Sir Henry Berkeley was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

 variously between 1626 and 1640. He supported the Royalist side in the English Civil War

English Civil War

The English Civil War was a series of armed conflicts and political machinations between Parliamentarians and Royalists...

Berkeley was the son of Sir Henry Berkeley of Bruton and his wife Margaret Lygon, daughter of William Lygon of Madresfield, Worcestershire. He matriculated at Queen's College, Oxford aged 11 on 13 February 1590 together with his brother Maurice

Maurice Berkeley (Somerset MP)

Maurice Berkeley was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1614.Berkeley was the son of Sir Henry Berkeley of Bruton and his wife Margaret Lygon, daughter of William Lygon of Madresfield, Worcestershire...

. In 1601 he inherited the manor of Yarlington

Yarlington

Yarlington is a village and civil parish, near the source of the River Cam, in the English county of Somerset.Administratively, Yarlington shares a parish council with nearby North Cadbury and forms part of the district of South Somerset....

 on the death of his father. He was knighted at Whitehall on 29 April 1609.

In 1626 Berkeley was elected Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Somerset

Somerset (UK Parliament constituency)

Somerset was a parliamentary constituency in Somerset, which returned two Members of Parliament , known traditionally as knights of the shire, to the House of Commons of England until 1707, the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from...

. In 1628 he was elected MP for Ilchester

Ilchester (UK Parliament constituency)

Ilchester was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832...

 and sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. In April 1640, Berkeley was elected MP for Ilchester in the Short Parliament

Short Parliament

The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640 during the reign of King Charles I of England, so called because it lasted only three weeks....

. Berkeley was a Commissioner of Array for the King during the Civil War, and was included in the surrender of Exeter on 13 April 1646.

Berkeley died between 1666 and 1667.

Berkeley married Elizabeth Nevill, daughter of Sir Henry Nevill of Billingbear House

Billingbear House

Billingbear House was situated in the parish of Waltham St. Lawrence in Berkshire, England, about six miles from Windsor.Originally owned by the Bishop of Winchester, the land was given to Sir Henry Neville in 1549 by King Edward VI...

, Berkshire and his wife Ann Killigrew, daughter of Sir Henry Killigrew

Henry Killigrew (diplomat)

Sir Henry Killigrew was an English diplomat and ambassador in the sixteenth century. He was several times employed by Elizabeth I in Scottish affairs and served as a member of the Council of States in the United Provinces in 1586 and 1587-1589....

. His daughter Dorothy married Francis Godolphin and brought him the Yarlington estate.