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John Bradshaw (1602-59) was one of the judges to preside over the trial and subsequent death sentence of Charles I of England. In 1649 he was made president of the parliamentary commission to try the king. Other lawyers of greater prominence had refused the position. For a short time he was rewarded with honors and offices and acted (1649–53) as president of the council of state. He was forced to retire when Oliver Cromwell dissolved the council, and he became an opponent of the Protectorate.1 History
Born at Wibersley Hall near Stockport, Cheshire, the younger son of a minor gentry family. Educated at Gray's Inn, Bradshaw became Mayor of Congleton in 1637. Around 1643, he moved to London where he was appointed judge of the Sheriff's Court . In 1645, he acted as counsel for John Lilburne in his appeal to the House of Lords against the sentence pronounced upon him by Star Chamber in 1637. Bradshaw was appointed Chief Justice of Cheshire and North WalesNorth Wales is the northernmost region of Wales, bordered to the south by Mid Wales. It contains Snowdonia and Anglesey. The area is covered in mountains and valleys and this in combination with the close proximity to the sea have ensured that along with in 1647Events March 14 Thirty Years War: Bavaria, Cologne, France and Sweden sign the Truce of Ulm. August 8 The Battle of Dangan Hill, Irish forces are defeated by British Parliamentary forces. August Peter Stuyvesant appointed Director of New Amsterdam by the.
With some reluctance, Bradshaw accepted the office of Lord-President of the High Court of Justice in 1649Events January 30 King Charles I of England, Scotland and Ireland is beheaded. His widow Henrietta Maria resides in her native France. January 30 The Commonwealth of England, a republican form of government, replaces the monarchy as the form of government when other prominent lawyers and magistrates declined. He therefore presided over the King's trial and pronounced the sentence of death on him. After the King's execution, Bradshaw was richly rewarded with lands and property. He also presided over the trials of the Royalist leaders of the Second English Civil War.
Appointed first President of the Council of StateThe Council of State is the name of an organ of government in many states, and especially in republics. The name Council of State is applied to different types of bodies in different states, from the formal name for the cabinet to a non-executive advisory in March 1649 , Bradshaw was in close correspondence with Oliver Cromwell on his campaigns in IrelandThe island of Ireland ire in Irish, Airlann in Ulster Scots) is the third-largest island in Europe. It lies on the west side of the Irish Sea, close to the island of Great Britain. It is composed of the Republic of Ireland in the south and Northern Irelan and ScotlandScotland or in Scottish Gaelic, Alba is a country and former independent kingdom of northwest Europe, and one of the four nations comprising the United Kingdom. Scotland occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. Scotland took part in a p during 1649-50. However, Bradshaw and Cromwell were soon to disagree as Cromwell sought greater glory. Bradshaw quarrelled with Cromwell over the dismissal of the Rump Parliament in April 1653 and opposed all Cromwell's moves towards personal power. During the elections for the Second Protectorate Parliament in 1656, Major-General Bridge worked to prevent Bradshaw's candidacy for Cheshire, and Cromwell tried to deprive him of his office as Chief Justice for Cheshire and North Wales.
Bradshaw died in October 1659 and was buried in Westminster Abbey. His body was exhumed after the Restoration and hung in chains at Tyburn.
