Richard Hardinge (c. 1593 – 24 August 1658) was Groom to the Bedchamber to the then

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(later King

Charles II of England Charles II (29 May 1630 – 6 February 1685) was King of Scotland from 1649 until 1651 and King of England, Scotland, and King of Ireland, Ireland from the 1660 Restoration of the monarchy until his death in 1685. Charles II was the eldest su ...

Background

Richard Hardinge was born at

Pewsey Pewsey is a village and Civil parishes in England, civil parish at the centre of the Vale of Pewsey in Wiltshire, about south of Marlborough, Wiltshire, Marlborough and west of London. It is within reach of the M4 motorway and the A303 and i ...

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

. He was the son of John Hardinge of Pewsey and

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

and Honora Estcourt. Honora was the daughter of Giles Estcourt, Member of Parliament for Salisbury and Recorder for the town of

Poole Poole () is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is east of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east ...

Education

Hardinge matriculated at

St Edmund Hall St Edmund Hall (also known as The Hall and Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university" and was the last ...

Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...

on 20 October 1609, but left two years later without a degree. In 1611 he was admitted to

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

Parliamentary career

In 1640 he represented

Great Bedwyn Great Bedwyn is a village and civil parish in east Wiltshire, England. The village is on the River Dun about southwest of Hungerford, southeast of Swindon and southeast of Marlborough. The Kennet and Avon Canal and the Reading to Taunt ...

in the

Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on 20 February 1640 and sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640. It was so called because of its short session of only three weeks. After 11 years of per ...

and 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 ...

English Civil War

In August 1644 Hardinge was the bearer of King Charles II's (whilst Prince of Wales) message to the Parliamentarian General and Lord Beauchamp. Essex refused to make peace with the King and therefore the mission did not succeed. He was a friend of Essex.

Further service in Royal Household

Hardinge accompanied the Prince to Jersey and France and back to England. He spent eight years in exile.

Death

He is thought to have died at

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and is buried at Loosdiijnen. There is a portrait of Richard still existing and is in the possession of the current Earl of Clarendon, a direct descendant of Edward Hyde, the 1st Earl of Clarendon. The portrait was painted by Cornelius Jansen of the Flemish school c. 1640. It was once part of the collection belonging to the 1st Earl at his seat, Clarendon Park, Oxfordshire. He left the collection to his son Henry, the 3rd Earl, who in turn left it to his sister, the Duchess of Queensbury. She took it to Amesbury Park, Wilts., and on her death in 1777, left it to her husband. Later the 4th Duke of Queensbury removed it to Richmond where it was seen by Horace Walpole. Upon the 4th Duke's death, the collection was taken to Bothwell Castle, Scotland and it remained there until the 7th Duke sold some back to the 4th Earl of Clarendon, in whose family it has remained ever since.

References

* Harding Family A Short History and Narrative Pedigree by Nicholas John Royal from 1480 to the present day. Published privately 1970 {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardinge, Richard 1590s births 1658 deaths People from Pewsey Alumni of St Edmund Hall, Oxford English MPs 1640 (April) English MPs 1640–1648