
Sir Richard Berkeley (15311604) of
Stoke Gifford
Stoke Gifford is a neighbourhood and Civil parish, parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the South Gloucestershire district, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. Formerly a separate ...
, Gloucestershire was MP for
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
in 1604. He had previously served as
Sheriff of Gloucestershire
This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Gloucestershire, who should not be confused with the Sheriffs of the City of Gloucester.
The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (in England and Wales the office previously kno ...
in 1564, and as
Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. He was knighted by
Queen Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudor. Her eventful reign, and its effect on history ...
in 1568. In 1595 he was appointed
Lieutenant of the Tower of London
The Lieutenant of the Tower of London serves directly under the Constable of the Tower. The office has been appointed at least since the 13th century. There were formerly many privileges, immunities and perquisites attached to the office. Like t ...
. In 1599 he was appointed custodian of
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex (; 10 November 1565 – 25 February 1601) was an English nobleman and a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during th ...
(d. 1601), who was kept under
house arrest
House arrest (also called home confinement, or nowadays electronic monitoring) is a legal measure where a person is required to remain at their residence under supervision, typically as an alternative to imprisonment. The person is confined b ...
at
Essex House in London. He died in 1604, whilst serving as MP, and was buried in
The Gaunts Chapel, Bristol, where exists an effigy of him, which chapel had been founded in 1220 by
Maurice de Gaunt
Maurice de Gaunt (before 1200 – 1230) was the founder of Beverston Castle in Gloucestershire, England. He began the construction c. 1225 without royal licence, and completed the project in 1229 with the granting of a licence for the final cren ...
(d. 1230), a member of the
Berkeley family
The Berkeley family is an English family. It is one of five families in Britain that can trace its patrilineal descent back to an Anglo-Saxon ancestor (the other four being the Arden family, the Swinton family, the Wentworth family, and the ...
, and which stands opposite
St Augustine's Abbey
St Augustine's Abbey (founded as the Monastery of Ss Peter and Paul and changed after its founder St Augustine of Canterbury's death) was a Benedictine monastery in Canterbury, Kent, England. The abbey was founded in 598 and functioned as a mon ...
(after 1542
Bristol Cathedral
Bristol Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, is a Church of England cathedral in the city of Bristol, England. It is the seat of the Bishop of Bristol. The cathedral was originally an abbey dedicated to St ...
), founded by a member of the Berkeley family of nearby
Berkeley Castle
Berkeley Castle ( ; historically sometimes spelled as ''Berkley Castle'' or ''Barkley Castle'') is a castle in the town of Berkeley, Gloucestershire, England. The castle's origins date back to the 11th century, being designated by English ...
.
Background
He was born in 1531, the eldest son of Sir John Berkeley (d. 1546) of
Stoke Gifford
Stoke Gifford is a neighbourhood and Civil parish, parish and Wards and electoral divisions of the United Kingdom, electoral ward in the South Gloucestershire district, in the ceremonial county of Gloucestershire, England. Formerly a separate ...
, Gloucestershire by Isabel Denys, a daughter of
Sir William Denys (d. 1535) of
Dyrham
Dyrham is a village and parish in South Gloucestershire, England.
Location and communications
Dyrham is at lat. 51° 29' north, long. 2° 22' west (). It lies at an altitude of 100 metres above sea level. It is near the A46 trunk road, abo ...
, Gloucestershire, by Anne Berkeley, daughter of
Maurice Berkeley, ''de jure'' 3rd Baron Berkeley (1436–1506). As well as his mother's descent from the
Barons Berkeley Barons may refer to:
*Baron (plural), a rank of nobility
*Barons (surname), a Latvian surname
*Barons, Alberta, Canada
* ''Barons'' (TV series), a 2022 Australian drama series
* ''The Barons'', a 2009 Belgian film
Sports
* Birmingham Barons, a Min ...
he was on the paternal side 7th in descent from Maurice de Berkeley (d. 1347, killed at the
Siege of Calais), who had acquired the manor of Stoke Gifford in 1337, the second son of
Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley
Maurice de Berkeley, 2nd Baron Berkeley (1281 – 31 May 1326), ''The Magnanimous'', English feudal barony, feudal Berkeley family, baron of Berkeley, of Berkeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England, was a Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. H ...
(1271–1326).
In 1545/46, when Richard was aged 14, his father died from splinter wounds whilst on board a ship at
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 ...
