Edward Popham

Edward Popham (1581–1641) was an English Member of Parliament for Bridgewater in 1621, 1624, 1625 and 1626, and was also Sheriff of Somerset for the year 1622/23. Biography Popham was born on 11 November 1581. He was the eldest son of Alexander Popham of Huntworth and Dowsabell, daughter John Bayley of ?Salisbury, Wiltshire, and educated in the law at the Middle Temple (1600). He was a cousin of Edward Popham, the Naval Commander and MP. He inherited estates from his father in 1602. In May 1607 Popham abandoned the law to sail on an expedition to establish a colony at Sagadahoc, Maine. This colony, established by his great-uncle, Lord Chief Justice Sir John Popham, and led by his uncle, the Bridgwater merchant George Popham, failed within two years. Popham was a Justice of the Peace for Somerset from 1607 to 1626 and was appointed Sheriff of Somerset for 1622–1623. He was elected MP for Bridgewater in 1621, 1624, 1625 and 1626.