Sir Roger Twysden, 2nd Baronet

Sir Roger Twysden, 2nd Baronet (21 August, 1597-27 June, 1672), of Roydon Hall in Kent was an English historian and Member of Parliament.

He was the eldest son of Sir William Twysden, 1st Baronet, and succeeded to the baronetcy on 8 January, 1629. He was educated at St Paul's School and Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

He entered Parliament in 1626 as member for Winchelsea. During the eleven-year period when Charles I refused to summon Parliament, Twysden became one of the leaders of the Kent gentry, and refused to pay Ship Money. In 1640 he was elected to represent Kent in the Short Parliament; however, becoming disillusioned he was not a member of the Long Parliament elected later the same year.

In 1642 he was arrested after signing a petition from Kent and, once released on bail, published the seditious "Instructions"; caught while trying to flee the country, he was imprisoned again and in 1643 his estates were sequestrated. After the execution of the King he returned to Kent, and although he was made Deputy Lieutenant of the county after the Restoration, he was never fully reconciled to the Court or government.

Twysden's claim to notice rests on three works published during this period: "The Commoners Liberty" (1648), "Historiae Anglicanae Scriptores Decem" (1652), a pioneering work of English medieval history, and "An Historical Vindication of the Church of England" (1657).

He married Isabella Saunders, daughter of Sir Nicholas Saunders of Ewell; their son, William (1635-1697), succeeded to the baronetcy on Twysden's death.

References

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* [http://www.stirnet.com/HTML/genie/british/tt/twysden1.htm Twysden genealogy]
* Concise Dictionary of National Biography