Online Encyclopedia

Search over 40,000 articles from the original, classic Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th Edition.

SIR JOHN WILDMAN (c. 1621-169)

Online Encyclopedia
Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 640 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
Spread the word: del.icio.us del.icio.us it!

See also:

SIR See also:JOHN See also:WILDMAN (c. 1621-169)  , See also:English agitator, was educated at the university of See also:Cambridge, and during the See also:Civil See also:War served for a See also:short See also:time under See also:Sir See also:Thomas See also:Fairfax . He became prominent, however, not as a soldier but as an agitator, being in 1647 one of the leaders of that See also:section of the See also:army which objected to all See also:compromise with the See also:king . In a pamphlet, Putney Projects, he attacked See also:Cromwell; he was responsible for The See also:Case of the Army stated, and he put the views of his associates before the See also:council of the army at a See also:meeting in Putney See also:church in See also:October 1647 . The authorities looked upon hint with suspicion, and in See also:January 1648 he and See also:John See also:Lilburne were imprisoned, preparations, says See also:Clarendon, being made " for his trial and towards his See also:execution." However, he was released in the following See also:August, and for a time he was associated with theparty known as the See also:levellers, but he quickly severed his connexion with them and became an officer in the army . He was a large buyer of the See also:land forfeited by the royalists, and in 1654 he was sent to the See also:House of See also:Commons as member for See also:Scarborough . In the •following See also:year he was arrested for conspiring against Cromwell, and after his See also:release four months later he resumed the career of plotting, intriguing alike with royalists and republicans for the overthrow of the existing regime . In 1659 he helped to seize See also:Windsor See also:castle for the See also:Long See also:Parliament, and then in See also:November 1661 he was again a prisoner on some suspicion of participating in republican plots . For six years he was a See also:captive, only regaining his freedom after the fall of Clarendoh in October 1667 . In or before 1681 See also:Wildman became prominent among those who were discontented with the See also:rule of See also:Charles II., being especially intimate with Algernon See also:Sydney . He was undoubtedly concerned in the See also:Rye House See also:Plot, and under See also:James II. he was active in the interests of the See also:duke of See also:Monmouth, but owing to some disagreements, or perhaps to his cowardice, he took no See also:part in the rising of 1685 . He found it advisable, however, to See also:escape to See also:Holland, and returned to See also:England with the army of See also:William of See also:Orange in 1688 . In 1689 he was a member of the See also:convention parliament .

Wildman was postmaster - See also:

general from See also:April 1689 to See also:February 1691, when some ugly rumours about his See also:con-duct brought about his dismissal . Nevertheless, he was knighted by William III. in 1692, and he died on the and of See also:June 1693 . Sir John, who was the author of many See also:political See also:pamphlets, See also:left an only son, John, who died childless in 1710 .

End of Article: SIR JOHN WILDMAN (c. 1621-169)
[back]
WILDERNESS
[next]
IRVING RAMSAY WILES (1861- )

Additional information and Comments

There are no comments yet for this article.
» Add information or comments to this article.
Please link directly to this article:
Highlight the code below, right click and select "copy." Paste it into a website, email, or other HTML document.