Richard Beke (1630–1707), of

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

and Ford, Dinton, Buckinghamshire, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) for Elgin and Nairn in 1656, for

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, south-east of Aylesbury and north-east of High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. There ar ...

on 8 February 1659, for

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in 1689 and for Wendover in 1690, 1695 and 1698.

Biography

Richard Beke was son of Henry Beke (who was sheriff (20th King Charles I) and also one of the parliament committee for the same county), and Frances, daughter of John Billyard, Merchant Taylor, of London. It is likely that Major Richard Beck either had an estate in Yorkshire, or some military appointment in that part of the kingdom, as he was named a visitor of the college erected by the protector Oliver Cromwell, at Durham. The Lord Protector

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who served as Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1658 to 1659. He was the son of Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell. Following his father ...

had a great regard for Richard Beke, giving him the command of his life-guard, and knighting him. At the Restoration he was briefly in favour, and was a colonel in the army. Later he was in the commission of the peace, and also a commissioner of appeals: he represented

once, in 1689, and Wendover twice in the parliaments of King

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

and Mary. He died 29 November 1707, aged 78, and was buried in the church of Dinton, in Buckinghamshire, in which parish he had a seat.

Family

On 7 February 1656 Richard Beke married Levina, the daughter of Roger Whitstone and Catherine sister of the

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') is a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometime ...

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

. The wedding was a grand occasion attended by the extended Cromwell family including the Lord Protector. On 1 July 1667, Beke married Jane, daughter of Lord Charles Powlett of Abbott's Anne, Hampshire. Beke married his third wife, Elizabeth the third daughter of Sir Thomas Lee, of Hartwell, in Bucks on 10 February 1684. She died 20 May 1737, aged 74 years, and is also buried in Dinton church, Beck and Elizabeth had three daughters: * Ann, who married to Mark Antonie. * Elizabeth, who died young. * Mary, who married to John Baynes serjeant-at-law.

References

;Notes ;Sources * * 1630 births 1707 deaths People from Aylesbury Vale English MPs 1659 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 {{1698-England-MP-stub