Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Baronet (1560–1622) was a
member of parliament for
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
, Mayor of
Liverpool
Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...
and
Receiver-General of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Life
Molyneux was the son of William Molyneux and his wife Bridget Caryll. His grandfather, Sir Richard Molyneux (1528–1568), was MP for Liverpool from 1562 to 1571. He was educated at
University College, Oxford
University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...
.
In 1581, Molyneux was appointed by substitution MP of
Wigan
Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
, replacing
Sir Edward Fitton and knighted in 1586.
In 1588–89, he was
Mayor of Liverpool
From 2012 to 2023, the mayor of Liverpool was the executive mayor of the city of Liverpool in England. The office was abolished in 2023 and its functions were replaced with the leader of Liverpool City Council.
The mayor of Liverpool was previ ...
and in 1588 and 1596
High Sheriff of Lancashire
The High Sheriff of Lancashire is an ancient office, now largely ceremonial, granted to Lancashire, a county in North West England. High Shrievalties are the oldest secular titles under the Crown, in England and Wales. The High Sheriff of Lanca ...
. He was
knight of the shire
Knight of the shire () was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ...
(MP) for Lancashire in 1584, 1593 and 1604. He held the office of
Receiver-General of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1607. He was created
Baronet Molyneux in 1611.
On his death, he was buried in Sefton parish church. His seats were Sefton Hall,
Sefton and
Lytham Hall
Lytham Hall is an 18th-century Georgian country house in Lytham, Lancashire, from the centre of the town, in of wooded parkland. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, the only on ...
, Fylde. He left his estates to his son Richard.
Family
Molyneux married firstly a daughter of
Lord Strange
Baron Strange is a title which has been created four times in the Peerage of England. Two creations, one in 1295 and another in 1326, had only one holder each, upon whose deaths they became extinct. Two of the creations, that of 1299 and that ...
and secondly, around 1590, Frances Gerard, the daughter of
Sir Gilbert Gerard and Anne Radcliffe, with whom he had 13 children (six sons and seven daughters), including Sir
Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount Molyneux
Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount Molyneux (1594–1636) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1629.
Biography
Molyneux was the son of Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Baronet of Sefton and his wife ...
and Sir
Vivian Molyneux.
Alice Molyneux, their eldest daughter, married Sir William Dormer and their son, Robert, was created
Earl of Carnarvon
Earl of Carnarvon is a title that has been created three times in British history. The current holder is George Herbert, 8th Earl of Carnarvon. The town and county in Wales to which the title refers are historically spelled Caernarfon, having b ...
in 1628. A younger daughter Margaret married Edward Osbaldeston, of a prominent
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...
family and had issue including
Richard Osbaldston,
Attorney General for Ireland
The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish and then, from 1801 under the Acts of Union 1800, United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on ...
.
References
Further reading
{{DEFAULTSORT:Molyneux, Richard
1560 births
1622 deaths
Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Lancashire
Baronets in the Baronetage of England
High sheriffs of Lancashire
Mayors of Liverpool
English MPs 1572–1583
English MPs 1584–1585
English MPs 1593
English MPs 1604–1611
Alumni of University College, Oxford
Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Liverpool
17th-century English knights
Knights Bachelor