Sir Richard Verney (1563 – 7 August 1630) of Compton Verney in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

, England, was a landowner and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

at various times between 1589 and 1614.

Origins

He was the eldest son of George Verney (d. 1574) of Compton Verney, by his wife Jane Lucy, daughter of William Lucy of

Charlecote Charlecote is a village and civil parish south of Warwick, on the River Avon, in the Stratford-on-Avon district, in the county of Warwickshire, England. In 2011 the parish had a population of 194. The parish touches Wasperton, Newbold Pacey, We ...

in Warwickshire.

Career

In 1574, aged 11, he inherited his deceased father's estates. He entered

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

in 1582 to train as a lawyer and served as a Justice of the Peace from about 1584 when he came of age aged 21. In 1589 he was elected as a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

for

. He was

Sheriff of Warwickshire This is a list of sheriffs and high sheriffs of the English county of Warwickshire. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most ...

for 1590–1, during which time he became liable for a penalty of £1,000 due to the escape of an important prisoner under his custody. He was Commissioner for Musters by 1597. In 1601 he was elected as an MP for

West Looe West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

in Cornwall. He was knighted in 1603 and was

again for 1604–5. He may have been an MP for Warwickshire again during the 1604 to 1611 Parliament, and was elected an MP for Warwickshire in 1614. History of Parliament Online - Richard Verney
/ref>

Marriage and issue

On 29 October 1582 at Alcester he married

Margaret Greville Dame Margaret Helen Greville, ( Anderson; 20 December 1863 – 15 September 1942), was a British society hostess and philanthropist. She was the wife of the Hon. Ronald Greville (1864–1908). Family background Born Margaret Helen Anderson, she ...

(d. 26 March 1631), (later from 1628 ''

suo jure ''Suo jure'' is a Latin phrase, used in English to mean 'in his own right' or 'in her own right'. In most nobility-related contexts, it means 'in her own right', since in those situations the phrase is normally used of women; in practice, especi ...

'' 6th Baroness Willoughby de Broke) daughter of

Fulke Greville, 4th Baron Willoughby de Broke Sir Fulke Greville (1536 – 15 November 1606) of Beauchamp Court near Alcester in Warwickshire, was an English gentleman. Origins He was born in 1536, the son of Sir Fulke Greville (d. 10 November 1559) by his wife Elizabeth Willoughby, 3rd Bar ...

(1536–1606) of Beauchamp Court, Alcester, Warwickshire, and sister and heiress of Fulke Greville, 1st Baron Brooke, 5th Baron Willoughby de Broke (1554–1628), known before 1621 as ''Sir Fulke Greville'' the

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wr ...

dramatist A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes plays. Etymology The word "play" is from Middle English pleye, from Old English plæġ, pleġa, plæġa ("play, exercise; sport, game; drama, applause"). The word "wright" is an archaic English ...

, and

statesman A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level. Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to: Newspapers United States * ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a n ...

. Verney was said to be an affectionate family man and a good friend and spent much of his time in the social round of visits and entertainments. He was often at Beauchamp Court, the home of his brother-in-law Sir Fulke Greville. By his wife he had four sons and four daughters, including: *

Greville Verney, 7th Baron Willoughby de Broke Greville Verney, 7th Baron Willoughby de Broke and de jure 15th Baron Latimer (1586 – 12 May 1642) of Compton Verney in Warwickshire, England, served twice as a Member of Parliament for Warwick, in 1614 and 1621. Origins He was the son and he ...

, eldest son and heir, who inherited the title

Baron Willoughby de Broke Baron Willoughby de Broke is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created by writ in 1491 for Sir Robert Willoughby, of the manor of Broke, part of Westbury, Wiltshire, who according to modern doctrine was ''de jure'' 9th Baron Latime ...

on the death of his mother in 1631.

Death and burial

He died in 1630 at the age of 66 after a short illness and was buried in the chapel at Compton Verney, where survives his monument by

Nicholas Stone Nicholas Stone (1586/87 – 24 August 1647) was an English sculptor and architect. In 1619 he was appointed master-mason to James I, and in 1626 to Charles I. During his career he was the mason responsible for not only the building ...

, master-mason to King Charles I, comprising alabaster recumbent effigy, with that of his wife, on a chest tomb.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verney, Richard 1563 births 1630 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for West Looe Members of Gray's Inn High Sheriffs of Warwickshire English MPs 1589 English MPs 1601 English MPs 1604–1611 English MPs 1614 Sheriffs of Warwickshire