Vane, Henry (1613-05-26 - 1662-06-14)

Henry Vane (the Younger) was born near Debden, Essex, and was baptized on 26 May 1613. He travelled to New England in 1635, where he served as governor of Massachussetts for a year (1636-1637). When he returned to England, he became joint treasurer of the Navy. He was dismissed from his treasurership after he supported a bill to abolish the episcopacy in 1640. Vane succeeded John Pym as leader of the House of Commons in 1643. In 1653, he retreated from politics and began to publish a number of religious works, such as The Retired Mans Meditations (London, 1655). He also wrote and preached sermons, and was praised by the likes of John Rogers. In 1656, however, he engaged with politics once again with his bestselling pamphlet, A Healing Question (London, 1656), and in 1659, he became member for Whitchurch, Hampshire. After the Restoration of Charles II, Vane was condemned to death. He was executed at Tower Hill on 14 June 1662. For further information about his religious writings, see David Parnham, Sir Henry Vane, Theologian: A Study in Seventeenth-Century Religious and Political Discourse (Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 1997).