DUNCH, John (c.1630-68), of Pusey, Berks.

Still only in his early twenties in the early 1650s, John Dunch had already begun to make a political impact. Much of that derived from his marriage in 1650 to one of Richard Maijor’s daughters. The crucial point about this match was that the previous year Maijor’s other daughter, Dorothy, had married Richard Cromwell*. Dunch was in fact already distantly related to the Cromwells, via his aunt, Mary Cromwell, the mother of Edmund Dunch*. But this latest marriage would prove to be the strongest bond linking the Hampshire Dunches into the Cromwellian family affinity. In any case, Dunch’s father, Samuel, had already established this branch within the same part of Hampshire as the Maijors – the Dunches’ seat at North Baddesley was only four miles from Maijor’s seat at Hursley – so this marriage should equally be seen simply as one between two prominent local parliamentarian families. Under the terms of the marriage settlement, signed on 1 May 1650 and witnessed by Richard Cromwell, Maijor promised his lands at South Stoneham, three miles to the south of North Baddesley, to the couple.16Berks. RO, D/EBp T141/6.

In settling in Hampshire, Samuel Dunch had retained his connections with Berkshire and in 1653 represented that county in the Nominated Parliament. This gave his son more than one option when he decided to stand in 1654. Probably benefiting from the influence of Richard Cromwell as the town’s high steward, John Dunch was elected in Hampshire in the contested poll at Andover on 6 July. However, six days later he was also chosen as one of the five Berkshire MPs. Required to choose between the two, Dunch informed the Commons on 5 October 1654 that he would sit for the county seat.17CJ vii. 373a. How far he played any part in this Parliament once he took that seat is difficult to say. His cousin Edmund had also been elected as a Berkshire MP and the Journals for the 1654 and 1656 Parliaments seldom distinguish between them. In fact, neither man seems to have been especially active in 1654 and it is rather more likely that the handful of committee appointments that may refer to John actually refer to his older, more experienced cousin.

What one can say is that by 1655 Dunch had clearly emerged as an active supporter of the protectorate in both Hampshire and Berkshire. His first local appointment was probably as a captain in the Hampshire militia and in March 1655 he was named as a justice of the peace there and in Berkshire.18TSP iv. 238; C231/6, pp. 306-7. Later that year he was also appointed as one of the commissioners for securing the peace of the commonwealth for both counties.19TSP iv. 238, 240, 285, 363. Moreover, he advised Major-general William Goffe* on the membership of the Berkshire commission.20TSP iv. 285 In January 1656 he was able to persuade Goffe* to press for money to pay the Hampshire militia and, in reporting this to Secretary of state John Thurloe*, Goffe was no doubt aware that Dunch would be able, if necessary, to raise the matter directly with the lord protector. However, six months later the two of them were still pressing Thurloe on the matter.21TSP iv. 526; v. 365. Dunch also passed on to Goffe information about some seditious remarks which had been made to him by Clement Ireton, the brother of Henry Ireton*.22TSP v. 397.

Slightly more is known for certain about Dunch’s role in the 1656 Parliament than in the 1654 one, although the confusion with his cousin remains a major problem. Only five committee appointments can definitely be linked to him and, apart from the one on prisoners accused of treason (4 Oct. 1656), all were only of minor significance.23CJ vii. 434a, 466a, 503a, 504a, 505a. He is perhaps also the more likely to have been the Dunch appointed to the committee on the bill concerning the sheriff’s court in Wiltshire.24CJ vii. 475a. He was absent when attendance in the House was checked on 31 December 1656.25Burton’s Diary, i. 284. In one case, the Journal distinguishes him as ‘Captain Dunch’, which makes it a bit more likely that most of the references to ‘Mr Dunch’ do refer to Edmund.26CJ vii. 466a. Both of them voted on 25 March 1657 in favour of including the offer of the crown to Cromwell in the Humble Petition and Advice.27A Narrative of the late Parliament (so called) (1657), 22 (E.935.5). During this period at Westminster John can be assumed to have moved in court circles and in August 1657 Cromwell summoned him to Hampton Court, apparently to pass on some personal message to his father.28Belvoir Castle, lttrs. of Long Parliament MPs, iii. f. 2A; Abbott, Writings and Speeches, iv. 613. Back in Hampshire Dunch remained firmly committed to preserving the regime’s security. In late December 1657 he wrote to Thurloe assuring him of his efforts to uncover royalist conspiracies and advising that action be taken against the local Quakers.29TSP vi. 710-11. On 29 January 1658, after Parliament had reassembled for its second session, he is known to have declared as teller for those who wanted the House to resolve itself into a grand committee the following morning to receive the latest message from the Other House.30Burton’s Diary, ii. 394. As a supporter of the protectorate, he was probably keen to see the constitutional settlement laid down by the Humble Petition and Advice implemented in full. This may have been as much about family pride as political faith. Just how closely associated he was with the Cromwells was underlined when he took his place among the other members of the family in Cromwell’s funeral procession to Westminster Abbey on 28 November 1658.31Burton’s Diary, ii. 527. His political future now depended entirely on that of his brother-in-law.

Re-elected as MP for Berkshire for a third time, Dunch’s activities in the 1659 Parliament emerge with rather great clarity than was the case in previously. It helps that he was the only Dunch who was elected this time. But it also may have made a difference that he now had a clearer role by which to define himself. Richard Cromwell needed his support and Dunch gave it willingly. On 29 January he was named to the committee for elections.32CJ vii. 594b. More importantly, on 14 February he declared himself in favour of the motion that they should ‘recognize’, rather than just merely declare, Richard as lord protector.33Burton’s Diary, iii. 281. His appointment on 6 April to the committee to consider how the Commons should transact business with the Other House implies that he still willing to work with them.34CJ vii. 627a. Richard’s fall can only have come as a bitter blow to him. The Dunches had made the most of their links with the Cromwells and the Hampshire branch would have assumed that they would benefit even more under the son than the father. The end of the protectorate was to be effectively the end of John’s public career.

Dunch doubtless expected that he would in time inherit the lands at Pusey and North Baddesley from his father. But, in a cruel twist of fate, he outlived his father in 1668 by only ten days. The estates therefore passed to John’s eldest son, Major, who had been given his mother’s maiden name and who was in 1668 still a minor. A cousin, Humphrey Gunter, managed the properties during the minority.35PROB11/328/286; PROB11/331/59. In time, Major Dunch would marry one of the daughters of Philip, 4th Baron Wharton, and their son, Wharton Dunch†, would sit in the 1701 and 1705 Parliaments as a whig.36HP Commons 1660-1715. On Wharton’s death in 1705, the male of this cadet branch died out and the estates therefore passed via Wharton’s sister to the Keck family of Great Tew.