Roger Whitley (1618 – 17 July 1697) was a royalist officer in 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 ...

, attaining the rank of Major General (2nd in command of their forces in the battle for the Isle of

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

) and was closely involved throughout the 1650s in plans for a royalist uprising against the Interregnum and Protectorate regimes. He had accompanied the young King Charles II into exile and carried the kings orders into Cheshire on the rising of forces, under Lord Delamere, at the eve of the Restoration. He was a younger son of Thomas Whitley, of

Hawarden Hawarden (; cy, Penarlâg) is a village, community and electoral ward in Flintshire, Wales. It is part of the Deeside conurbation on the Wales-England border and is home to Hawarden Castle. In the 2011 census the ward of the same name had ...

, Flintshire and educated at Christ Church, Oxford and entered

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

in 1637. He was a supernumerary

Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber Gentleman Usher and Lady Usher are titles for some officers of the Royal Household of the United Kingdom. For a list of office-holders from the Restoration of the monarchy in 1660 up to the present day see List of Ushers. Gentleman Ushers as serv ...

from 1644 and held a number of public offices including that of Quarter-Master General (1667), Knight Harbinger in attendance to the Prince of Orange (1670–71) and of Deputy Postmaster-General from 1672 until 1677. He was elected a Member of the Convention Parliament of 1660, and of every subsequent Parliament until his defeat in the 1690 election. He represented the north-east Welsh borough constituency of

Flint Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and sta ...

from 1660 until 1681. He was then elected in Chester and served as MP 1681–1685 and 1689–1690. He returned to represent Chester in 1695, until his death two years later. Whitley was a prominent Whig politician and a powerful figure in Chester. He was made a Freeman of Chester in 1666, an alderman from 1680 to 1684 and from August 1688 to his death, treasurer for 1688–89 and mayor in 1692–1696. He was also appointed Custos Rotulorum of Flintshire for October–November 1689 and a

Gentleman of the Privy Chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...

from the same year until his death. He married Charlotte, the daughter of Sir Charles Gerard of Halsall, Lancashire, Earl of Macclesfield, and had three sons and six daughters. His massive diary details his social circle and everyday routine.

References

* Oxford Dictionary of National Biography: 'Whitley, Roger', by Paul D. Halliday

External links

Roger Whitley's Diary
an edition of Whitley's diary on British History Online. Not previously published, this new transcription appeared in 2004. 1618 births 1697 deaths Mayors of Chester Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of Gray's Inn Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales English MPs 1660 English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1695–1698 Cavaliers Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber {{17thC-England-MP-stub