Richard Vaughan MP (c. 1655–October 1724) of

Derwydd, Carmarthenshire Derwydd is a hamlet in the south-east of Carmarthenshire, Wales, historically situated in the parish of Llandybie, north of Ammanford. It is around halfway between Ammanford (to the south) and Llandeilo, at a rural crossroads between the A483 and ...

was a Welsh lawyer and Whig politician who sat in the English and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

for nearly 40 years from 1685 to 1724. Vaughan was the eldest son of John Vaughan of Court Derllys and his wife Rachel Vaughan, daughter of Sir Henry Vaughan of Derwydd, Carmarthenshire. He matriculated at Jesus College, Oxford 23 May 1672, aged 16. He was admitted at Gray's Inn in 1673, was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1680 and made a bencher in 1706. He succeeded his uncle Sir Henry Vaughan, to Derwydd Mansion, near Llandybie in 1676. Vaughan was appointed Recorder of Carmarthenshire for 1683-86 and 1688-1722 and a circuit judge on the Carmarthenshire circuit on 1715, serving as such until his death. Vaughan was elected Member of Parliament for Carmarthen for 1685–87 and 1689 to his death in 1724. His monument in Carmarthen Parish Church was sculpted by William Palmer.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.288 He is now reckoned to have been

Father of the House Father of the House is a title that has been traditionally bestowed, unofficially, on certain members of some legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the title refers to the longest continuously- ...

from 1718 to his death, although it is not clear that he was regarded as such at the time. He married, in 1692, Arabella, the daughter of

Sir Erasmus Philipps, 3rd Baronet Sir Erasmus Philipps, 3rd Baronet (c 1623 – 18 January 1697) was a Welsh politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1654 and 1659. Philipps was the eldest son of Sir Richard Philipps, 2nd Baronet of Picton Castle. He succeeded to the ...

, M.P., of Picton Castle, Pembrokeshire. They had no children and his estate passed to his niece, the wife of John Vaughan, MP for Carmarthenshire.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vaughan, Richard 1650s births 1724 deaths People from Carmarthen Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Members of Gray's Inn Whig (British political party) MPs for Welsh constituencies English MPs 1685–1687 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727