons and four daughters. His eldest son William married Milcah Strickland daughter of Sir William Strickland, 1st Baronet of Boynton, Yorkshire and had a son Wilfrid and two daughters. But William having previously lost his eyesight died within the lifetime of his father.[14] The second son Wilfrid was also MP for Cockermouth.

Links

• Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet, of Isell

Citations

8. Lyson and Lyson (1816), p.86
9. Ferguson p.256 (1890) 10. Ferguson p.394 (1871) 11. Ferguson p.459-60 (1871) 12. Lyson and Lyson (1816), p.120 13. Field p.196 (1937) 14. Denton p.47 (1887)

Sources

1. National Archives of the UK: Lawson Family, Baronets, of Brayton and Isel
2. Hesket Hall, near to Hesket Newmarket, Cumbria, Great Britain
3. R. S. Ferguson (1871). Cumberland & Westmorland M.P.'s From The Restoration To The Reform Bill Of 1867 (1660-1867). Carlisle.
4. John Denton (1887). Estates & Families In The County Of Cumberland From The Conquest Unto The Beginning Of The Reighn Of K. James (The First). Kendal.
5. R. S. Ferguson (1890). A History Of Cumberland. Carlisle.
6. F. J. Field (1937). An Armorial For Cumberland. Kendal.
7. Donald Lysons; Samuel Lysons (1816). Lysons History Of Cumberland (A Concise Account Of The County Of Cumberand In 1816. London.
8. William Hutchinson (1797). The History Of Cumberland Vol. 2. London.
9. John Burke; John Bernard Burke (1844). A Genealogical & Heraldic History Of The Extinct and Dormant Baronetcies. London.

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Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 1st Baronet was born circa 1611. He married Jane Musgrave, daughter of Sir Edward Musgrave, 1st Baronett. and Mary Graham. He died in 1689. He was created 1st Baronet Lawson, of Isell in 1688.