Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury

1659 portrait by Peter Lely of Henry Capel

Henry Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Tewkesbury KB, PC (1638 – 30 May 1696) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1660 and 1692. He was then created Baron Capell.

Background

Capell was born in Hadham Parva, Hertfordshire, the son of the 1st Baron Capell of Hadham and Elizabeth Morrison. He was baptised on 6 March 1638. His father, who was raised to the peerage in 1641, fought for the King in the civil wars and was beheaded in 1649 as one of the commanders of the Colchester garrison.

Political career

In 1660, Capel was elected Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury in the Convention Parliament. He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Bath on 23 April 1661. In 1661 he was re-elected MP for Tewkesbury in the Cavalier Parliament. He was a member of the Irish Privy Council from April 1673 to March 1684/85. Capell was re-elected MP for Tewkesbury in the two elections of 1679 and was a member of the English Privy Council from 22 April 1679 to 31 January 1680, and was First Lord of the Admiralty 1679 and 1680.

In 1689 Capell was elected MP for Cockermouth and was Lord of the Treasury between 1689 and 1690. He was invested again as Privy Counciller on 14 February 1689. He was elected MP for Tewkesbury in 1690 and sat until 11 April 1692, when he was ennobled as Baron Capell of Tewkesbury, in the County of Gloucester. One year later he became Lord Justice of Ireland and in turn a Privy Councillor of Ireland in June 1693. In 1695 and 1696, Capell was Lord Deputy of Ireland. His term as Lord Deputy is not generally considered to have been a success. He was a firm Whig, presiding over an administration which was deeply divided between Whigs and Tories, and although Capell was not to blame for these divisions he did nothing to heal them

Capell died aged 58 in Chapelizod, County Dublin, and was buried on 8 September 1696 in Hadham, Hertfordshire. The barony died with him.

Personal life

On 16 February 1659, Capell married Dorothy Bennet, daughter of Richard Bennet. Their marriage was childless. He was the brother of Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex.

References

Parliament of England
Preceded by Not represented in Restored Rump	Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury 1660–1685 With: Richard Dowdeswell (1) 1660–1673 Sir Francis Russell, Bt 1673–1685	Succeeded by Richard Dowdeswell (2) Sir Francis Russell, Bt
Preceded by Sir Daniel Fleming Sir Orlando Gee	Member of Parliament for Cockermouth 1689–1690 With: Henry Fletcher	Succeeded by Sir Wilfrid Lawson Sir Orlando Gee
Preceded by Richard Dowdeswell (2) Sir Francis Russell, Bt	Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury 1690–1692 With: Richard Dowdeswell (2)	Succeeded by Richard Dowdeswell (2) Sir Francis Winnington
Political offices
Preceded by Prince Rupert of the Rhine (Lord High Admiral)	First Lord of the Admiralty 1679–1681	Succeeded by The Earl of Nottingham
Preceded by Lords Justices	Lord Deputy of Ireland 1695–1696	Succeeded by Lords Justices
Peerage of England
New creation	Baron Capell of Tewkesbury 1692–1696	Extinct