Richard Dowdeswell (died 1673)
Richard Dowdeswell (24 February1601 - 25 March 1673) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1660. He was an active Royalist in the English Civil War.
Dowdeswell was born at Burthrop, the son of Roger Dowdeswell of Pull Court and his wife Martha Blomer, daughter of Richard Blomer of Burthrop. In 1635 he purchased the manor of Bushley. In 1642 the House of Commons sent for him as a delinquent and ordered that he be kept in safe custody. He was an active commissioner of array near Worcester in 1642 and in 1643 and 1644 assisted the king with men and money. In 1644 he was one of the guards at the garrison of Tewkesbury. He was said to have sent horses and servants to help the Scottish army in 1651. He was called on 24 November 1652 to show why his estate should not be sequestered.[1]
In 1660, Dowdeswell was elected Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury in the Convention Parliament. He was re-elected in 1661 as MP for Tewkesbury in the Cavalier Parliament and sat until his death in 1673.[2] Through his efforts, Tewkesbury received in 1672 an exemplification of the charter granted by James I.[1]
Dowdeswell died in 1673 at the age of 72 and has a monument at Bushley.[1] He had married Anne Pleydell, daughter of Sir Charles Pleydell of Mydge Hill, Wiltshire in 1628[1] and was succeeded by his son William, who was High Sheriff of Worcestershire in 1678.
References
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by
Not represented in Restored Rump
|
Member of Parliament for Tewkesbury 1660–1673 With: Henry Capell |
Succeeded by Henry Capell Sir Francis Russell, 2nd Bt |
