I WAS exceedingly interested in Mr. Courtney's article upon this subject, and could not help feeling, upon reading it, that similar papers upon other Cornish, also Devonian, boroughs would be a most acceptable addition to the local history of those counties. With the view of still further elucidating the subject already so ably dwelt upon, I venture to forward the following additional particulars of some of the earlier members. Lists of our M.P.s from the beginning of the 18th century are fairly exact, but those of the 16th and 17th centuries contain numerous hiata, and any note or information that will help either to give a name heretofore unknown or to identify a member, is of value.
     Edward Amerideth, one of the members elected for Tregony upon the restoration of parliamentary rights to the borough in 1563, was ancestor of the Merediths of Ashley Castle, Cheshire, created to a baronetcy in January, 1639, and extinct in 1790. His colleague, Giles Lawrence, I have so far failed to identify.
     Sir Edward Hastings, M.P. in the Short Parliament of 1571, purchased about 1579 the estate of Leicester Abbey, and in the parliament of 1597-8 was M.P. for Leicester town. He died in 1603, and was ancestor of the present line of the earls of Huntingdon, restored to the earldom in so interesting a manner some sixty years back, through the exertions of the late Mr. Nugent Bell.
     His colleague, Robert Dormer, is identified by Mr. Courtney—no doubt correctly—as afterwards the first Baron Dormer. It is to be observed, however, that in Willis's Notitia—which contains the only printed list of this 1571 parliament that I have seen (the official Blue Book Returns strangely omitting the parliament altogether)—the name is given as "Ralph Dormer," but this is probably an error in transcribing. Sir Robert Dormer, knighted in 1591, was M.P. for Bucks in 1592-3, and died in 1616, one year after his creation to the peerage.
     It would be interesting to learn a little more about those parliamentary champions, the brothers Peter and Paul Wentworth, who sat respectively for Tregony and Liskeard in 1572-83. So far as I can gather, they were sons of Sir Nicholas Wentworth, of Lillingstone Lovel, Bucks—a younger branch of the Wentworths of Nettlestead. Paul Wentworth died in 1593, aged 60, but I have not succeeded in ascertaining the date of Peter's death. His grandson, Sir Peter Wentworth was made a K.B. at the coronation of Charles II.
     Peter Wentworth's colleague in 1572—William Knolles—correctly identified by Mr. Courtney as afterwards Viscount Wallingford, represented co. Oxford in 1584-5, 1592-3, 1597-8, and 1601. He was ultimately created, in 1626, to the higher title of Earl of Banbury, and died at the advanced age of 88, in 1632. The dispute of the succession to his peerage is one of the best known stories in our peerage annals.
     Sir John St. Leger, one of the members in 1584-5, was of Annery, Devon. He represented Dartmouth in 1555, Arundel in 1562-3, Devon in 1571 and 1572-83. His death occurred in 1596, without issue male surviving, and having previously alienated his Annery estate. The other member in this parliament, Richard Grafton, I know nothing about.
     Of the members in 1584-5, in addition to what has been mentioned, may be observed that Oliver Carminowe, Esq., died in 1597, having sat as M.P. for St. Mawes in 1562-3, and for Truro, 1572-83. The other member, Richard Trevanion, gent., was of Tregarthen, and younger son of Richard Trevanion, of Tolverne. He died in 1628.
     The members in parliament, 1588-9, Richard Penkevill, Esq. (died 1616), and Christopher Walker, gent., are sufficiently described by Mr. Courtney.
     In the next parliament, 1592-3, the Tregony members were John Snowe, gent., and Arnold Oldisworth, Esq. Of these I have not succeeded in ascertaining any particulars, save that the former represented Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) in 1597-8, and the latter sat for Cirencester in 1604-11. In the parliament of 1597-8, the Tregony members were Sir Edward Denny, Knight, and Henry Birde, gent. Of the latter I know nothing, but the identity of the former—upon which Mr. Courtney seems undecided, whether the uncle or the nephew of the name—is, I think, conclusively established by the addition of "senior Knt.," as given in the Return. He was doubtless the Edward "Dennis," Esq., returned for Liskeard in 1584-5, and knighted in 1589, and who died, I3th February, 1599, having been Governor of Kerry and Desmond, in Ireland, in which former county he acquired an estate and was ancestor of the Irish branch of the family.
     Of the members returned in 1601, Thomas Trevor, gent., is identified by Mr. Courtney as the Sir Thomas Trevor, Knight, who sat for Saltash in 1620-1 and 1623-4, and who held the post of Baron of the Exchequer from 1625 till 1649. I do not dispute this identity, but would point out that if the date of the judge's birth—July 6th, 1586—be correct, his age at the beginning of this parliament would be but little over fifteen years—an exceptionally youthful age for parliamentary honours, even at that period, when minors were admitted to the House. The other member, Lewis Darte, was still living in 1620.
