Richard Lovelace, 1st Baron Lovelace

File:John de Gritz Richard of Lovelace.jpg

Portrait of Richard Lovelace as a young man, by John de Critz

Richard Lovelace, 1st Baron Lovelace (1564 – 22 April 1634) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1601 and 1622. He was raised to the peerage as Baron Lovelace in 1627.

Lovelace was born in Hurley in Berkshire, the son of Richard Lovelace and his wife, Anne, the daughter of Richard Warde of Hurst, also in Berkshire. He was educated at Merton College, Oxford.

File:John de Gritz Margaret of Lovelace.jpg

Portrait of Margaret, Lady Lovelace, Wife of Richard, 1st Lord Lovelace by John de Critz

Lovelace became a soldier and commanded a force under the Lord Lieutenant in Ireland, after which he was knighted by the Earl of Essex (Dublin, 1579). His association with the earl led to a brief period of imprisonment on charges of plotting against Queen Elizabeth I but he was released without charge.

In 1627 he was created Baron Lovelace of Hurley by Charles I.

Lovelace died in Hurley in 1634. He had married twice: firstly, Katherine, daughter of Sir George Gyll and widow of William Hyde of Denchworth in Berkshire (now Oxfordshire) (no children) and, secondly, Margaret, daughter and co-heir of a rich merchant, William Dodworth, with whom he had four sons and five daughters. The eldest son was his heir John Lovelace, 2nd Baron Lovelace and a daughter Elizabeth married the regicide Henry Marten. His son Francis should not be confused with the person of the same name who became the second Governor of the New York colony but who was however the grandfather of the John Lovelace who was a later Governor.

References

Parliament of England
Preceded by Sir Henry Norreys Francis Knollys	Member of Parliament for Berkshire 1601 With: George Hyde	Succeeded by Sir Henry Neville Francis Knollys
Preceded by Robert Ryche	Member of Parliament for Abingdon 1604-1611	Succeeded by Sir Robert Knollys
Preceded by Sir Henry Neville Sir Thomas Parry	Member of Parliament for Berkshire 1621-1622 With: Sir Robert Knollys	Succeeded by Edmund Dunch Sir Richard Harrison
Peerage of England
Preceded by New creation	Baron Lovelace 1627–1634	Succeeded by John Lovelace