The John Hampden Society was founded on 27th October 1992 at a ceremony (above) in the Great Hall of John Hampden’s ancestral home, Hampden House, with the following aims and objectives:
- To make the character and achievements of this great 17th century Parliamentarian better known.
- To stimulate research into his life and times, and to make the results available to students of the period.
- To encourage and assist, where possible, in the preservation and/or renovation of the monuments and artifacts associated with him.
(These aims and objectives were amended in 2003 when the Society achieved charity status.)
The Society’s Founders
The founders were four enthusiasts (pictured, left to right), The 10th Earl of Buckinghamshire (who became Patron of the Society), Dr John Adair (President), Dr Frank Hansford-Miller (Hon. Treasurer), and Mr Roy Bailey (Hon. Secretary).
A Guard of Honour was supplied by members of Colonel John Hampden’s Regiment of the English Civil War Society under the command of Captaine Derek Lester (above, second left), and the inauguration was attended by representatives of local heritage organisations and local government dignitaries, as well as by press & television.
The Society received a letter of congratulation on its formation from The Rt. Hon. Betty Boothroyd, MP, Speaker of the House of Commons, in which she spoke of John Hampden’s lasting contribution to the securing of modern Parliamentary freedoms.