The Temples of Stowe (c. 1603 - 1642) and their Extended Family

This thesis considers the interactions among members of the Temple family, examining the impact of status, family obligations and puritanism in the forty years preceding the opening of the Long Parliament. It defines the family as the children and grandchildren of John Temple (c. 1542 - 1603) together with their spouses. It draws on letters and family documents in a variety of archives in the UK and overseas, particularly from the Huntington Library in California. There is a brief introduction to the history of the Temple family, which was initially from Burton Dassett in Warwickshire and then moved to Stowe in Buckinghamshire. The family was wealthy but only recently accepted as members of the gentry. By the 1640s the family had over one hundred members living in nine different counties and had many links to other gentry and aristocratic families. These marital links created expectations and obligations which the Temples broadly recognised. These expectations included financial support, help in obtaining offices and providing services to other family members. However, the family was remarkably litigious and family members initiated at least twelve court cases against other family members during forty years. Some members of the family (eg Viscount Saye and Sele, the Earl of Lincoln and Henry Parker) were well-known and active puritans. Others were not puritan or were not prominent in the pursuit of a puritan agenda. Saye and Sele used his connections to other family members to promote his own support for a puritan agenda. The Temples were concerned about honour and status. Some actions by the family in pursuit of honour and status had the incidental effect of promoting a puritan agenda. The Temple can reasonably be described as puritan even though this description does not apply to all members. However, the Temples were not particularly active in promoting a puritan agenda except to the extent that Saye and Sele exploited family obligations and expectations in his own interest.