John Bampfield


John Bampfield of Poltimore and North Molton, Devon, England, was a Member of Parliament for Tiverton in Devon and for the prestigious county seat of Devon.

Origins

He was the eldest son and heir of Sir Amias Bampfield, MP, of Poltimore and North Molton, by his wife Elizabeth Clifton, a daughter of Sir John Clifton of Barrington Court, Somerset.

Career

He matriculated at Exeter College, Oxford on 13 July 1604, aged 18. He was a law student at the Middle Temple in 1607. In 1621 he was elected a Member of Parliament for Tiverton, Devon. He was elected an MP for Devon in 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles I decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.

Marriage and children

In 1602 Bampfield married Elizabeth Drake, a daughter of Thomas Drake of Buckland Drake, Devon, and a niece of Admiral Sir Francis Drake of Buckland Abbey, Devon. His sister Jane Bampfield married Francis Drake, a brother of Elizabeth Drake. By his wife he had children including: