A 17th Century Knight

Book excerpt: Sir Simonds D’Ewes, a seventeenth-century gentleman bred in Dorset, but ultimately shaped by a deep and lasting love for Suffolk, was not destined for greatness. Nor did he have greatness thrust upon him in his short lifetime. Yet this was hardly the point. Son to a respectable family, D’Ewes rose through local, legal and political ranks to become a first-hand witness to a succession of monumental events in England. As MP for Sudbury from 1640, he was one of those who saw with agonising immediacy – from the benches of Westminster – the rapid decline of the political situation in the mid-1600s. Simonds held his breath along with the rest when Charles I forcibly entered the Commons in 1642, and he was there to survey the stunning rise of Oliver Cromwell through the 1640s. When civil war arrived, D’Ewes observed the battle lines being drawn before his very eyes. A 17th Century Knight has two aims. Firstly, it seeks to chart the life of Simonds D’Ewes himself: the husband, father, friend, antiquary, devout Protestant – even widower. His was an affecting story of personal loss, professional and recreational gain, and complex familial relationships that is deserving of study. Secondly, it endeavours to weave a fresh narrative of the tempestuous first half of the 1600s, including the English Civil War, using D’Ewes’s experiences and wealth of written material as a focal point. As this book shows, there is still much to be uncovered about a period in history that we think we all know.