Widdrington, Thomas, ca.1600-1664.

Sir Thomas Widdrington came from an ancient Northumberland family. He was elected MP for Berwick in 1640 and held a number of important positions, including Speaker of the Parliament of 1656 and Commissioner of the Great Seal in 1660. His brother-in-law, Lord Fairfax, was influential in his advancement. John Saltmarsh, the mystical writer, was of Yorkshire extraction. Originally an advocate of episcopacy, he later adopted Calvinist opinions. Some time before January 1645 he was appointed the rector of Brasted in Kent, and then became an army chaplain under Sir Thomas (later Lord) Fairfax. He died at Ilford in 1647.

From the guide to the Speech made before Charles I by Thomas Widdrington, and a poem, To the King, by John Saltmarsh, 1639, (GB 206 Leeds University Library)