Alexander Popham

Alexander Popham (1605 – 1669) was an English politician. He is now remembered for his role as patron of the philosopher John Locke.

He was born at Littlecote House in Wiltshire, the son of Francis Popham and Anne Dudley, and grandson of Sir John Popham. He was educated at Balliol College, Oxford, and admitted to the Middle Temple in 1622. He was a prominent figure and Justice of the Peace in Somerset. He sat in the Long Parliament for the constituency of Bath, and in the first and second Parliaments of the Protectorate for Wiltshire. He also fought in the Parliamentary army with the rank of colonel and had a garrison stationed at Littlecote House. After the restoration of the monarchy, he made his peace with Charles II and entertained him to a "costlie dinner" at Littlecote.

This Alexander is not to be confused with his nephew Alexander Popham, son of Alexander's brother Edward Popham, who was born deaf and was taught to speak by two scientists, John Wallis and William Holder. cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7511446.stm|title=Find could end 350-year science dispute |last=Elliott |first=Jane
date=2008-7-26|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=2008-07-27] He is considered to be one of the earliest cases of a born deaf person to learn to talk.

He married Letitia Carre, daughter of William Carre of Ferniehurst, Scotland, half brother to Robert Carre, favourite of King James I. His daughter Letitia, one of eight children, married Sir Edward Seymour, 4th Baronet, who served as Speaker of the British House of Commons.

References

* Popham, Frederick William, “A West Country Family: The Pophams since 1150” (privately printed, 1976)
*"Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803" (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1]

External links

* [http://www.libraries.psu.edu/tas/locke/ch0a.html John Locke Bibliography--Part I -- Early miscellaneous works]