James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton facts for kids

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James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton
Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire
In office 1660–1681
Constable of the Tower of London
In office 1675–1679
Privy Councillor
In office 1673–1679
Member of Parliament for Warwickshire
In office November 1640 – September 1642 (excluded)
Personal details
Born	James Compton 19 August 1622 Compton Wynyates
Died	15 December 1681(1681-12-15) (aged 59) Castle Ashby House
Resting place	Compton Wynyates burial grounds
Nationality	English
Political party	Royalist
Spouses	(1) Isabella Sackville (1647–1661) (2) Mary Noel (1663–his death)
Children	Alethea (1661–1678); George (1664–1727); Mary, (1669–1691); Spencer (1674–1743)
Parents	Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton Mary Beaumont
Residence	Castle Ashby House
Alma mater	Queens' College, Cambridge
Occupation	Playwright, translator, landowner, soldier and Royalist politician
Military service
Allegiance	Royalist
Rank	Colonel
Unit	Earl of Northampton's Regiment of Horse
Battles/wars	First English Civil War Edgehill; Hopton Heath; First Newbury; Cropredy Bridge; Islip Bridge; Naseby; Siege of Oxford Booth's Uprising

James Compton, 3rd Earl of Northampton (born August 19, 1622 – died December 15, 1681) was an important English nobleman, politician, and writer. He was a strong supporter of the King, known as a Cavalier, and fought for the Royalist side during the First English Civil War.

James became the Earl of Northampton after his father, Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton, was killed in battle in March 1643. After the war ended in 1646 with the Royalists losing, James lived quietly on his family's land for 14 years. He was sometimes arrested because people thought he was involved in plans to bring King Charles II back to power.

When King Charles II returned to the throne in 1660, James was rewarded for his loyalty. He was made the Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire and the Constable of the Tower of London. Even though he regularly attended the House of Lords (a part of the English Parliament), he didn't play a huge role in everyday politics. Interestingly, his third son, Spencer, later became a prime minister for a short time from 1742 to 1743. James Compton passed away in December 1681.

People knew James Compton wrote some plays and translated others. However, the full amount of his writing was only discovered in 1977. This happened when a collection of his papers was found at his family home, Castle Ashby House. Because of these discoveries, experts now believe he should be recognized as an important writer from the 1600s, especially among the Cavalier writers.

Early Life and Family

James Compton was born on August 19, 1622. He was the oldest son of Spencer Compton, 2nd Earl of Northampton (1601–1643) and Mary Beaumont (died 1654). His family originally came from Compton Wynyates in Warwickshire, England.

His father was a very close friend of King Charles I and was also very rich. The family owned land in many different counties, and Castle Ashby House became their main home.

James had five brothers and two sisters. Many of his brothers also played roles in the English Civil War. For example, his brother William was part of a secret Royalist group called the Sealed Knot during the time when England was ruled without a king. His youngest brother, Henry, became the Bishop of London and was an important figure against King James II of England.

James Compton was married twice. His first marriage was in 1647 to Isabella Sackville (1622–1661). They had six children, but only one daughter, Alethea (1661–1678), lived to be an adult. His second marriage was to Mary Noel (died 1719). With Mary, he had three sons and two daughters. His son George became the next Earl. Another son, Spencer, later became a Prime Minister of Great Britain.

Political and Military Career

James Compton went to Eton College for his education, which is a famous school. After that, he studied at Queens' College, Cambridge. In 1638, he traveled to The Hague with his father, as part of the group accompanying King Charles I's nephew. He spent the next two years traveling around Europe.

When he returned home, he was elected as a MP for Warwickshire in November 1640. He was one of only 53 MPs who voted against punishing the King's chief minister, the Earl of Strafford, who was later executed in May 1641.

Fighting in the Civil War

When the First English Civil War started in 1642, James's father was put in charge of raising soldiers in Warwickshire and other areas. James was slightly hurt in one of the first battles of the war, an attack on Warwick Castle.

James and his three younger brothers fought in the Battle of Edgehill in October 1642. After that, they captured Banbury Castle in November, which they used as a base for their operations.

In March 1643, James and his father, the Earl of Northampton, were part of a Royalist cavalry force that fought against a Parliamentarian army at Hopton Heath. During the battle, the Royalist cavalry captured the Parliamentarian cannons. In this fight, James's father was knocked off his horse and killed after he refused to give up. The enemy commander offered to return his father's body if James gave back the captured cannons, but James refused.

After his father's death, James inherited his titles and took command of his father's regiments. He continued to fight in major battles, including the First Battle of Newbury in September 1643 and Cropredy Bridge in June 1644. However, his forces were defeated by Oliver Cromwell at Islip in April 1645.

James was also present at the Battle of Naseby in June, which was a huge defeat for the Royalists and destroyed their main army. He then joined King Charles I in an attempt to meet up with another Royalist general in Scotland, but this plan failed at Rowton Heath in September. James returned to Oxford and surrendered in February 1646, shortly before the war officially ended in June.

Life After the War

After the war, James had to pay a fine, but he got his family's lands back in 1651. Most of his writing happened during this time. He wrote several plays and poems, and he also translated works from French and Italian. He supported other writers too, like Cosmo Manuche, who was a former Royalist officer.

Even though his brother William was involved in secret Royalist plots, James was mostly left alone by the authorities. However, he was briefly arrested in 1659 for his small role in Booth's Uprising, which was a Royalist attempt to overthrow the government.

Return to Power

When King Charles II returned to the throne in 1660 (an event called The Restoration), James Compton was rewarded. He was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Warwickshire and also the Recorder of Coventry, which meant he was a judge in that city. He held these positions until he died.

He regularly attended the House of Lords, which is the upper house of the British Parliament. One of his most notable actions there was suggesting that Clarendon, a former advisor to Charles I and an important government official, should be sent away from England. The famous diarist Samuel Pepys wrote that this action seemed "vain and insulting."

James became a Privy Councillor in 1673, which meant he was a trusted advisor to the King. In 1675, he was made Constable of the Tower of London, a very important role. However, he was removed from both of these positions in 1679 during a political disagreement called the Exclusion Crisis, which was about who would become the next king.

James Compton died on December 15, 1681, and was buried in his family's burial place at Compton Wynyates. His son George became the fourth Earl of Northampton.

Literary Works

James Compton was one of the first members of the Royal Society when it was founded in 1660. He was also known for supporting artists and writers.

In 1977, a discovery of old papers at Castle Ashby House showed that he wrote at least four original plays. One of these plays was about a Roman emperor named Caracalla, and he also had an unfinished play about the Earl of Strafford. He also translated a comedy called "La Mandragola" by the Italian writer Niccolò Machiavelli. He also created one of the earliest English versions of a play by the famous French writer Pierre Corneille.

Images for kids

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  Battle of Hopton Heath, March 1643; the Royalist cavalry capture the Parliamentarian artillery