John Scudamore, 1st Viscount Scudamore

His grandfather Sir John Scudamore obtained a baronetcy for him on 1 June 1620,[1] giving him precedence locally three years.

His younger brother was Barnabas Scudamore, the Civil War commander who led Royalist forces in the successful defence of Hereford in 1645.

[1] Also in 1628, he was elected MP for Hereford and sat until 1629, when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years.

However, the Earl of Leicester who was staunchly Protestant was appointed as extraordinary ambassador over his head, with the result that they two could not agree on policy.

Scudamore was not particularly active on his return to England and his early participation in the English Civil War was limited.

[3] Partly as a result of his rivalry with Coningsby for control of Herefordshire, Hereford was surrendered to a small Parliamentarian force in 1643.