Rowland Berkeley (died 1696)
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Rowland Berkeley (1613–1696) of Cotheridge
Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands (county), West ...
, was an English politician, only son of William Berkeley (1582–1658) of Cotheridge and his wife Margaret, daughter of
Thomas Chettle Thomas Chettle (died c. 1640) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1614. Chettle was of Worcester and was possibly admitted to Gray's Inn in 1569. He was bailiff of Worcester in 1603 and 1605. In 1614, he was elected Me ...
of Worcester. W R Williams ''Parliamentary History of the County of Worcester''
/ref> Rowland's father, William, was eldest son and heir to Rowland Berkeley of Spetchley, Worcester clothier and politician. He was knighted by Charles I at Whitehall 30 June 1641.


Royalist

Sir Rowland was one of the Commissioners of Array appointed to call out the Militia in June 1642. The muster rolls were kept at Cotheridge.Edith Ophelia Browne & John Richard Burton (editors) ''Short biographies of the Worthies of Worcestershire'' 1916 E. G. Humphreys, College Street, Worcester He was appointed
High Sheriff of Worcestershire This is a list of sheriffs and since 1998 high sheriffs of Worcestershire. The High Sheriff, Sheriff is the oldest Secularity, secular office under the Crown. Formerly the Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but ove ...
for 1644–45. He seems to have taken over Cotheridge long before his father died in 1658. Immediately after the Siege of Worcester on 23 July 1646 he had obtained a written pass of safety to his home, Cotheridge, on taking an oath to not again bear arms against Parliament.William Page, J.W.Willis-Bund (editors) ''A History of the County of Worcester: volume 4'' 1924 Victoria County History He was obliged to pay a fine of £2,030 on 25 August 1646 having been charged that "his house being within three miles of Worcester, he continued to live there while it was held for the king, and was placed on a Commission for the safeguarding of the County, and for raising contributions for the king's forces." He left a written description of the fight of the evening of 3 September 1651 having, he says, been brought from Cotheridge to Worcester against his will as he had "resolved not to meddle". He wrote to Sir Thomas Cave, his father-in-law, that he was fetched to
King Charles King Charles may refer to: Kings A number of kings of Albania, Alençon, Anjou, Austria, Bohemia, Croatia, England, France, Holy Roman Empire, Hungary, Ireland, Jerusalem, Naples, Navarre, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sardinia, Scotland, Sicily, S ...
by a major with a party of horse. While waiting for audience with the king he learnt a commission had been issued to him and other gentlemen of the county to assist Major-General Massie, Worcester's (Royalist) governor. Berkeley escaped, took horse and fled home while the battle already raged. He was caught once by the Scots (the King's men) but managed to leave them. Early the next morning a party of
Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
horse arrived at Cotheridge and brought him and his dun colt as far as St John's Worcester where they found they held no order for what they were doing and he was allowed to return home. Nash, the source of the next tale, was Sir Rowland's great-grandson. Sir Rowland was one of the gentlemen chosen by King Charles in 1660 to be invested with the order of the Royal Oak, an order which was not instituted.


House of Commons

Sir Rowland Berkeley served as MP for
Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...
from 1661 to 1679.


Patronage network

Rowland Berkeley married Dorothy, daughter of Sir Thomas Cave of Stamford and his wife Elizabeth sister of Herbert Croft Bishop of Hereford and dean of the chapels royal to Charles II. Dorothy's brother
Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...
was raised to a baronetcy by Charles I the same day as Rowland Berkeley was knighted. His uncle Robert Berkeley was also MP for Worcester 1621-1624


Children

Source:John Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland'' Volume II - Page 228, 1835, Henry Colburn * Thomas died unmarried in Greece aged 30 while on a diplomatic mission * Elizabeth married Henry Greene of Wykin Warwickshire and their eldest son became Rowland Berkeley of Cotheridge * Penelope married Sir Thomas Street (1625-1696) a justice of the court of common pleas MP for Worcester 1658-1680 * Rebecca married Henry Townsend * Mary married Richard Nash and was grandmother to Treadway Nash * Margaret married William Bromley (of Holt Castle) (1656–1707), Whig Member of Parliament and was grandmother to
Henry Bromley, 1st Baron Montfort Henry Bromley, 1st Baron Montfort (20 August 1705 – 1 January 1755), of Horseheath Hall, Cambridgeshire, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 until 1741 when he was raised to the peerage as Bar ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Berkeley, Rowland 1613 births 1696 deaths Politicians from Worcester, England Place of birth missing Cavaliers English MPs 1661–1679 High sheriffs of Worcestershire