     I can add nothing to what has been said with reference to the members in parliament, 1604-11—Henry Pomeroy, Esq., and Richard Garveigh, gent. One of the lawyers who served in the two next parliaments of 1614 and 1620-1—Thomas Mallett, Esq.—sat afterwards for Newtown (Isle of Wight), in 1625 and 1626. He was made a serjeant-at-law in 1635, and Justice of the K.B. in 1641, from which office he was "disabled" by parliamentary ordinance in 1645, and imprisoned for his Royalism. He lived to see the Restoration, when he regained his seat on the bench, dying in 1665. He is said to have been created to a baronetcy in 1663, but, not taking out his patent, the dignity lapsed, though it was re-conferred upon his descendant in 1791.
     William Hakewill, the colleague of Mallett in both parliaments, was a most active man, and frequent speaker in the House. He had previously represented Bossiney, in 1601, and St. Michael's, in 1604-11, while in the parliaments of 1623-4 and 1628-9 he sat for Amersham, Bucks. It was chiefly through his instrumentality that the three Buckinghamshire boroughs of Amersham, Marlow, and Wendover, were restored to the parliamentary franchise in 1624. He died one of the Masters of the Chancery, 3ist October, aged 81.
     In the parliament of 1623-4, the Tregony members—whose names are not given by Mr. Courtney, although they are rightly described to be "a Cornishman and a Devonian"—were Peter Specott, Esq., and Ambrose Manaton, Esq. The former was eldest son of Sir John Specott, of Thornbury, Devon, and Penheale, Cornwall. He died March 25th, 1655, aged 60. His younger brother, Paul, sat for East Looe in the same parliament. Ambrose Manaton, or Manyngton, the other member, was of South Petherwin, Cornwall. He afterwards represented Launceston in both the Short Parliament of April, 1640, and in the Long Parliament commencing November, 1640, till disabled as a Royalist; died June 1st, 1651.
     The members in 1625 were Sebastian Goode, gent., of whom I know nothing, and Sir Henry Carey, Knight. The Careys and Carews are very difficult to distinguish at this era, but there is little doubt that Mr. Courtney correctly identifies the member for Tregony as the eldest son of the first Earl of Monmouth. He sat for Callington in 1620-1, Beverley, 1623-4, St. Mawes, 1626, Grampound, 1627-8; was made K.B. in 1616, at the creation of Charles Prince of Wales; succeeded to the earldom of Monmouth in 1639, and died in 1661, s.p.m.
     In the following parliament, that of 1625-6, the two members were, as already stated, Sir Robert Killigrew and Thomas Cary, Esq. The former had a somewhat lengthy parliamentary experience, having represented St. Mawes in 1601, Newport, 1604-11 and 1620-1, Helston, 1614, Penryn, 1623-4, Cornwall, 1625, and Bodmin, 1627-8. I identify him as Sir Robert Killigrew, of Hanworth and Lothbury, who died in 1633. His colleague, Thomas Cary (in some lists called "Carew"), sat for Helston 1623-4 and 1625, St. Mawes, 1627-8. I identify him as the second son of the first Earl of Monmouth, and brother of Sir Henry Carey, in the last parliament. He died April, 9th, 1634, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.
     The "stout old Cavalier," John Arundel, of Trerise, who sat for Tregony in the parliaments of 1627-8 and 1640, had been in parliament since 1597, when he was returned for St. Michael's. He sat for Cornwall in 1601 and 1620-1, St. Mawes in 1623-4; died between June, 1654, and 1656. His colleague in 1627-8, the well-known Francis Rous, was first returned in the previous parliament for Truro, which borough he represented also in 1640 and 1640-53. In the Barebones Parliament of 1653, he was member for Devon, and in the two Cromwellian Parliaments of 1654 and 1656, sat for Truro and Cornwall respectively. He was one of Cromwell's peers, dying just before the Restoration, January 7th, 1658-9, and was buried at Eton College with the honours of a baron. The colleague of Arundel in the Short Parliament of 1640 was John St. Aubyn, Esq., of Clowance, father of the first baronet of the name. He afterwards represented Cornwall, in 1656, and St. Ives, in 1658-9; dying in 1684, aged 74.
