Francis Newport, 1st Earl of Bradford PC (23 February 1620 – 19 September 1708), styled The Honourable between 1642 and 1651, was an English soldier, courtier and Whig politician.

Background

Born at Wroxeter, he was the eldest son of

Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport (7 May 1587 – 8 February 1651). was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1629. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War and ...

and his wife Rachel Leveson, daughter of Sir John Leveson (circa 1555 – 1615) and sister of Sir Richard Leveson (1598–1661). His younger brother was Andrew Newport. In 1651, he succeeded his father as baron. Newport was educated at Christ Church, Oxford.

Career

He represented

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

in both the

Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on the 20th of February 1640 and sat from 13th of April to the 5th of May 1640. It was so called because of its short life of only three weeks. Aft ...

and Long Parliament. A royalist 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 Kingdom of England, England's governanc ...

, he fought in 1644 in the

Battle of Oswestry The Battle of Oswestry took place during the First English Civil War on 22-23 June 1644 when Parliamentarians led by Lord Denbigh attacked and took control of the Royalist garrison in Oswestry, Shropshire. Background In February 1644 th ...

on the side of

King Charles I of England Charles I (19 November 1600 – 30 January 1649) was King of England, Scotland, and Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. He was born into the House of Stuart as the second son of King James VI of Scotland, but after h ...

and was then imprisoned. After the restoration in 1660, Newport became

Custos Rotulorum of Shropshire This is a list of people who have served as Custos Rotulorum of Shropshire. * Thomas Holte bef. 1544–1546 * Thomas Bromley (chief justice), Thomas Bromley 1546–1555 * Humphrey Onslow bef. 1562 – aft. 1564 * George Bromley (politi ...

, fulfilling this office for his lifetime. In the same year, he had been appointed also

Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Shropshire. Before the English Civil War, the lieutenancy of Shropshire was always held by the Lord Lieutenant of Wales, but after the Restoration, its lieutenants were appointed sep ...

, but on the command of

King James II of England James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious ...

was replaced by George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys in 1687. After Jeffrey's death and the Glorious Revolution in 1689, Newport was restored as Lord Lieutenant until 1704. Newport was

Comptroller of the Household The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of t ...

between 1668 and 1672. Subsequently, he was appointed

Treasurer of the Household The Treasurer of the Household is a member of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The position is usually held by one of the government deputy Chief Whips in the House of Commons. The current holder of the office is Ma ...

, a post he held a first time until 1686, and three years later again until his death in 1708. Newport was also

Cofferer of the Household The Cofferer of the Household was formerly an office in the English and British Royal Household. Next in rank to the Comptroller, the holder paid the wages of some of the servants above and below stairs, was a member of the Board of Green Cloth, a ...

from 1689 until the death of King William III of England in 1702. In 1668, he was sworn of the

Privy Council of England The Privy Council of England, also known as His (or Her) Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council (), was a body of advisers to the sovereign of the Kingdom of England. Its members were often senior members of the House of Lords and the House of ...

, expelled in 1679 for his opposition to the government, but readmitted in 1689. On 11 March 1675, he was elevated to the peerage as Viscount Newport, of Bradford, in the County of Shropshire, his main home. On 11 May 1694, he was further honoured when he was created Earl of Bradford.

Family and death

Diana Russel, Lady Newport by Peter Lely

On 28 April 1642, Newport married Lady Diana Russell, fourth daughter of

Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford Francis Russell, 4th Earl of Bedford PC (1587 – 9 May 1641) was an English nobleman and politician. He built the square of Covent Garden, with the piazza and church of St. Paul's, employing Inigo Jones as his architect. He is also known fo ...

, at

St Giles in the Fields St Giles in the Fields is the Anglican parish church of the St Giles district of London. It stands within the London Borough of Camden and belongs to the Diocese of London. The church, named for St Giles the Hermit, began as a monastery an ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, and had by her five daughters and four sons. One daughter, Katherine, married Henry Herbert, 4th Baron Herbert of Chirbury: she left funds on her death in 1716 to endow almshouses in

Preston upon the Weald Moors Preston upon the Weald Moors is a small village on the northern edge of the town of Telford, part of the borough of Telford and Wrekin in Shropshire. According to the 2001 census the village had a population of 205 although this is likely to hav ...

, Shropshire, as ''a thanksgiving for her rescue when lost on the Alps''. Newport died aged 88 in

Twickenham Twickenham is a suburban district in London, England. It is situated on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historically part of Middlesex, it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames since 1965, and the borou ...

He was buried in

St Andrew's Church, Wroxeter St Andrew's Church is a redundant Church of England parish church in the village of Wroxeter, Shropshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of t ...

, two weeks later and was succeeded in his titles by his oldest son

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from Old Frankish and is a compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'stro ...

. His younger son

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the ...

was raised to the Peerage of England in his own right.

References

, - , - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Bradford, Francis Newport, 1st Earl of 1620 births 1708 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Cavaliers 01 Lord-Lieutenants of Shropshire Members of the Privy Council of England Treasurers of the Household English MPs 1640 (April) English MPs 1640–1648