The Right Honorable The Lord Capell of Tewkesbury KB PC
Portrait by Peter Lely

First Lord of the Admiralty
In office 1679–1681
Preceded by	Prince Rupert of the Rhine
Succeeded by	The Earl of Nottingham
Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury
In office 1660–1685
Monarch	Charles II

Personal details
Born	1638 Little Hadham, Hertfordshire
Died	30 May 1696(1696-05-30) (aged 57–58) Chapelizod, County Dublin
Nationality	English
Spouse(s)	Dorothy Bennet (m. 1659)

Henry Capell, Baron Capell of Tewkesbury KB, PC (1638 – 30 May 1696) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1660 and 1692. He was then created Baron Capell.

Early life

Henry Capell was born in Hadham Parva, Hertfordshire. He was the son of Arthur Capell, 1st Baron Capell of Hadham and Elizabeth Morrison. He was baptised on 6 March 1638. His father was raised to the peerage in 1641 and he died fighting for the King in the civil wars in 1649 as one of the commanders of the Colchester garrison.^[1] Henry's eldest brother was Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex.

Career

Capel founded the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Later Capel was elected Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury in the Convention Parliament. He was invested as a Knight of the Order of the Bath, on 23 April 1661. In 1661, he was re-elected MP for Tewkesbury in the Cavalier Parliament. He was a member of the Irish Privy Council, from April 1673 to March 1684/85. Capell was re-elected MP for Tewkesbury in the two elections of 1679, was a member of the English Privy Council, from 22 April 1679 to 31 January 1680, and was First Lord of the Admiralty, between 1679 and 1680.^[1]

In 1689, Capell was elected MP for Cockermouth^[1] and was Lord of the Treasury, between 1689 and 1690. He was invested again as Privy Councillor, on 14 February 1689. He was elected MP for Tewkesbury in 1690, and sat until 11 April 1692, when he was ennobled as Baron Capell of Tewkesbury, in the County of Gloucester.^[1] One year later, he became Lord Justice of Ireland and in turn a Privy Councillor of Ireland, in June 1693. In 1695 and 1696, Capell was Lord Deputy of Ireland. His term as Lord Deputy was not considered successful because of him being a firm Whig and presiding over an administration which was deeply divided between Whigs and Tories, and he did nothing to help this situation change.

Capell died aged 58 in Chapelizod, County Dublin, and was buried on 8 September 1696 in Little Hadham, Hertfordshire. The barony died with him.

Private life

On 16 February 1659, Capell married Dorothy Bennet, daughter of Richard Bennet. The marriage was childless, but did bring part of what later became Kew Palace into the Capell family, leading to its becoming known as Capel House.

Dorothy died in 1721, and through her will endowed a number of charities.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d History of Parliament Online – Capel, Hon. Henry

Parliament of England Preceded byNot represented in Restored Rump Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury 1660–1685 With: Richard Dowdeswell (1) 1660–1673Sir Francis Russell, Bt 1673–1685 Succeeded byRichard Dowdeswell (2)Sir Francis Russell, Bt Preceded bySir Daniel Fleming Sir Orlando Gee Member of Parliament for Cockermouth 1689–1690 With: Henry Fletcher Succeeded bySir Wilfrid Lawson Sir Orlando Gee Preceded byRichard Dowdeswell (2)Sir Francis Russell, Bt Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury 1690–1692 With: Richard Dowdeswell (2) Succeeded byRichard Dowdeswell (2)Sir Francis Winnington Political offices Preceded byPrince Rupert of the Rhine(Lord High Admiral) First Lord of the Admiralty 1679–1681 Succeeded byThe Earl of Nottingham Preceded byLords Justices Lord Deputy of Ireland 1695–1696 Succeeded byLords Justices

v t e First Lords of the Admiralty
of England	The Earl of Portland The Earl of Lindsey William Juxon, Bishop of Lincoln The Earl of Northumberland The Lord Cottington Sir Henry Capell The Earl of Nottingham The Earl of Torrington The Earl of Pembroke The Lord Cornwallis The Viscount Falkland The Earl of Orford The Earl of Bridgewater The Earl of Pembroke
of Great Britain	The Earl of Orford Sir John Leake The Earl of Strafford The Earl of Orford The Earl of Berkeley The Viscount Torrington Sir Charles Wager The Earl of Winchilsea The Duke of Bedford The Earl of Sandwich The Lord Anson The Earl Temple The Earl of Winchilsea The Lord Anson The Earl of Halifax George Grenville The Earl of Sandwich The Earl of Egmont Sir Charles Saunders Sir Edward Hawke The Earl of Sandwich The Viscount Keppel The Viscount Howe The Viscount Keppel The Viscount Howe The Earl of Chatham The Earl Spencer
of the United Kingdom	The Earl of St Vincent The Viscount Melville The Lord Barham Viscount Howick Thomas Grenville The Lord Mulgrave Charles Philip Yorke The Viscount Melville The Duke of Clarence The Viscount Melville Sir James Graham, Bt The Lord Auckland The Earl de Grey The Lord Auckland The Earl of Minto The Earl of Haddington The Earl of Ellenborough The Earl of Auckland Sir Francis Baring, Bt The Duke of Northumberland Sir James Graham, Bt Sir Charles Wood, Bt Sir John Pakington, Bt The Duke of Somerset Sir John Pakington, Bt Henry Lowry-Corry Hugh Childers George Goschen George Ward Hunt William Henry Smith Smith The Earl of Northbrook Lord George Hamilton The Marquess of Ripon Lord George Hamilton The Earl Spencer George Goschen The Earl of Selborne The Earl Cawdor The Lord Tweedmouth Reginald McKenna Winston Churchill Arthur Balfour Sir Edward Carson Sir Eric Geddes Walter Long The Viscount Lee of Fareham Wood Anderson Leo Amery The Viscount Chelmsford The Viscount Bridgeman A. V. Alexander Sir Austen Chamberlain The Viscount Monsell Sir Samuel Hoare, Bt Duff Cooper The Earl Stanhope Winston Churchill A. V. Alexander Brendan Bracken A. V. Alexander The Viscount Hall Lord Pakenham Viscount Cilcennin The Viscount Hailsham The Earl of Selkirk The Lord Carrington The Earl Jellicoe