Charles Harbord

Sir Charles Harbord (1596 – 25 May 1679) was an English official, lawyer and politician who became one of the most active members of the House of Commons of England during the Cavalier Parliament. He was responsible for the management of crown lands during the reigns of both Charles I and Charles II as Surveyor General of the Land Revenues of the Crown.

Early career Harbord was the eldest son of William Harbord of Midsomer Norton and Dorothy Richmond. He was educated in law at Staple Inn and the Middle Temple. Initially finding employment as a solicitor, he entered the service of Philip Herbert, 4th Earl of Pembroke and sometime after, in 1631, was appointed Surveyor General of the Land Revenues of the Crown by Charles I. He undertook several other official duties on behalf of the crown including as commissioner for the inquiry into customs frauds (1632), commissioner for the inquiry into prohibited exports (1635), and auditor general to the Prince of Wales between 1636 and 1642. Between 1638 and 1642 he was a member of Queen Henrietta Maria's council. Between 1636 and 1642 he was a justice of the peace for Hertfordshire and Middlesex. He was knighted by the King at Hampton Court Palace on 29 May 1636.

Member of Parliament At the 1661 English general election Harbord was returned as the Member of Parliament for Launceston and aligned with the faction of Edward Hyde. In the Commons, Harbord was one of the most active members of the Parliament; he was appointed to 694 committees and delivered 65 reports, 15 of them from grand committee. He acted as teller in five divisions and as messenger from the Commons on 12 occasions, and made 123 recorded speeches. He served as chairman of the revenue committee, from which he presented 12 reports. In 1662 he was appointed to the council of Catherine of Braganza.

Personal life Harbord married twice. He had married his first wife, Anne Tyen, by 1623. After her death, he married Mary van Aelst (1602–1664) in 1626, with whom he had six sons and three daughters. Harbord's eldest and only surviving son, John, died without issue in 1710. Through John's sister, Catherine, Charles Harbord was the grandfather of Harbord Harbord and an ancestor of Harbord Harbord, 1st Baron Suffield.