     Of the members for Tregony in the Long Parliament sufficient has been said. Both the original members, Sir Richard Vivyan, Knight, and John Polwhele, Esq., were disabled, as Royalists, in January, 1644, and afterwards sat in the Anti-Parliament at Oxford. Sir Thomas Trevor and John Carew, the regicide, were elected in 1646. The former was of Enfield, in Middlesex, and one of the Presbyterian members of the House secluded by Colonel Pride in December, 1646. He died in 1676.
     To the parliaments of 1654 and 1656, Tregony, like the rest of the smaller boroughs, made no returns; but in that summoned by Richard Cromwell in 1659 the members were John Thomas, Esq., and Edward Boscawen, merchant. The first-named gentleman sat for a short time in the Long Parliament, for Helston, till secluded by "Pride's Purge." I take him to be John Thomas, of Tremayne, who died in 1675, aged 78. Mr. Boscawen represented Tregony only in this parliament, but he sat for Truro in 1660, 1661-78, 1678-9, 1679, and 1681. Died in 1685.
     The contest for the seats in the Convention Parliament of 1660, and the "double return" of all four candidates, are fully described by Mr. Courtney. There is, however, a slight error in the name of Dr. Clarges, one of the unsuccessful competitors. He was Thomas Clarges, not Francis; he had represented a Scottish constituency in Richard Cromwell's Parliament, and was the first person upon whom Charles II. conferred the honour of knighthood at Breda, upon the formal announcement of his Restoration, in May, 1660. Sir Thomas Clarges was member for Westminster in the same parliament, and afterwards for many years for Christchurch, Hants, or Oxford University. The member substituted for Edward Boscawen, upon the latter's preferring Truro, was Sir Peter Courtenay, Kt., of Trethurfe, who had been M.P. for St. Michael's in 1640, and died between 1666 and 1670.
     In the very long parliament of 1661-78, the members for Tregony were Hugh Boscawen, Esq., and Thomas Herle, Esq. Boscawen was "of Tregothnan," in which estate he succeeded his brother Nicholas. He had an unusually lengthy parliamentary experience, having when a very young man been elected one of the members for Cornwall in the Long Parliament, as a "Recruiter", in 1646. He retained his seat, however, but two years, being secluded in 1648. He was re-elected to the parliaments of 1659 and 1660, by the same constituency, and in the remaining four parliaments of Charles II., sat for Tregony. He was not included in James II.'s parliament of 1685, but in the first five of William and Mary, from 1689 till 1700, was again returned for the county, dying in June, 1701, aged 76. He must have been of the last survivors of the Long Parliament members, his entire senatorial course—with a brief intermission—extending over 55 years. Thomas Herle, his colleague at Tregony in 1661, was of "Prideaux." He had previously represented Grampound in 1659 and 1660.
     In the Short Parliament—March-July, 1679—the colleague of Hugh Boscawen was his son Robert, who died shortly after his election, and was succeeded by John Tanner, Esq., who had represented Grampound in 1660 and 1661-78. I am not quite sure as to his identity. He was one of the family "of Courte in Brannel," but there were several Johns contemporary at this period.
     Charles Trevanion, Esq., of Caerhayes, Cornwall, the colleague of Hugh Boscawen in the two last parliaments of Charles II., 1679-80 and 1681, as well as in that of James II., 1685-87, was M.P. for Grampound in 1661-78 and 1678-9. He died in November, 1703. His colleague in 1685 was Charles Porter, Esq., of the Middle Temple, afterwards the well-known Sir Charles Porter, Knight, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, till his decease in 1696.
     To the brief Convention Parliament of 1688-9 were returned for Tregony, Charles Boscawen, Esq., "of Nansvallen," who died soon after his election—and whom somewhat doubtfully I identify with Charles, uncle of the first Viscount Falmouth—and Hugh Fortescue, Esq., "of Penwarne," mentioned by Mr. Courtney. Besides sitting for Tregony in the four parliaments of 1688-9, 1690-95, 1700-1, and 1701-2, he represented Grampound, 1695-98, and Truro, 1698-1700. He was father of Earl Clinton, but I have not discovered the time of his decease. The successor of Charles Boscawen for the short remainder of the parliament was the celebrated Robert Harley. This was his first introduction into parliament. In the next parliament he was returned for Radnor, which he continued to represent till removed to the House of Peers.
     It is needless to go further with the list of members; to do so would be, in fact, but to repeat what has been better said by Mr. Courtney, who, I venture to hope, will be induced to contribute similar papers upon others of the Cornish boroughs.

     [We are pleased to state that we have received another article from Mr. Courtney on Cornish Parliamentary History, which shall appear in due course. Mr. Pink has also favoured us with a second article, for which we are much obliged.—EDITOR.]

Extracted from The Western Antiquary, Volume VI, Part V, Oct 1886, pp117-121.