William Purefoy

William Purefoy (c. 1580 - 1659) was one of the regicides of King Charles I of England.

Born into an ancient Warwickshire family, Purefoy was educated at Cambridge and Gray's Inn. He travelled in Europe, and spent time in Geneva where he embraced Calvinism. On his return to England, Purefoy became associated with the Puritan opposition to the policies of King Charles. His refusal to pay the forced loan in 1627 was probably a factor in his election as Member of Parliament for Coventry in the Parliament of 1628. He became friendly with Lord Brooke, who sponsored his election as MP for Warwick in the Long Parliament (1640). Purefoy was an enthusiastic supporter of the Grand Remonstrance, and in December 1641 was the first to propose that it should be printed and circulated outside Parliament.

Although he was over 60 years old when the First Civil War broke out in 1642, Purefoy worked zealously for the Parliamentarian cause. He raised troops in Warwickshire and held a command in Lord Brooke's Midland Association army, while his wife Joan Purefoy held off a Royalist attack on the family seat at Caldecot. After Brooke's death in 1643, Purefoy commanded a cavalry regiment in Warwickshire. He saw active service in the Earl of Essex's campaign to relieve the siege of Gloucester, but was primarily involved in the administration of Warwickshire, keeping tight control over the county's affairs, both locally and at Westminster.

Despite his support for a Presbyterian church settlement, Purefoy retained his seat in Parliament after Pride's Purge, and was appointed to the High Court of Justice that tried and condemned King Charles in 1649. He did not hesitate to sign the King's death warrant. Purefoy was a member of the Council of State throughout the Commonwealth of England (1649-53) and sat upon numerous important Parliamentary committees, particularly those concerned with religious matters. He opposed Oliver Cromwell's dissolution of the Rump in 1653, but became reconciled to the Protectorate régime, participating in the Protectorate parliaments of 1654 and 1656 as MP for Coventry, and continuing to dominate local politics in Warwickshire. However, he opposed the offer of the Crown to Cromwell and became associated with the republican Commonwealthsmen. Purefoy's final service for the Parliamentarian cause was to maintain the security of Coventry during Booth's Uprising, shortly before his death in August 1659.

References

*This article incorporates text under a Creative Commons License by David Plant, the British Civil Wars and Commonwealth website http://www.british-civil-wars.co.uk/biog/purefoy.htm