Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount Molyneux (1594–1636) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

at various times between 1614 and 1629.

Biography

Molyneux was the son of Sir Richard Molyneux, 1st Baronet of Sefton and his wife Frances Gerard, the daughter of Sir Gilbert Gerard and Anne Ratcliffe. He matriculated at

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The l ...

on 24 November 1609, at the age of 15. He was knighted on 27 March 1613. In 1614, he was elected Member of Parliament for

Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...

. He held the office of Receiver-General of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1616. He succeeded to the Molyneux baronetcy as the 2nd Baronet on the death of his father on 8 February 1622. In 1625 and 1628 Molyneux was elected MP for

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

. On 22 December 1628 he was created Viscount Molyneux by King Charles I (taking his seat in the

Irish House of Lords The Irish House of Lords was the upper house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from medieval times until the end of 1800. It was also the final court of appeal of the Kingdom of Ireland. It was modelled on the House of Lords of Englan ...

on 4 November 1634). In the same year, he was appointed Deputy Lieutenant of Lancashire but noted as a

recusant Recusancy (from ) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign of Elizabeth I, and temporarily repea ...

and non communicant. According to Gerald Aylmer, Molyneux was one of only two Royalist gentry in the county of Lancashire who held an important office of state during the period 1625–1642 (?) to 1636. G. E. Aylmer, ''The King's Servants: The Civil Service of Charles I, 1625–1642'' (Columbia University Press, 1961), pp 357.

Family

Molyneux married Mary (1596 – before 21 June 1639), daughter of Sir Thomas Caryll of Bentons, Shipley, West Sussex, in about 1618. His widow remarried, to Raphael Tarterau, Carver to the

Queen Consort A queen consort is the wife of a reigning king, and usually shares her spouse's social Imperial, royal and noble ranks, rank and status. She holds the feminine equivalent of the king's monarchical titles and may be crowned and anointed, but hi ...

(he survived her). Molyneux was succeeded by his son Richard Molyneux, 2nd Viscount Molyneux. His daughter Charlotte married Sir William Stanley, Bt, of Hooton and his daughter Mary became the wife of Sir John Gage, Bt, of

Firle Firle (; Sussex dialect: ''Furrel'' ) is a village and civil parish in the Lewes (district), Lewes district of East Sussex, England. Firle refers to an Old English word ''fierol'' meaning overgrown with oak. Although the original division of ...

, Sussex. Molyneux's brother, Sir Vivian Molyneux, was a scholar, traveller and Royalist agent in the 1640s, and an uncle of

Robert Dormer, 1st Earl of Carnarvon Sir Robert Dormer of Wing, 2nd Baronet, 1st Earl of Carnarvon, 1st Viscount Ascott, 2nd Baron Dormer of Wing r Wenge(c. 1610 – 20 September 1643) was an English peer. He was the son of Sir William Dormer, and thus a grandson of Robert Dor ...

, Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire.

Notes

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Molyneux, Richard Molyneux, 1st Viscount 1594 births 1636 deaths Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by Charles I Deputy lieutenants of Lancashire English MPs 1614 English MPs 1625 English MPs 1628–1629 Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Lancashire