Henry Sherfield facts for kids

Henry Sherfield (born in 1572, died in January 1634) was an English lawyer and politician. He was a member of the House of Commons, which is like today's Parliament. Henry Sherfield was a Puritan, a type of Protestant Christian with strong beliefs. He became famous for a court case because he broke a religious image, which was against the rules at the time.

Early Life and Political Career

Henry Sherfield likely grew up in Walhampton in Hampshire, England. He decided to become a lawyer. He studied at Lincoln's Inn, a famous place for training lawyers.

Around 1614, he became the Recorder of Southampton. A Recorder was a judge or a legal officer for a town. In 1621, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Southampton. This meant he represented the town in the House of Commons.

From 1622 until his death, he helped manage Lincoln's Inn. In 1624, he was chosen as an MP for both Southampton and Salisbury. He chose to represent Salisbury and stayed in that role until 1629.

Political Challenges

Sherfield sometimes disagreed with powerful people. He spoke out against George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, a very important figure in the government.

In 1629, Sherfield also raised concerns about Richard Neile, who was the bishop of Winchester. Sherfield pointed out that Bishop Neile had changed some official documents. These changes seemed to protect certain people from punishment for having unusual religious ideas.

Parliament was closed down in March 1629. This stopped any further action against Bishop Neile. After Parliament closed, Sherfield's stepson, Walter Long, was one of several MPs arrested. Sherfield helped defend his stepson in court.

The Window Incident

After Parliament closed, Sherfield went back home to Winterbourne Earls in Wiltshire. He continued his work as the Recorder there. He was concerned about new religious practices that were being introduced in the Church of England. These practices were supported by William Laud, a powerful church leader.

Sherfield was part of the local church council for St Edmund's Church. This church had a stained-glass window that showed God the Father as an old man. He was shown measuring the sun and moon with a compass. Some people in the church would bow to this window.

In February 1630, Sherfield got permission from the church council to remove the window. He wanted to replace it with plain glass. However, John Davenant, who was the bishop of Salisbury, told the church officials not to remove it.

Despite the bishop's order, Sherfield decided to act. After some time, he went into the church by himself. He used his stick to break the window.

Court Case and Later Life

In February 1633, Sherfield was called to appear before the Star chamber. This was a special court that dealt with serious cases. The court decided that Sherfield was guilty.

There was a lot of debate about what his punishment should be. William Laud and Richard Neile wanted a harsh penalty. The court finally decided that Sherfield had to pay a fine of £500. He also had to publicly apologize to Bishop Davenant.

Sherfield made his apology on April 8, 1633. Sadly, his house at Winterbourne Earls had burned down in March 1633. He lost a lot of money, estimated at £2,000, in the fire. Henry Sherfield died in January 1634, before he could pay his fine.

Family

Around 1616, Henry Sherfield married Rebecca Long. She was the widow of Walter Long of Whaddon, Wiltshire. Rebecca was the daughter of Christopher Bailey of Southwick, Wiltshire. Henry Sherfield had one daughter.