Richard Beke (1630–1707), of

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

and Ford, Dinton, Buckinghamshire, was an English politician. He was a Member (MP) for Elgin and Nairn in 1656, for

Amersham Amersham ( ) is a market town and civil parish within the unitary authority of Buckinghamshire, England, in the Chiltern Hills, northwest of central London, from Aylesbury and from High Wycombe. Amersham is part of the London commuter belt. ...

on 8 February 1659, for

Aylesbury Aylesbury ( ) is the county town of Buckinghamshire, South East England. It is home to the Roald Dahl Children's Gallery, David Tugwell`s house on Watermead and the Waterside Theatre. It is in central Buckinghamshire, midway between High Wy ...

in 1689 and for

Wendover Wendover is a market town and civil parish at the foot of the Chiltern Hills in Buckinghamshire, England. It is situated at the point where the main road across the Chilterns between London and Aylesbury intersects with the once important road a ...

in 1690, 1695 and 1698.

Biography

Richard Beke was son of Henry Beke (who was sheriff (20th King Charles I) and also one of the parliament committee for the same county), and Frances, daughter of John Billyard, Merchant Taylor, of London. It is likely that Major Richard Beck either had an estate in Yorkshire, or some military appointment in that part of the kingdom, as he was named a visitor of the college erected by the protector Oliver Cromwell, at Durham. The Lord Protector

Richard Cromwell Richard Cromwell (4 October 162612 July 1712) was an English statesman who was the second and last Lord Protector of the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland and son of the first Lord Protector, Oliver Cromwell. On his father's death ...

had a great regard for Richard Beke, giving him the command of his life-guard, and knighting him. At the Restoration he was briefly in favour, and was a colonel in the army. Later he was in the commission of the peace, and also a commissioner of appeals: he represented

once, in 1689, and

twice in the parliaments of King

William William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...

and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

. He died 29 November 1707, aged 78, and was buried in the church of Dinton, in Buckinghamshire, in which parish he had a seat.

Family

On 7 February 1656 Richard Beck married Levina, the daughter of Roger Whitstone and Catherine sister of the

Lord Protector Lord Protector (plural: ''Lords Protector'') was a title that has been used in British constitutional law for the head of state. It was also a particular title for the British heads of state in respect to the established church. It was sometimes ...

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

. The wedding was a grand occasion attended by the extended Cromwell family including the Lord Protector. On 1 July 1667, Beke married Jane, daughter of Lord Charles Powlett of Abbott's Anne, Hampshire. Beke married his third wife, Elizabeth the third daughter of Sir Thomas Lee, of Hartwell, in Bucks on 10 February 1684. She died 20 May 1737, aged 74 years, and is also buried in Dinton church, Beck and Elizabeth had three daughters: * Ann, who married to Mark Antonie. * Elizabeth, who died young. * Mary, who married to John Baynes

serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writ ...

References

;Notes ;Sources * * 1630 births 1707 deaths People from Aylesbury Vale English MPs 1659 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 {{17thC-England-MP-stub