The son of Sir William Wentworth of the original Jacobean house at Wentworth Woodhouse, he was a statesman and supporter of King Charles 1 and a leading figure in the run-up to the English Civil War. He was Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1632 - 1640, where he was deeply unpopular. Upon his return to England he became a leading advisor to the King in his conflict with Parliament. When Parliament condemned him to death, however, the King signed his death warrant and he was executed in London on Tower Hill on 12 May 1641. Charles 1 - himself executed by Parliament in 1649 - deeply regretted having signed his death warrant.