, and by an addition to his father's will Richard was given in
wardship
In law, a ward is a minor or incapacitated adult placed under the protection of a legal guardian or government entity, such as a court. Such a person may be referenced as a "ward of the court".
Overview
The wardship jurisdiction is an ancient ju ...
to
King Henry VIII
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...
(1509–1547). His mother, Isabel, married secondly, as his second wife,
Arthur Porter (c.1505–1559) of
Newent
Newent (; originally called "Noent") is a market town and civil parish in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The town is north-west of Gloucester. Its population was 5,073 at the 2001 census, rising to 5,207 in 2011, The population ...
and
Alvington, MP for
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
in November 1554, for the
City of Gloucester
Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
in 1555 and for
Aylesbury
Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery and the Aylesbury Waterside Theatre, Waterside Theatre. It is located in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wycombe and Milt ...
in 1559.
Re-builds Stoke Park

In 1553, aged just 22 just after coming out of wardship and gaining possession of his inheritance, he rebuilt the manor house at Stoke Gifford in the late-Tudor style, which was subsequently known as
The Dower House, Stoke Park. This construction was at about the same time his uncle
Sir Maurice Denys (d. 1563) was rebuilding nearby
Siston Court, which survives in original form. The house was built on a natural promontory, probably originally selected for its defensible position, converted into an artificial plateau. It was again rebuilt as the surviving version in 1750, in the Georgian style, by Berkeley's descendant
Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt
Norborne Berkeley, 4th Baron Botetourt ( – 15 October 1770) was a British Tory politician and colonial administrator who served as the governor of Virginia from 1768 to 1770, when he died in office.
While serving as rector at the College o ...
, and was inherited by his sister Elizabeth, Dowager Duchess of Beaufort, when it became the Dower House for
Badminton House
Badminton House is a large country house and Grade I Listed Building in Badminton, Gloucestershire, England, which has been the principal seat of the Dukes of Beaufort since the late 17th century. The house, which has given its name to the spor ...
. It is situated about 1 1/2 miles south of the parish church of St. Michael, Stoke Gifford, and its parkland has now been intersected by the
M32 motorway
The M32 is a motorway in South Gloucestershire and Bristol, England. It provides a link from the M4, a major motorway linking London and South Wales, to Bristol city centre and is maintained by National Highways, the national roads body.
Th ...
from which the present house of 1750, painted yellow, is a very prominent sight.
Lands held
In 1564 he purchased the Gloucestershire manors of
Stapleton, adjacent to the south, and
Rendcomb
Rendcomb is a village in the Cotswold local authority area of the English county of Gloucestershire. It is about five miles north of Cirencester in the Churn Valley.
History
Etymology
Rendcomb is thought to get its name from the stream runnin ...
, a considerable distance to the north, 5 miles north of
Cirencester
Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...
. Between 1563 and 1567 he sold the manor of
Rockhampton
Rockhampton is a city in the Rockhampton Region of Central Queensland, Australia. In the , the population of Rockhampton was 79,293. A common nickname for Rockhampton is "Rocky", and the demonym of Rockhampton is Rockhamptonite.
The Scottish- ...
, first acquired in 1354 by Sir Thomas (or Maurice) Berkeley of
Uley
Uley is a village and civil parish in the county of Gloucestershire, England. The parish includes the hamlets of Elcombe and Shadwell and Bencombe, all to the south of the village of Uley, and the hamlet of Crawley to the north. The village ...
(d.1361), to its several
farmers-in-fee.
Marriage and progeny
Berkeley married twice:
*Firstly to Elizabeth Read, daughter of William Read of Milton(or Mitton), Esq., by whom he had issue:
**Henry Berkeley (died 1606), of Stoke Gifford, who married Mary (or Mirryell) Throckmorton, daughter of Thomas Throckmorton of
Coughton Court
Coughton Court () is an English Tudor country house, situated on the main road between Studley and Alcester in Warwickshire. It is a Grade I listed building.
The house has a long crenellated façade directly facing the main road, at the cen ...
, Warwickshire. He was father of
Richard Berkeley (1579–1661), MP.
**Elizabeth, (or Ellen) who married, as his first wife, Sir Thomas Throckmorton of
Tortworth
Tortworth is a small village and civil parish, near Thornbury in Gloucestershire, England. It has a population of 147 as of 2011. It lies on the B4509 road, which crosses the M5 motorway to the west of Tortworth.
History
In the Domesday Book of ...
