Henry Neville (writer)

Henry Neville (1620–1694) was an English politician, author and satirist, best remembered for his tale of shipwreck and dystopia, The Isle of Pines published in 1668.

In 1651, he was elected to the English Council of State, where he played a part in foreign policy. Later, he was in opposition to Oliver Cromwell, against whom he wrote some political pamphlets.

Neville was born in 1620, the second son of Sir Henry Neville (died 1629) of Billingbear House at Waltham St Lawrence in Berkshire, being younger brother of the Royalist commander, Richard Neville. His grandfather, Sir Henry Neville, had served as Ambassador to France.

He was educated at Merton and University Colleges at Oxford, but left without graduating. At an early age, he married Elizabeth, the daughter and heiress of Richard Staverton of Heathley Hall in Warfield which became the couple's country estate. His wife apparently died young.

Henry spent some of the period of the English Civil War travelling on the European continent, returning to England in 1645. In 1647, he anonymously published a satire The Parliament of Ladies. This was a parody of some prominent women associated with the parliamentary side. It was seen as a "libertine parody of the parliamentary publications common at the time." The book was popular and was soon reprinted with various additions.

In April 1649 he was elected to Parliament to fill a vacancy as MP for Abingdon.

By the end of 1651 he was a member of the Council of State, but found himself so hostile to Cromwell that he temporarily retired from active politics.

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