Philip Mainwaring

Sir Philip Mainwaring (1589 – 2 August 1661) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1625 and 1661.

Mainwaring was the son of Randall Mainwaring, of Peover, Cheshire. He was admitted at Gray's Inn on 14 March 1609, and matriculated at Cambridge from Brasenose College, Oxford on 29 August 1610. He was awarded BA from Oxford in 1613 and entered Lincoln's Inn on 15 February 1614. In 1624 he was awarded MA at Cambridge on visit of King Charles.

Mainwaring was elected Member of Parliament for Boroughbridge in 1625 and 1626. He was elected MP for Derby in 1628 and sat to 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.

Van Dyck's double portrait of Sir Philip Mainwaring (right) with the Earl of Strafford

In 1634 Mainwaring became Principal Secretary to the Lord Deputy of Ireland, Lord Strafford. Strafford's biographer refers to him as a "court hanger-on" who was disliked by many of Strafford's friends, but who had provided him with useful intelligence in the past, and who justified the Earl's trust by proving a diligent and loyal official, who remained faithful to his employer.

He was knighted at Dublin Castle on 13 July 1634. He was an MP in the Irish House of Commons for Clonakilty from 1634 to 1635 and for Carysfort from 1640 to 1641.

Mainwaring was elected MP for Morpeth for the Short Parliament in April 1640. He was imprisoned in 1650.

In December 1660, Mainwaring was appointed to the Irish Privy Council. He was then elected MP for Newton in the Cavalier Parliament in 1661, but died later that year.

References

• Charles Arnold-Baker, The Companion to British History, London 2001, p. 845 (online at google books)
• http://www.leighrayment.com/pcouncil/pcouncilI.htm

Parliament of England
Preceded by William Mainwaring Sir Ferdinando Fairfax	Member of Parliament for Boroughbridge 1626 – 1628 With: Sir Ferdinando Fairfax	Succeeded by Sir Ferdinando Fairfax Francis Neville
Preceded by Sir Henry Crofts John Thoroughgood	Member of Parliament for Derby 1628 – 1629 With: Timothy Leeving	Vacant No Parliaments summoned until 1640 Title next held by William Allestry
Preceded by John Vaughan Richard Legh	Member of Parliament for Newton June – October 1661 With: Richard Legh	Succeeded by Richard Legh The Lord Gorges of Dundalk
Parliament of Ireland
Preceded by Sir Robert Travers	Member of Parliament for Clonakilty 1634 – 1635	Succeeded by Sir Robert Travers
Preceded by Guilford Slingsby	Member of Parliament for Carysfort 1639 – ????	Succeeded by ???