John Birch (Roundhead) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Colonel
John Birch
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John Birch's monument, St Peter & St Paul's, Weobley
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| MP for Weobley | |
| In office 1679–1691 |
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| MP for Penryn | |
| In office 1661–1679 |
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| High Steward of Leominster | |
| In office 1648–1660 |
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| MP for Leominster | |
| In office 1646–1660 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 7 September 1615 Ardwick Manor, near Manchester |
| Died | 10 May 1691 Garnstone Manor, Weobly |
| Resting place | St Peter and St Paul's, Weobley |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouses | Alice Deane (died 1671) Winifred Norris (died 1717) |
| Relations | Thomas Birch (1608-1678) |
| Children | Two sons, three daughters |
| Parents | Samuel and Mary Birch |
| Occupation | Wine merchant, soldier, politician |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance |  England 1642–1646 |
| Years of service | 1642 to 1646 |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Commands | Governor of Hereford 1645-1646 |
| Battles/wars | |
Colonel John Birch (born 1615, died 1691) was an English soldier and politician. He was from Manchester and fought for the Parliamentarian side in the First English Civil War. He also served as a MP in the House of Commons many times between 1646 and 1691.
After the war, he was removed from Parliament in 1648. He also couldn't take his seat for Leominster during the time of the Protectorate, when England was ruled without a king. When the king returned in 1660, John Birch became very active in Parliament. He worked on over 122 committees, especially those dealing with money.
John Birch grew up in a Presbyterian family. However, he voted for laws in 1673 and 1678 called the Test Acts. These laws said that people in public jobs had to be members of the Church of England. He supported the idea of stopping James II, who was Catholic, from becoming king in 1679. He also supported the Glorious Revolution of 1689, which brought a new king and queen to the throne.
People thought he was a "great Parliamentarian." A writer named Gilbert Burnet described him as a very strong and brave speaker in Parliament. He said John Birch spoke like a common person but with a special way that people liked. He always spoke with lots of energy, but he wasn't always the best at making careful decisions.
Contents
John Birch's Early Life and Family
John Birch was born on September 7, 1615. He was the second son of Samuel and Mary Birch, but he was their oldest son who lived to be an adult. His father was a rich Presbyterian merchant who owned Ardwick Manor, a large house near Manchester. John had two younger brothers, Samuel and Thomas. In 1633, John moved to Bristol and started his own business as a wine merchant.
John Birch married Alice Deane, who was the daughter of a merchant from Bristol. Alice died in 1671. They had five children who grew up: John, Samuel, Mary, Elizabeth, and Sarah. John Birch married a second time to Winifred Norris, but they did not have any children. Winifred died in 1717.
Fighting in the English Civil War
When the First English Civil War began in August 1642, John Birch was a captain in the local army in Bristol. He served with the Parliamentarian soldiers there. He later said that some of his soldiers saw the war as a fun break from their normal lives. They liked the better pay and food they received.
In June 1643, the Royalists (the king's army) captured Bristol. John Birch and his soldiers were allowed to leave and go to London. With help from a leader named Sir Arthur Haselrig, Birch joined the army of William Waller. He quickly showed that he was a brave and active officer.
In November 1643, he fought in the first Siege of Basing House. He was slightly hurt in the Battle of Alton on December 13. Less than a week later, he was shot in the stomach during an attack on Arundel Castle. People said he only survived because the cold weather stopped the bleeding.
Key Battles and Victories
Birch recovered from his injuries in time to fight at Cheriton in March 1644. This was an important Parliamentarian victory that made King Charles I play defense in southeastern England. At Cropredy Bridge in June, Birch led the soldiers who protected the back of the army. He held the bridge long enough for Waller's main army to retreat safely.
Soon after, Birch formed his own group of foot soldiers. This group was sent to Plymouth to help protect the city. He spent the rest of the war fighting in southwestern England and the areas near Wales.
