Edward Radclyffe, 6th Earl of Sussex (c. 1559 – August 1643) 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 ...

between 1586 and 1611 and later succeeded to a

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks. Peerages include: A ...

Biography

Radclyffe was the son of Sir Humphrey Radclyffe and his wife Isabel Harvey. He was the grandson of Robert Radcliffe, 1st Earl of Sussex and Elizabeth Stafford, Countess of Sussex. In 1586, he was elected Member of Parliament for Petersfield. He was elected MP for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

in 1588 and for

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

in 1593. He was elected MP for Bedfordshire again in 1597, 1601 and 1604. He was appointed Sheriff of Bedfordshire in 1598. Radclyffe was knighted around 1594 and inherited the earldom from his cousin Robert Radclyffe, 5th Earl of Sussex in 1629. Radclyffe had married three times: first, Elizabeth Petre, the daughter of Sir William Petre of Ingatestone, Essex and widow of John Gostwick of Willington; secondly (1594) Jane, daughter of Francis Hynde of Madingley, Cambridgeshire and widow of John Catesby of Newnham in Goldington; and thirdly (1634) Eleanor, the daughter of Sir Richard Wortley of Wortley, Yorkshire and the widow of Sir Henry Lee, 1st Baronet of Quarrendon, Buckinghamshire. Eleanor outlived him by many years and made two further marriages. He died impoverished and intestate. The earldom became extinct.

References

Earls of Sussex (1529 creation) 1550s births 1643 deaths 16th-century English nobility 17th-century English nobility

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

High sheriffs of Bedfordshire English MPs 1586–1587 English MPs 1589 English MPs 1593 English MPs 1597–1598 English MPs 1601 English MPs 1604–1611 {{England-earl-stub