Career
Barrington graduated from Trinity College, Cambridge in 1580, then travelled to Geneva, birthplace of John Calvin, where he was joined by his Puritan cousin Francis Hastings. He returned home in late 1581 and played an active role in local administration, although he was first elected as MP for Essex in 1601. The next year, he inherited his mother's extensive estates in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and the Isle of Wight, further expanding his political influence.
After Elizabeth I died in March 1603, Barrington was invited to Theobalds House in Hertfordshire to greet the new king James I on his progress from Edinburgh to London, and wrote to his tailor for advice on what clothes he should wear. Knighted by James, he was re-elected for Essex in 1604 with the support of Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick, a devout Calvinist. The two men created a political alliance between their families that continued into the 1640s and beyond; another Puritan, the Earl of Sussex, whose main residence was in Essex, was appointed Lord Lieutenant of Essex in 1603, with Barrington serving as his Deputy.
Barrington compiled a report for Parliament detailing Essex clergy considered religiously unsound and sat on various commissions for regulating the Church of England. While he rarely spoke in the Commons, he was nominated to so many committees, he could not attend them all. His status was recognised in 1606 when he became an honorary member of Gray's Inn, but in 1607 he was removed as a local JP for his opposition to the political union between England and Scotland, the centrepiece of James' legislative agenda. Restored as a JP in 1610, on 29 June 1611 he purchased a baronetcy for £1,095 in the newly created Baronetage of England. He did not stand for election to the short-lived "Addled Parliament" in 1614.
Barrington used his wealth and family connections to increase his estates and political power; in 1612, he purchased Hatfield Manor from Robert Rich for £8,000, and began construction of Barrington Hall. He also tried to acquire nearby Hatfield Forest, pursuing an unsuccessful vendetta against its Catholic owner, Lord Monteagle. After Rich's death in 1619, Barrington became the senior political figure in Essex and was elected to Parliament in 1621 and 1624. As well as advocating the appointment of Puritan clergy to positions within the Church of England, Barrington was an enthusiastic patron of "godly clergy", one of his close friends being James Ussher, head of the Church of Ireland from 1625 to 1656.
Like Barrington's son John, many English contemporaries fought in the Thirty Years War and were concerned by James' pro-Spanish policy and failure to support his son-in-law Frederick V of the Palatinate. He died in March 1625 and was succeeded by his son Charles I, who called a new Parliament in April. As MP for Essex, Barrington backed the Duke of Buckingham, who wanted to declare war on Spain; he was appointed to the committee charged with its preparation and initiated action against the pro-Spanish Earl of Middlesex. However, this session saw the start of conflict over taxes such as Ship Money that dominated Charles' reign and ultimately lead to the First English Civil War in August 1642.
During peacetime, "Tonnage and poundage", or customs duties, were the Crown's main source of income and generally approved for the entire reign. Parliament now sought to make this an annual grant, increasing control over policy, an action unacceptable to Charles who dissolved it in August. He tried to win support from moderates by declaring war on Spain in September; directed by Buckingham, the result was the disastrous Cádiz expedition.
When Parliament was recalled in 1626 to approve new taxes, they insisted Buckingham first be impeached; Charles refused and dissolved it in June. Although not directly involved, his son Thomas sat on several committees set up to review Buckingham's conduct of the war; Barrington was clearly seen as an opponent since he was removed as Deputy Lieutenant of Essex and once again lost his position as a Justice of the Peace.
Having failed to obtain money from Parliament, in September Charles imposed a Forced Loan to fund his foreign policy. Barrington was appointed a Commissioner for its collection in Essex, effectively making him liable for the entire amount; when he refused, he was arrested and held in the Marshalsea prison, along with his wife and daughter Ruth. His health rapidly declined and he was released in January 1628. Viewed as a popular hero for his opposition to the Loan, Barrington was re-elected in March 1628, but died on 3 July. He was succeeded by his son Thomas and buried at the church of St Mary the Virgin, in Hatfield Broad Oak.