Even though his group was not part of the main New Model Army, they helped in its 1645 campaign. They helped capture Bridgwater and Bristol. On December 17, 1645, Birch led a surprise night attack on the Royalist soldiers in Hereford. These Royalists had recently fought off a long attack by Scottish soldiers. Birch was then made Governor of Hereford.
He also fought at Stow-on-the-Wold in March 1646. This was the last major battle of the war. In June, he captured Goodrich Castle, just before the war ended.
After the War: Political Changes
Winning the war led to big disagreements about how England should be governed. There were arguments between radical leaders in the New Model Army, like Oliver Cromwell, and more moderate members of Parliament, like William Waller. Also, Parliament was running out of money, so they needed to reduce the size of the army quickly.
John Birch got into a struggle with another Parliamentarian leader, Edward Harley. Both men wanted their soldiers to be the ones kept in the army. Harley was from a very important family in Herefordshire and had supported Parliament from the start. In 1646, Harley defeated Birch when they both ran to be a MP for Herefordshire.
Despite this, Birch was elected as an MP for Leominster in September. However, a rule called the Self-denying Ordinance meant he had to give up his military job. In 1648, he was made High Steward of Leominster. He also bought a lot of church lands, which made him very rich.
Arguments about making peace with King Charles I and religious rules caused a split in Parliament. Moderate members like Birch disagreed with more radical religious Independents like Oliver Cromwell. After the Second English Civil War, John Birch was removed from Parliament in December 1648. This event was known as Pride's Purge.
Life After the King's Return (1660)
John Birch met with King Charles II before the Battle of Worcester in September 1651. But Birch did not take part in the battle directly. This might have been because of his cousin Thomas, who stayed loyal to the government at the time, called the Protectorate.
Birch kept his seat as an MP for Leominster during the time England was a Commonwealth (without a king). However, he was not allowed to take his seat in Parliament. He later said he was arrested 21 times during this period.
When the king returned to power in 1660 (the Stuart Restoration), John Birch lost his job as High Steward of Leominster. He also had to sell his lands back to the church, which ended his power in that area. However, in 1661, he was elected as an MP for Penryn.
John Birch never held a very high government job. But he was on many important committees, especially those about public spending and taxes. He was very good at checking money and finding problems. He worked on a committee that looked at how the navy spent its money after a war with the Dutch. This brought him into contact with Samuel Pepys, a famous writer who worked for the navy. Pepys wrote that Birch "defended us, and did me great justice in all his talk."
One person said that Birch was "the roughest and boldest speaker in the House." They said he talked like a common person but in a way that was always well-liked.
Religious Views and Political Stances
In 1662, a law called the Act of Uniformity was passed. This law removed Presbyterians from the Church of England. This included John and his brother Samuel. However, John Birch voted for the Test Act in 1673. This law said that people in public jobs had to be Anglicans (members of the Church of England). John Birch then became a member of the Church of England himself.
He did this mostly because he was against Catholicism. During the Exclusion Crisis, he supported stopping James, who was the king's Catholic brother, from becoming king.
In 1661, Birch bought Garnstone Manor in Weobly. This gave him control over the Parliamentary seat for Weobly. He was first elected as MP for Weobly in 1679 and held the seat until he died in 1691. He did step down in 1685 when James II became king. But he got his seat back after the Glorious Revolution in November 1688. He was very important in discussions about the Bill of Rights and the new government after the revolution.
His last recorded appearance in Parliament was in April 1690. John Birch died at his home on May 10, 1691. He was buried at St Peter and St Paul's church in Weobley. The metal railings around his monument went into the church's altar area. They were removed in 1694 by the Bishop of Hereford, Gilbert Ironside. The holes where they were are still visible today.
His youngest daughter, Sarah, inherited Garnstone. She had to marry her cousin, another John Birch. This cousin held the Weobly MP seat almost continuously from 1701 until he died in 1735.
