Richard Norton (19 November 1615 – May 1691), of

Southwick Park Southwick Priory or Our Lady at Southwick () was a priory of Augustinian canons founded in Portchester Castle on Portsmouth Harbour and later transferred north to Southwick, Hampshire, England. It ceased at the Dissolution of the Monasterie ...

, was an English landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

at various times between 1645 and 1691. He was a

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

in the Parliamentary Army in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

and for a time he commanded the Parliamentary forces besieging Basing House. He was Governor of Portsmouth for Parliament during the Civil War and for Charles II after the Restoration.

Biography

Norton was the son of Sir Daniel Norton of Southwick and his wife Honor White daughter of Sir John White of Southwick. The Norton family had settled long before at Alresford, Nutley,

East Tisted East Tisted () is a village and civil parish in the East Hampshire district of Hampshire, England. It is 4.8 miles (7.7 km) south of Alton on the A32 road. The village lies 50 miles south-west of London, 14 miles east of the city of Winch ...

, Southwick, near Portsmouth, and Rotherfield. His ancestor and namesake had been knighted at

Basing House Basing House was a Tudor palace and castle in the village of Old Basing in the English county of Hampshire. It once rivalled Hampton Court Palace in its size and opulence. Today only parts of the basement or lower ground floor, plus the foun ...

by Queen

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

. Norton lived at the Manor House of

Old Alresford Old Alresford ( or ) is a village and civil parish in Hampshire, England. It is north of the town of New Alresford, northeast of the city of Winchester, and south-west of the town of Alton. Alresford Pond is a large water feature sout ...

when he was a young man. Norton had been a colonel of a Foot regiment of the Hampshire Trained Bands in 1640–42, and on the outbreak of the cvil war he raised a regiment of Horse for Parliament.Col Richard Norton's Regiment of Horse at British Civil War Project (archived at the Wayback Machine)
/ref> In January 1643 he led a force which garrisoned

Warblington Castle Warblington Castle or Warblington manor was a moated manor near Langstone in Havant parish, Hampshire. Most of the castle was destroyed during the English Civil War, leaving only a single gate tower, part of a wall, and a gateway. The property, ...

. The castle soon fell when a Royalist force under Lord Hopton laid siege to it although Norton managed to escape. He was appointed

Sheriff of Hampshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire. This title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959. List of High Sheriffs 11th and 12th centuries 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th ...

for 1643–44 by Parliament (Sir Humphrey Bennet had already been appointed by the Crown). Norton is said to have distinguished himself in the

Battle of Cheriton The Battle of Cheriton of 29 March 1644 was an important Parliamentarian victory during the First English Civil War. Sir William Waller's "Army of the Southern Association" defeated a Royalist force jointly commanded by the Earl of Forth an ...

by bringing up a body of horse through by-ways, from his hunting knowledge of the country, to charge the rear of the enemy. He served under the

Earl of Manchester Duke of Manchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain, and the current senior title of the House of Montagu. It was created in 1719 for the politician Charles Montagu, 4th Earl of Manchester. Manchester Parish in Jamaica was named aft ...

, was a fellow Colonel with Cromwell in the

Eastern Association The Eastern Association of counties was an administrative organisation set up by Parliament in the early years of the First English Civil War. Its main function was to finance and support an army which became a mainstay of the Parliamentarian m ...

. Oliver Cromwell was on familiar and intimate terms with him, addresses letters to him thus: "For my noble Friend, Colonel Richard Norton. These," and commences "Dear Dick." and distinguishing him in letters to his private friends by the appellation of "Idle Dick Norton". Clarendon says that the besiegers of Basing House were "united in this service under the command of Norton, a man of spirit and of the greatest fortune of all the rest" and speaks of "the known courage of Norton." ''Mercurius Aulicus'' styles him "the great incendiary of Hampshire."pp. 33,34
/ref>Gate

/ref> Colonel Norton became Member of Parliament for

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

in 1645 as a Recruiter to the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...

.History of Parliament Online – Norton, Richard
/ref> In April 1647, Norton was, for the second time, appointed Governor of Portsmouth for which he was to receive 12s. per day, with an additional 8s per day as Captain of

Southsea Castle Southsea Castle, historically also known as Chaderton Castle, South Castle and Portsea Castle, is an artillery fort originally constructed by Henry VIII on Portsea Island, Hampshire, in 1544. It formed part of the King's Device programme to pr ...

. In 1653 he sat in the

Barebones Parliament Barebone's Parliament, also known as the Little Parliament, the Nominated Assembly and the Parliament of Saints, came into being on 4 July 1653, and was the last attempt of the English Commonwealth to find a stable political form before the inst ...

, and was elected a member of the

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

in the same year. Carlyle says of him, "Given to Presbyterian notions; was purged out by Pride; came back, dwindled ultimately into Royalism." He was re-elected MP for Hampshire in 1654 for the

First Protectorate Parliament The First Protectorate Parliament was summoned by the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell under the terms of the Instrument of Government. It sat for one term from 3 September 1654 until 22 January 1655 with William Lenthall as the Speaker of the H ...

and in 1656 for the

Second Protectorate Parliament The Second Protectorate Parliament in England sat for two sessions from 17 September 1656 until 4 February 1658, with Thomas Widdrington as the Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom), Speaker of the House of Commons. In its first sess ...

. In 1660, he was elected MP for Hampshire again in the Convention Parliament which invited Charles II to return to his kingdom, and immediately upon the restoration Colonel Norton was once more appointed "Captain of the Town, Isle and Castle of Portsmouth". He was elected MP for

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

. He was returned for Hampshire again, in 1679, for the

First Exclusion Parliament The Habeas Corpus Parliament, also known as the First Exclusion Parliament, was a short-lived English Parliament which assembled on 6 March 1679 (or 1678, Old Style) during the reign of Charles II of England, the third parliament of the King's re ...

and for Portsmouth again in the Second Exclusion Parliament. He was re-elected MP for Portsmouth in 1681 and 1689 and for Hampshire again, in 1690. Norton died in 1691. His portrait was destroyed when a Berkshire house was burnt circa 1800.

Family

Norton was married twice. By his first wife, Anne, daughter of Walter Earle, of Cherborough, Dorset, a well-known Parliamentarian, he was father of Daniel Norton, who, dying in the lifetime of the Colonel, left an only son,

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

, who succeeded to the Southwick estates. He represented the county of Hants in Parliament from 1693 to 1705. He married Lady Elizabeth, daughter of Edward Noel, Earl of Gainsborough, sometime Governor of Portsmouth, but died in 1732 without issue.

Notes

References

*McQuade, Paula (2008). ''Catechisms Written for Mothers, Schoolmistresses and Children, 1575–1750'', Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., * Godwin, George Nelson (1904) ''The Civil War in Hampshire (1642–45) and the Story of Basing House'', Southampton, H. M. Gilbert and son *Gates, William (1900). ''The History of Portsmouth''" *Page, William (editor 1908), ''Parishes: Southwick', A History of the County of Hampshire'', Volume 3
pp. 161–165
Date accessed: 2 April 2010. {{DEFAULTSORT:Norton, Richard 1615 births 1691 deaths Roundheads Hampshire and Isle of Wight Militia officers English landowners High sheriffs of Hampshire English MPs 1640–1648 English MPs 1653 (Barebones) English MPs 1654–1655 English MPs 1656–1658 English MPs 1660 English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695