Richard Erdeswicke (1594-1640) was an English MP, whose public career was hampered by debt.

Life

Erdeswicke was the son of the Staffordshire antiquary

Sampson Erdeswicke Sampson Erdeswicke (born c. 1535x1540; died 1603) was an English antiquary and chorographer. Background Sampson's father, Hugh Erdeswicke claimed descent from Richard de Vernon, Baron of Shipbrook in the reign of William the Conqueror. The fami ...

by his second wife Mary (née Neale), daughter of Francis Neale of Keythorpe in Leicestershire. His family were staunchly

recusant Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

. He was still a minor when his father died and his

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 ...

was acquired by Thomas Gerard, 1st Baron Gerard, who sold it back to Erdeswicke's mother. His mother borrowed money from his half-brother

Sir Everard Digby Sir Everard Digby (c. 1578 – 30 January 1606) was a member of the group of provincial members of the English nobility who planned the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Although he was raised in an Anglican household and married a Protestant, Di ...

to purchase Erdeswicke's wardship, which led to complications when Everard was executed for his part in the 1605

Gunpowder Plot The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was an unsuccessful attempted regicide against James VI and I, King James VI of Scotland and I of England by a group of English ...

and his estate confiscated by the Crown. Despite his family's Catholicism, Erdeswicke was educated at Eton, Cambridge and the Inns of Court. He married Anne Orwell, while still a minor. His half-brother George Digby was a friend of

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...

and the influence of the king's favourite enabled Erdeswicke to pursue a public career when he came of age, despite his recusant associations. Erdeswicke's selection to represent Staffordshire in 1625 was probably due to a combination of the county's desire to curry favour with Buckingham, the influence of Digby's father-in-law Sir Walter Chetwynd, who had held the seat in 1614 and the sheriff Edward Stanford himself having a recusant background. He was not an active MP and his public career was short-lived, presumably because of debt. The estate he had acquired from his father had been heavily encumbered and the debts were increased securing his own wardship. In February 1628 he acquired a royal protection against being arrested for debt through Buckingham's 'favourable mediation. He sold Sandon to Digby, but this did not solve his problems and he was eventually imprisoned for debt in the

Fleet Prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...

, where he died. He left one son Sampson (d. 1654).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Erdeswicke, Richard 1594 births 1640 deaths 17th-century English people English MPs 1625