General Notes

[cooper.ged]
Anthony Ashley-Cooper,First Earl of Shaftesbury,son and heir of Sir John
Cooper and Anne Ashl ey,born 22 Jul 1621, at
Winbourne,St.Giles,Dorsetshire,inherited a very large estate from hi s
maternal grandgather,yet had the education of a constitutional lawyer at
Grays Inn,from whe nce he was called from speculation to action,in the
parliament of 1640,for Tewkesbury, at th e early age of nineteen years.
On the restoration he was named a commissioner for the trial o f the
regicides,and was created Baron Ashley, of Winbourne St. Giles ,1661. In
1670 he becam e a member of the adminstration called "The Cabal", in
which he was a lored of the treasury a nd chancellor of the exchequer;and
on the sedignation of the Lord Keeper Bridgeman,Nov 1672,h e was
constituted lord high chancellor of England, having been created,April
preceding Baro n Cooper,or Pawlett, and Earl of Shaftsbury. He married
first Margaret,dau. of Thomas Lord Co ventry;
secondly Frances,dau.David Cecil,third Earl of Exeton:thirdly 20 Aug
1655, at St. Paul's Cove nt Garden. Margaret, dau.William (Spencer) 2nd
Baron Spencer of Wormleighton by Penelope,1st . dau. Henry(Wristhesley
3rd Earl Southampton,who delivered him two daughters. His son and he ir
was by thesecond lady. The date of death of Margaret is unknown. She was
living when he wa s christened 20 apr 1661,Baron Ashley of Wilbournnn St.
Giles. in 1662 Lord Ashley and others ,being apprised of the excellent
soil of this country, united and formed a projected for plan ting a
colony on it. Charles II granted them all the lands from Lucke Island
(southern Virgin ia) to the river Saint Matthias (Florida) and extending
so wst to the Pacific Ocean,which emb raced almost the entire "Southern
States" of today. Of the immense region the king constitute d them
absolute lords and proprietors.Snthony died 21 jan 1683 at
Amsterdam,Holland
Anthony Ashley was the most versatile and brillant of the Lords
Proprietors. Like Albermarl e , he had served the Parliamentary forces
but he also cooperated with monck in restoring Cha rles II as the only
means of national peace. Anthony was a pronounced liberal and very much o
pposed to religious intolerance and persecution. The Fundamental
Constitutions of Carolina, t he laws for the new providence , were the
work of Anthony friends and secretary. the philosop her John Locke, but
they contain evidences of Anthony's collaboration,too. The laws he helpe
d to write produced the greatest measure of political and religious
freeedom in british Nort h America( and indeed, in much of the world) he
was the author of the Habeas Corpus Act where by an accused man cannot be
held indefinitley in prison without trail,an English law which pa ssed
into that of the United States. Anthony not only had his holdings in
Carolina,but he ha d been part owner of a sugar plantation on Barbadoes,
and a shareholder in the Hudson's Bay C o. As CharlesII grew more
absolute in his rule.and as Protestantism faced extinction in Engla nd if
Charles' Catholic brother JamesII,should succeed him,Anthony opposed the
growing politi cal and religious absolutism he saw approaching fell out
of Charles' favor, was exiled to Hol land and died their.