Selden family

The Selden family is a historically documented family whose origins are associated with the ancient place-name Selkeden in Eccleston, Sussex, England. The family’s recorded history extends across England and the United States, with members appearing in legal, political, religious, judicial, artistic, diplomatic, and technological contexts. The family is not a commercial brand or operating corporation; the subject refers to a lineage and the people associated with the Selden name and descent. The earliest identified member in the supplied historical account is John Selden, born approximately in 1210. Later generations established connections in England and the American colonies. Seldens were among the early settlers of British North America, and the family is identified with the First Families of Virginia. The American branch included descendants and relatives in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York. Dorothy Selden married Stephen Hosmer, and their descendants helped carry the family name and associated kinship networks into colonial New England. The most prominent historical figure bearing the name was John Selden, born in 1584. He was an English jurist, constitutional scholar, antiquarian, and member of the Long Parliament. His political involvement placed him in conflict with royal authority. His participation in the Protestation of 1621 led to confinement by the Sheriff of London and contributed to the dissolution of Parliament. In 1628, he helped draft and present the Petition of Right to the House of Lords. That document challenged the excessive exercise of royal authority under Charles I and defended civil liberties, including objections to arbitrary imprisonment and other infringements of established rights. Selden was subsequently imprisoned in the Tower of London. John Selden’s scholarly reputation rested on works dealing with law, history, religion, constitutional authority, and maritime jurisdiction. His History of Tithes became an influential contribution to the study of English legal history, and his scholarship led some commentators to regard him as a foundational figure in that field. Mare Clausum, his major treatise on maritime law and the law of the sea, became an important contribution to debates about sovereignty over oceans and navigable waters. His intellectual standing was recognized by contemporaries, including John Milton, who described him as one of the most learned men in England. Across the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, members of the wider Selden family and its lines of descent held public and professional roles. Colonel Samuel Selden served during the revolutionary era, while Reverend Miles Selden was rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, at the time Patrick Henry delivered his notable speech at the Second Virginia Convention. Dudley Selden served in the United States House of Representatives. Samuel L. Selden became Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals, and Henry R. Selden was Abraham Lincoln’s first choice for vice president, although he did not ultimately hold that office. The family’s later historical associations included the judiciary, diplomacy, art, and technology. Morrison Remick Waite, the son of Maria Selden, became Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court. George B. Selden, son of Henry Selden, became associated with one of the earliest and most consequential United States automobile patent claims. Arthur Selden Lloyd served as an Episcopal bishop and president of the church’s Board of Missions. Dixie Selden was an artist, while Armistead Selden served in the United States House of Representatives and later became an ambassador to New Zealand, Fiji, and other Pacific jurisdictions. Because the Selden family is a lineage rather than a commercial enterprise, it has no identifiable headquarters, product portfolio, corporate owner, parent company, public listing, or unified present-day business operation. Its historical significance derives from the achievements of individual family members and descendants, especially John Selden’s constitutional and legal scholarship and the family’s participation in English and American public life.

