Humphrey Winch

Sir Humphrey Winch (1555–1625) was an English-born politician and judge who had a distinguished career in both Ireland and England, but whose reputation was seriously damaged by the Leicester witch trials of 1616.

He was born in Bedfordshire, second son of John Winch (died 1598) of Northill. He married Cicely Onslow, daughter of Richard Onslow (died 1571), Speaker of the House of Commons, and his wife Catherine Harding. They had two surviving children; their son Onslow was the father of Sir Humphrey Winch, 1st Baronet.

He matriculated from St John's College, Cambridge; was called to the Bar in 1581 and became a bencher of Lincoln's Inn in 1596. He enjoyed the patronage of Oliver St John, 3rd Baron St John of Bletso. Through St John's influence he was elected to the House of Commons as member for Bedford in 1593, and served in each successive Parliament up to 1606.

In the earlier part of his career in Parliament he was identified with the Puritan faction there, and he gave great offence to Queen Elizabeth I in 1593 by supporting a proposal by Sir Peter Wentworth, the chief spokesman for the Puritans, to introduce a Bill to settle the royal succession, a subject on which the Queen absolutely forbade any debate in Parliament or elsewhere, let alone legislation; his offence was compounded by the fact that meetings to discuss the Bill were held in his chambers at LIncoln's Inn. Compared to the fate of Wentworth, who was sent to the Tower of London and died there three years later, Winch's punishment was mild enough: he was forbidden to leave London for a time, but allowed to continue to attend Parliament. His disgrace was temporary, but thereafter he seems to have confined his speeches in the Commons to non-contentious matters.

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