, Gloucestershire. She was mother of:
*** John Throckmorton(died young, c.1591, not to be confused with
John Throckmorton (1572–1623) MP for
Gloucestershire
Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
1601 and 1604, on the latter occasion after winning a by-election for the seat vacated by the death of Richard Berkeley in the same year.)
***
Sir William Throckmorton, 1st Baronet (c.1579–1628), of Tortworth.
**Mary
**Anne who married Hugh Lygon (d. 1599 at Hanley Castle, Worcestershire)
**Dorothy
*Secondly Eleanor Jermy, daughter of Sir Robert Jermy and widow of Robert Rowe, father of Sir
Thomas Roe
Sir Thomas Roe ( 1581 – 6 November 1644) was an English diplomat of the Elizabethan and Jacobean periods. Roe's voyages ranged from Central America to India; as ambassador, he represented England in the Mughal Empire, the Ottoman Empir ...
, ambassador. Sir Richard Berkeley's grandson
Richard Berkeley (1579–1661) of Stoke Gifford married Mary Roe/Rowe (1579-1615), the daughter of Robert Rowe.
Death and burial
He died on 26 April 1604, as his monument in
The Gaunt's Chapel, Bristol, records. He was replaced on 30 May 1604 as one of the pair of MP's for Gloucestershire by
John Throckmorton (1572–1623), of Lypiatt, whose parentage is unknown, but who was alive in 1611 as recorded in the proceedings of the House of Commons, and should not therefore be confused with his grandson John Throckmorton of Tortworth who died c.1591 as a boy.
[History of Parliament:1558-1603, Throckmorton, John II of Lypiatt]
Effigy in The Gaunts Chapel

The recumbent effigy of Sir Richard Berkeley is situated to the immediate right hand side on entering
The Gaunt's Chapel, Bristol. He is dressed in plate-armour, with his hands placed together in prayer pointed heavenwards. The effigy probably had originally an elaborate sculpted canopy above it, which has now been lost, following the repositioning of the effigy to its current location against a wall. On an entablature on the wall behind the effigy, surmounted by the arms of Berkeley of Stoke Gifford (''Gules, a chevron
ermine
Ermine may refer to three species of mustelid in the genus '' Mustela'', or their fur:
* Stoat or Eurasian ermine, ''Mustela erminea'', found throughout Eurasia and northern North America
* American ermine, ''Mustela richardsonii'', found throu ...
between ten
crosses pattee argent''), is the following Latin inscription:
'Domini : Rich : Berkelaei : Militis : in : suam : mortem : carmen : monitorium : Cum genus et nomen capiunt cognoscere cuncti mentem nemo : si quis qui sim inquirere pergat nescio responde : verum hunc se nosse moneto'
Translated into English:
“...Of the lord Richard de Berkeley, knight, in his death, a song of those admonishing: Though all men may desire to know my name and race, yet no man may desire to know my mind. If any one should take up the enquiry as to who I am, reply I know not, but let that man be advised to know himself”
His epitaph follows:
Whom youth could not corrupt, nor change of dayes
Add anything but years, he, full of them
As they of knowledge, what need this stone prayse
Whose epitaph is writt in the heartes of men
That did this world and her child Fame despise
His soule w.th (with) God, loe here his coffin lyes
''Obiit : Aprilis : xxvi : Ano. Domini : 1604 Aetatis suae 71''
(Trans.: "He died the 26th of April in the year of Our Lord 1604, 71 (years) of age")
Sources
*Barker, W.R. St Mark's or The Mayor's Chapel, Bristol, Formerly called the Church of the Gaunts. Bristol, 1892, pp. 146–8
*Evans, Rev. D.R., A History of Stoke Gifford, 1958. Extracts reproduced in: Kerton, Adrian (ed.), History of Stoke Gifford, 2005 (www.sbarch.org.uk)
*Smyth, John, The Lives of the Berkeleys, Lords of the Honour, Castle and Manor of Berkeley, in the County of Gloucester, from 1066 to 1618. First published 1618. (Main source of Barker, W.R.)
*Maclean, Sir John (ed.), The Visitation of the County of Gloucester Taken in the Year 1623 by Henry Chitty and John Phillipot, London, 1885, pp. 8–9, "Barkley" (contains errors)
Berkeley genealogy website
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Richard
1531 births
1604 deaths
English MPs 1604–1611
High sheriffs of Gloucestershire
Lieutenants of the Tower of London
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 ...
16th-century English people