Edward Whitby

Who is Edward Whitby?

Edward Whitby was an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1629.

Whitby was the son of Robert Whitby, who was mayor of Chester. He was of Dunham on the Hill, Cheshire, and was admitted to Inner Temple in November 1600. In 1606, he purchased Bache Hall at Upton-by-Chester. He was called to the bar in 1610 and became Recorder of Chester in 1613. In 1614, he was elected Member of Parliament for City of Chester.

In 1619 the Chester corporation was riven by faction. Whitby was accused of official corruption and the committee voted to remove him from office. However the meeting was extremely unruly and a decision was deferred until his return. At the hearing he defended himself successfully and was reaffirmed in his office. He was re-elected MP for Chester in 1521, 1624, 1625, 1626 and 1628 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.

Whitby continued as Recorder until his death in 1639. His house at Bache Hall was demolished during the siege of Chester in the English Civil War, when Parliamentary troops used it as a garrison.