300 



Great Bedicyn. 



paid scot and lot. The Committee being not satisfied it 

 did belong to the ancient Burgesses by prescription, they 

 remitted the Election to the Inhabitants that paid scot 

 and lot, who chose Mr. Harding and Mr. Seymour. 



Resolved : That in the opinion of the House, grounded 

 upon the whole Report now made by Mr. Jones, Mr. 

 Harding and Mr. Sey r mour are well elected. 



Charles Seymour, Esq. was the son of Sir Francis Seymour, who 

 was created Baron Seymour of Trowbridge, 19 Feb. 1641, by 

 Frances coheir of Sir Gilbert Prinne of Allington, co. Wilts. 

 Charles married first at Preshute, 4 Aug. 1632, Mary heir of 

 Thomas Smith of Soley, co. "Wilts, Esq., the parties being then 

 children. He married secondly, Elizabeth daughter of William, 

 first Baron Allington, by whom he had issue Francis and Charles, 

 who became fifth and sixth Dukes of Somerset. He succeeded his 

 father as Baron Seymour of Trowbridge in 1664, and died in the 

 following year. He appears to be the only member of his family 

 deposited in the Seymour vault in Trowbridge Church. The 

 inscription on his coffin plate is as follows ; — "Corpus Caroli Dni 

 Seymour, [ Baronis de Trowbridge; Obiit | Yicesimo quinto 

 Die Augusti | Ano Dni 1665, Suse Etatis 45." His widow mar- 

 ried Sir John Ernie, Knt, (See a subsequent note.) 



1640. 16 Car. I. Walter Smith, Knt. Richard Harding, Esq. 



This Parliament, commonly called "The Long Parlia- 

 ment," continued until the year 1660. At some period 

 during the interval, Henry Hungerford, Esq. and Edward 

 Harvey, Esq. were returned for Bedwyn in room of the 

 above. 



Sir Walter Smith, knighted 25 April 1616, was of Shalbourne and 

 Great Bedwyn. He was buried at the latter place 28 April 1648. 

 In 1646 he was of the number of those adherents to the Royal 

 cause, whose property was amerced to the value of a tenth. He 

 paid the sum of £685, and £40 per ann. settled on the ministry. 



Mr. Harding was one of those who voted against the Bill for the 

 attainder of Lord Strafford, 21 April 1641. Lord Strafford's friends 

 in the House were called "StrafFordians," " betrayers of their coun- 

 try," and were threatened with punishment as enemies of justice. 

 Their names were posted on a wall in Old Palace Yard, which 

 unusual proceeding had the effect of exciting against them the 

 indignation of the populace. There is a list of them in ''Notes of 

 proceedings in the Long Parliament," published in 1845 by the 

 Camden Society, p. 57, &c. 



