Sir Francis Clerke (c. 1624 – 25 February 1686) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

lawyer and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

between 1661 and 1685. Restoration House, Rochester

Clerke was the son of Henry Clerke of

Rochester Rochester may refer to: Places Australia * Rochester, Victoria Canada * Rochester, Alberta United Kingdom *Rochester, Kent ** City of Rochester-upon-Medway (1982–1998), district council area ** History of Rochester, Kent ** HM Prison ...

, who was a lawyer and MP for

.''Parishes: Ulcombe'', The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent: Volume 5 (1798), pp. 385-396. Date accessed: 11 November 2010
/ref> Clerke inherited his father's property which included

Restoration House Restoration House in Rochester, Kent in England, is a fine example of an Elizabethan mansion. It is so named after the visit of King Charles II on the eve of his restoration. Charles had landed in Dover on 25 May 1660 and by the evening of th ...

at Rochester. During the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, the house had been sequestered and occupied by Colonel Gibbon, Cromwell's commander in South East England. When King Charles II returned to London in 1660, Rochester was an important stopping place on the way, and Restoration House was fitted out to provide an overnight base for the King and his family. Clerke was elected

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

in 1661 for the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. It was the longest English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring for nearly 18 years of the quarter-century reign of C ...

until 1679. He was re-elected in 1681 and held the seat to 1685. Clerke resided at Ulcombe-place, and died in 1685. His son

Francis Francis may refer to: People *Pope Francis, the head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State and Bishop of Rome *Francis (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters *Francis (surname) Places * Rural M ...

was also MP for Rochester.

References

1620s births 1686 deaths Year of birth uncertain English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687 {{17thC-England-MP-stub