John Hampden was an English landowner and politician whose opposition to 'arbitrary' taxes imposed by Charles I made him a national figure. Allied with Parliamentarian leader John Pym, and cousin to Oliver Cromwell, he was among the Five Members whose attempted arrest in January 1642 helped to spark the First English Civil War. All 5 are commemorated at the State Opening of Parliament each year.
John Hampden
Sir John Eliot, who died in prison in 1632; Hampden helped him organise the 1628 campaign for the Petition of Right
The elaborate stern of HMS Sovereign of the Seas, built with ship money between 1634 and 1637; the gilt alone exceeded the cost of a normal warship
John Pym; co-ordinator of the Parliamentary opposition
Charles I was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649.
Charles I of England
Engraving by Simon de Passe of Charles and his parents, King James and Queen Anne, c. 1612
Portrait by Robert Peake, c. 1611
Portrait of Charles as Prince of Wales after Daniel Mytens, c. 1623