Richard Hopkins (c. 1641 – 1 February 1708) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1670 and 1701. He was an active opponent of King James II and a promoter of the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

. Hopkins was the son of Sir Richard Hopkins, steward and MP for Coventry, and his wife Sarah Button, daughter of John Button of Buckland, Hampshire, and granddaughter of

William Jesson William Jesson (1580 – 1651) was an English dyer and politician who was active in local government in Coventry and sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1648. Jesson was the son of Richard Jesson of Coventry and his wife Elizabeth Hill. ...

who was also MP for Coventry.John Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain, Volume 4''
/ref> Hopkins 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 ...

for

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

in the Cavalier Parliament in a by-election in 1670 and sat until 1685. He actively opposed the King, and urged on the crowd in Coventry which greeted the captive Monmouth enthusiastically in 1682. ''The City of Coventry: Parliamentary representation'', A History of the County of Warwick: Volume 8: The City of Coventry and Borough of Warwick (1969), pp. 248-255. Date accessed: 8 March 2011
/ref> He was restrained from partaking in the

Battle of Sedgemoor The Battle of Sedgemoor was the last and decisive engagement between the Kingdom of England and rebels led by the Duke of Monmouth during the Monmouth rebellion, fought on 6 July 1685, and took place at Westonzoyland near Bridgwater in Somerse ...

but is said to have been marked out as a malignant. Coventry was forced to surrender its charter in 1683 and a number of officials and council members were removed as a result of the town's perceived disaffection. Hopkins was replaced as MP in 1685. When King James II visited Coventry in September 1687, he stayed at Hopkins's house and wanted toe bestow favours on him, but did not gain his support. When William of Orange landed in England at the end of 1688, King James' daughter Anne escaped from confinement in London and fled to the Midlands where she stayed a few days with Hopkins until news arrived that James had fled the country. Hopkins was re-elected MP for Coventry in 1690 and sat until 1695. He was re-elected MP for Coventry in 1698 and sat until 1701. Hopkins married Mary Johnson, daughter of Alderman Johnson. Their son

Edward Edward is an English given name. It is derived from the Anglo-Saxon name ''Ēadweard'', composed of the elements '' ēad'' "wealth, fortune; prosperous" and '' weard'' "guardian, protector”. History The name Edward was very popular in Anglo-Sa ...

was also MP for Coventry. Hopkins died on 1 February 1707, aged 67 and was buried in the Parish Church of St Michael, Coventry, as, subsequently, were his wife (died 13 October 1711), son and daughter in law, and eldest grandson. The church contained plaques commemorating these family members, and flat stones marked their burial places. As

Coventry Cathedral The Cathedral Church of Saint Michael, commonly known as Coventry Cathedral, is the seat of the Bishop of Coventry and the Diocese of Coventry within the Church of England. The cathedral is located in Coventry, West Midlands, England. The curren ...

, the church was destroyed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hopkins, Richard 1641 births 1708 deaths Politicians from Coventry English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1698–1700 Members of Parliament for Coventry