Richard Major or Richard Maijor (1605 – 25 April 1660) was a Member of Parliament during the

English Commonwealth The Commonwealth of England was the political structure during the period from 1649 to 1660 when Kingdom of England, England and Wales, later along with Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland and Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland, were governed as a republi ...

era. Major was the son of John Maijor, merchant and MP for

Southampton Southampton is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. It is located approximately southwest of London, west of Portsmouth, and southeast of Salisbury. Southampton had a population of 253, ...

in 1628 and nephew of John Searle, MP for Newport, I.o.W in 1614. He matriculated at

Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault, queen of England. It is distinguished by its predominantly neoclassi ...

in November 1621. On his death the following year, John Searle bequeathed his nephew his mainland property. He graduated BA in 1624. In 1625 he married Ann (d. 1662), daughter of John Kingswell of the manor of Marvel in Carisbrooke, I.o.W. He bought Hursley Park and Lodge, Hampshire in 1639 and served as High Sheriff of Hampshire for 1639–40. His eldest daughter, Dorothy, was married to Cromwell's eldest living son

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 ...

, who succeeded Oliver as

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 ...

in 1658. Major sat 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 both 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 ...

of 1653 and 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 ...

of 1654 and was also appointed to

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 ...

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 ...

.Hainsworth p.158 He died in 1660 and was buried in Hursley Church. Hursley Park passed to Richard Cromwell and his heirs.

References

Bibliography

* Hainsworth, Roger. ''The Swordsmen in Power: War and Politics under the English Republic, 1649-1660''. Sutton Publishing, 1997. {{DEFAULTSORT:Major, Richard 1605 births 1660 deaths English landowners High sheriffs of Hampshire English MPs 1653 (Barebones) English MPs 1654–1655