The Selden family’s recorded origins are linked to Selkeden, an ancient place-name associated with Eccleston in Sussex, England. The earliest identified member in the supplied account is John Selden, born about 1210. The surviving historical narrative then follows the family and its descendants across England and the American colonies. Seldens were among the early settlers of the original American colonies. Dorothy Selden married Stephen Hosmer, and their descendants included individuals who settled in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The family also became associated with Virginia, where it is counted among the First Families of Virginia. These colonial connections provided the background for later generations whose members entered public service, religious institutions, law, politics, diplomacy, and the arts. The best-known bearer of the name was John Selden, born in 1584. He became a leading English jurist, legal historian, antiquarian, and member of the Long Parliament. His scholarship addressed English law, constitutional authority, religious institutions, and maritime jurisdiction. Selden’s political career was marked by resistance to the expansion of royal power. His involvement in the Protestation of 1621 resulted in confinement by the Sheriff of London and occurred in the political crisis that led to the dissolution of Parliament. In 1628, he helped draft and present the Petition of Right to the House of Lords. The petition objected to the exercise of royal authority in ways that violated the civil liberties and established legal protections of the English people. Selden was later imprisoned in the Tower of London. John Selden’s publications gave the family name a lasting place in the history of English legal thought. History of Tithes examined the historical and legal basis of tithes and became an influential work in the study of English law. His maritime treatise Mare Clausum addressed the legal status of the sea and claims of jurisdiction over maritime spaces. The breadth of his scholarship led later commentators to associate him with the emergence of legal history as a distinct field. John Milton’s praise of Selden as one of the most learned men in England reflects the high intellectual reputation he held among contemporaries. In the eighteenth century, the family’s American branches produced figures active in military, religious, and civic life. Colonel Samuel Selden lived during the revolutionary period. Reverend Miles Selden served as rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia, and was present in the political and religious environment surrounding Patrick Henry’s famous address at the Second Virginia Convention. These associations placed members of the family within the institutional development of revolutionary-era Virginia. The nineteenth century brought further prominence in American government and law. Dudley Selden served in the United States House of Representatives. Samuel L. Selden became Chief Judge of the New York Court of Appeals. Henry R. Selden was identified as Abraham Lincoln’s first choice for vice president, although the selection did not result in his serving in that position. Morrison Remick Waite, whose mother was Maria Selden, became Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court, extending the family’s historical association with the American judiciary. Later descendants and relatives broadened the family’s public profile. George B. Selden, son of Henry Selden, became associated with an early automobile patent and is sometimes described in historical accounts as a possible pioneer of automobile patenting. Arthur Selden Lloyd became an Episcopal bishop and president of the Board of Missions of the Episcopal Church. Dixie Selden pursued a career as an artist. Armistead Selden served in Congress and later represented the United States diplomatically in New Zealand, Fiji, and other Pacific island jurisdictions. The Selden family therefore represents a transatlantic lineage whose historical importance comes from the activities of its members rather than from a single institution or business. The family’s story connects medieval and early modern English origins with colonial settlement and later American public life. Its most enduring associations are John Selden’s contribution to legal and constitutional scholarship, the family’s place among early colonial and Virginia families, and the public careers of later descendants in law, government, religion, diplomacy, art, and technology.

• 1628

  Contribution to the Petition of Right

  [1]Selden familyen.wikipedia.org

  John Selden helped draft and present the Petition of Right, which challenged abuses of royal power and defended English civil liberties.

• 1621

  Involvement in the Protestation crisis

  [1]Selden familyen.wikipedia.org

  John Selden’s participation in the Protestation of 1621 led to his confinement by the Sheriff of London during a conflict over parliamentary privilege and royal authority.

• 1584

  Birth of the jurist John Selden

  [1]Selden familyen.wikipedia.org

  John Selden was born and later became a major English jurist, legal historian, antiquarian, and parliamentary figure.

• Origins associated with Selkeden in Sussex

  [1]Selden familyen.wikipedia.org

  The family name is linked to the ancient location of Selkeden in Eccleston, Sussex, England.

• Earliest identified John Selden

  [1]Selden familyen.wikipedia.org

  The earliest known member named in the family history was John Selden, born approximately around this time.

• Expansion into colonial America

  [1]Selden familyen.wikipedia.org

  Members of the wider family became early settlers in the American colonies, with connections to Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Virginia.

• Public service among later descendants

  [1]Selden familyen.wikipedia.org

  Later family members and descendants held roles in Congress, the American judiciary, the Episcopal Church, diplomacy, the arts, and early automobile technology.

A historical family lineage rather than a commercial brand. The Selden name is chiefly associated with English legal and constitutional scholarship, colonial American settlement, public office, religious leadership, the judiciary, diplomacy, art, and early automobile patent history.

1. 1Selden familyen.wikipedia.org