Richard Strode (died 1669)
Encyclopedia
Sir Richard Strode was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
variously between 1604 and 1640.
Strode was the son of Sir William Strode
, of Newnham, Devon and his wife Mary Southcote, daughter of Thomas Southcote of Bovey Tracey
. He was baptised at Bovey Tracey on 1 July 1584. He matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge
in 1598.
Strode was elected Member of Parliament
for Bere Alston
in 1604. He was elected MP for Bridport
in 1626.
In April 1640, Strode was elected Member of Parliament
for Plympton Erle
in the Short Parliament
in what appears to be an unresolved double return.
Following the death of his first wife who was a member of the Strode family of Parham, Strode fell into dispute with his cousins, claiming inheritance of the Parham estates for the son of his second wife. Sir John Strode consistently blocked Richard Strode's attempts to bring the matter to court and the situation became more grave when the families were on opposite sides in the Civil War. Richard Strode's brother William
was one of the members King Charles tried to arrest, while the Parham Strodes were royalists. Lady Strode, wife of Sir John Strode was stuck dead by a Parliamentarian soldier while defending the house during the Civil War. Strode made copious annotations to an almanack "An Ephemeris for the Year 1652" by Nicholas Culpeper in which he fiercely attacked the Parham Strodes. Later ramblings suggest that Strode had become mentally unstable and he was imprisoned in the Fleet prison
with debts of £200. He wrote long letters to Oliver Cromwell setting out his grievances and he was eventually released as being of unsound mind.
Strode died at the age of 85 and was buried on 9 October 1669, at Plympton St Mary. In his will he left to King Charles II ‘the manor of Parnham which is or ought to be mine’.
Strode married firstly his cousin Catherine daughter of Sir Robert Strode of Parnham Dorset by whom he had 3 daughters. He married secondly Elizabeth Erle daughter of Thomas Erle of Charborough in Dorset and Dorothy Poole. He married thirdly Anne Drake daughter of Sir John Drake. His son William
was also MP for Plympton.
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 1604 and 1640.
Strode was the son of Sir William Strode
William Strode (died 1637)
Sir William Strode was an English landowner, military engineer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1597 and 1626....
, of Newnham, Devon and his wife Mary Southcote, daughter of Thomas Southcote of Bovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey
Bovey Tracey is a small town in Devon, England, on the edge of Dartmoor, its proximity to which gives rise to the "slogan" used on the town's boundary signs, "The Gateway to the Moor". The locals just call the town "Bovey" ....
. He was baptised at Bovey Tracey on 1 July 1584. He matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College, Cambridge
St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college's alumni include nine Nobel Prize winners, six Prime Ministers, three archbishops, at least two princes, and three Saints....
in 1598.
Strode 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 Bere Alston
Bere Alston (UK Parliament constituency)
Bere Alston or Beeralston was a parliamentary borough in Devon, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1584 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act as a rotten borough.-History:...
in 1604. He was elected MP for Bridport
Bridport (UK Parliament constituency)
Bridport was a parliamentary borough in Dorset, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1868, and then one member from 1868 until 1885, when the borough was abolished.-History:...
in 1626.
In April 1640, Strode 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 Plympton Erle
Plympton Erle (UK Parliament constituency)
Plympton Erle, also spelt Plympton Earle, was a parliamentary borough in Devon. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295-1640:-1640-1832:...
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....
in what appears to be an unresolved double return.
Following the death of his first wife who was a member of the Strode family of Parham, Strode fell into dispute with his cousins, claiming inheritance of the Parham estates for the son of his second wife. Sir John Strode consistently blocked Richard Strode's attempts to bring the matter to court and the situation became more grave when the families were on opposite sides in the Civil War. Richard Strode's brother William
William Strode
William Strode was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England variously between 1624 and 1645. He was one of the five members impeached by King Charles and fought on the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War.-Life:...
was one of the members King Charles tried to arrest, while the Parham Strodes were royalists. Lady Strode, wife of Sir John Strode was stuck dead by a Parliamentarian soldier while defending the house during the Civil War. Strode made copious annotations to an almanack "An Ephemeris for the Year 1652" by Nicholas Culpeper in which he fiercely attacked the Parham Strodes. Later ramblings suggest that Strode had become mentally unstable and he was imprisoned in the Fleet prison
Fleet Prison
Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the Fleet River in London. The prison was built in 1197 and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846.- History :...
with debts of £200. He wrote long letters to Oliver Cromwell setting out his grievances and he was eventually released as being of unsound mind.
Strode died at the age of 85 and was buried on 9 October 1669, at Plympton St Mary. In his will he left to King Charles II ‘the manor of Parnham which is or ought to be mine’.
Strode married firstly his cousin Catherine daughter of Sir Robert Strode of Parnham Dorset by whom he had 3 daughters. He married secondly Elizabeth Erle daughter of Thomas Erle of Charborough in Dorset and Dorothy Poole. He married thirdly Anne Drake daughter of Sir John Drake. His son William
William Strode (died 1676)
Sir William Strode was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660 to 1676.Strode was the eldest son of Sir Richard Strode of Newnham and Chalmington, Dorset and his second wife Elizabeth Erle, daughter of Thomas Erle of Charborough, Dorset. He was baptised on...
was also MP for Plympton.