Henry Whitfield (lawyer) facts for kids

Henry Whitfield (born in 1619, died in 1688) was an English lawyer. He later moved to Ireland and became a member of the Irish House of Commons, which was like a parliament for Ireland at the time. He also had business interests in Barbados.

His Life

Henry Whitfield was born in London and was baptised on June 17, 1619. His father, Sir Ralph Whitfield, was a well-known lawyer and landowner. Henry followed in his father's footsteps.

In 1632, when he was about 13, Henry started studying law at Gray's Inn in London. These "Inns of Court" were places where lawyers were trained. After that, in 1635, he went to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge for his university education.

In 1646, he married Hester Temple in London. At some point, Henry moved to Ireland. By 1685, he was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for a place called Trim in Ireland. This meant he helped make laws and decisions for the country.

Henry Whitfield passed away in Dublin, Ireland, on October 26, 1688. He had written his will (a document saying what should happen to his belongings) a month before. This will was also recorded in Barbados, which shows he had business there. His wife, Hester, lived until 1696.

His Family

Henry and Hester Whitfield had six children:

• Temple (died 1730) married Elizabeth Osborn. They didn't have any children. Temple inherited a large estate called Bury Park in Rickmansworth from his aunt.
• Ralph (died 1694) married his cousin, Arabella. They had two children, Ralph and Maria.
• Henry lived in Bishops Stortford. In 1689, he married Abigail Gape. Their son, also named Henry, later inherited the Rickmansworth estate from his uncle Temple.
• Jane (died 1712) first married Joseph Saunders. They had children, including a son named Richard. Jane's granddaughter, also named Jane, later married a politician named Arthur Gore, 1st Earl of Arran. After Joseph died, Jane married again in 1684 to an Irish judge named Sir Robert Doyne. They also had children, including a son named Philip.
• Dorothy (died 1705) was the second wife of a politician named Sir Richard Bulkeley, 1st Baronet. After he died in 1685, she married another judge, William Worth.
• Hester married a soldier named Joseph Sabine in 1690. They had three sons, but sadly, all of them died young. Hester herself passed away at the age of 24. There's a story that her ghost appeared to her husband while he was overseas recovering from injuries!