Philip Perceval facts for kids

Sir Philip Perceval (born 1605 – died 10 November 1647) was an important English politician and knight. He became a knight in 1638. Sir Philip gained many large areas of land in Ireland. He lost much of his property during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. He disagreed with King Charles I's plan to work with the Irish Confederates. In 1644, he joined the English Parliament. He became a member of the House of Commons of England for Newport, Cornwall. He had to leave London in September 1647 because of his political views.

Sir Philip Perceval's Life

Philip was the younger son of Richard Perceval from Tickenham, Somerset. His mother was Alice Sherman. Philip and his older brother Walter were supposed to share their father's job. This job was registrar of the Irish court of wards. Walter passed away in 1624. So, Philip received all the family lands in England and Ireland. He also got the important registrar job all to himself.

Starting a Career in Ireland

Perceval decided to live in Ireland. He used his connections at court to get many more jobs. In 1625, he became the keeper of records in Birmingham Tower. By 1628, he worked as a clerk for the Court of King's Bench (Ireland) and the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). He also kept their official records. In 1629, he became a joint collector of customs in Dublin. His friends in Dublin included Sir Philip Mainwaring and Sir George Radcliffe. These men were close advisors to Thomas Wentworth, the Lord Deputy of Ireland.

In 1636, Perceval joined King's Inns, a legal society in Dublin. On 2 June of that year, Lord Deputy Thomas Wentworth made him a knight. In 1638, he and Sir James Ware got a special right. They were the only ones who could give licenses for selling ale and brandy. He also became a member of the privy council, a group of royal advisors.

Gaining Land and Wealth

Perceval was very active in land dealings in Ireland. He held several important positions related to land. These included general feodary of Ireland and escheator of Munster. In 1637, he helped survey land titles in County Tipperary and County Cork. He found small problems with land ownership records. This allowed him to gain huge amounts of land for himself.

His new lands were mostly in Cork, Tipperary, and Wexford. For example, in 1630, he got the manors of Haggardstown, Herfaston, and Blackrath in Tipperary. He also got part of Kilmoyleron in County Cork. He paid a very small rent for these lands. He was also specially protected from many taxes. In 1637, he received the manor of Annagh. This included many towns, castles, and lands in Cork and Tipperary. The king allowed him to combine these lands into the manor of Burton. He could also create a large park and enjoy many special rights.

By 1641, Sir Philip owned a massive amount of land. He had about 101,000 acres in the best parts of the country. He also had over £4,000 a year in rents. His woods and houses were worth over £60,000. He also had jobs that paid over £2,000 a year for life. This does not include his family estate in Somerset, England.

Challenges and the Irish Rebellion

In May 1641, Thomas Wentworth, who had become Earl of Strafford, was executed. Perceval lost his main supporter. His land dealings were questioned. In September 1641, Perceval barely avoided being charged in England.

Perceval was one of the few who saw the Irish Rebellion of 1641 coming. Some of the powerful families who had lost land to him were very unhappy. These included the Barrys, MacCarthys, O'Callaghans, and Roches. They saw him as an official who had taken unfair advantage.

When the rebellion started in October, Perceval stayed in Dublin. He helped create a list of people accused of rebellion. He also had strong allies in Ireland. James Butler, 12th Earl of Ormonde was an old friend. Ormonde made Perceval a captain in his army. In March 1642, he became the commissary-general for the king's army in Ireland. Perceval visited England that winter. He defended Ormonde against accusations that he was helping the Catholic rebels.

Perceval realized his property in Munster would be attacked. So, he put soldiers and supplies in his castles there. He paid for this himself. In the summer of 1642, a rebel army attacked Perceval's areas. All his castles were taken. Annagh and Liscarrol fought bravely. Annagh held out for eleven days against 7,500 attackers. Perceval then got command of a group of soldiers from the Duke of Ormonde. He paid for their weapons. However, he did not seem to fight much himself. His property in Munster was completely destroyed during this time.

Shifting Loyalties

Perceval supported a "cessation" of fighting. This agreement was made by the warring groups on 15 September 1643. In 1644, talks began in Oxford for a peace treaty. Perceval was chosen as one of the royal representatives. King Charles I wanted to use the Irish rebels against his English subjects. He was willing to give the Irish rebels everything they wanted, including allowing Catholicism. However, Perceval did not agree with such an extreme step. He worried it would harm his own future. The talks failed.

Because of this, Perceval became very unpopular with the royalist party. The feeling against him was so strong that he decided to join the English Parliament. They welcomed him. He came to London in August 1644. He was well-received by Parliament. He got a seat in the English House of Commons for Newport in Cornwall.

Later Life and Death

From this time until his death, Perceval stayed in England. His Irish property no longer made any money. He estimated his losses from the war were about £248,000. This was a huge amount. He had to sell his family estate of Burton in Somerset. His position in the English Parliament was also difficult. Perceval supported the moderate Presbyterians. This group was against the Independents.

In July 1647, some people tried to remove Perceval from Parliament. They said he had supported the end of fighting in 1643. He gave a strong defense and kept his place. He then helped organize London's defense against the New Model Army. But in September 1647, he had to leave London. Threats were made to put him on trial. He returned to London to face them. However, he became ill soon after arriving. He died on 10 November 1647. Parliament paid for his burial in the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields. Primate Ussher, a relative of his wife, gave the funeral speech.

Family

Philip Perceval was the son of Richard Perceval (1550–1620). Philip's son, John, was made a baronet of Ireland in 1661. This meant that his eldest son or grandson could also become a baronet at age 21, even if their father or grandfather was still alive.

Perceval married Catharine Usher on 26 October 1626. She passed away on 2 January 1681. She was buried in St. Audoen's Church. They had five sons and four daughters:

• John Perceval
• Richard (died 29 May 1638, unmarried)
• William (born 30 May 1630 - died 11 June 1633)
• Arthur (born 7 September 1634 - died January 1653, unmarried)
• George (born 15 September 1635, drowned 25 March 1675, married Mary Crofton)
• Judith (born 25 December 1627, married Randolph Clayton in February 1653)
• Anne (born 13 September 1635, unmarried)
• Dorcas (born 30 October 1636, married Jonah Wheeler)
• Catherine (born 1640, unmarried)

His oldest son, Sir John Perceval, got most of the Irish estates back. He became a baronet on 12 August 1661. Sir John's sons, Sir Philip (1656 - 1680) and Sir John (1660 - 1686), became the 2nd and 3rd Baronets. Then, the younger Sir John's sons, Sir Edward (1682 - 1691) and Sir John (1683–1748), became the 4th and 5th Baronets. Sir John Perceval, the 5th Baronet, later became Baron of Burton in 1715. He became Viscount Perceval of Kanturk in 1722. Finally, he became Earl of Egmont in 1733.

Spencer Perceval was a later descendant. He was the seventh son of the 2nd Earl Egmont. He became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He was killed in 1812 in the House of Commons. Another family member, Robert, the second son of the first baronet, was also killed in 1677 in London.