James Cranfield, 2nd Earl of Middlesex (1621 – 16 September 1651), styled Lord Cranfield from 1622 until 1645, 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 ...

in 1640 and inherited his

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 ...

in 1645. Cranfield was the son of

Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex (1575 – 6 August 1645) was an English merchant and politician. He sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1622 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Cranfield. Life He was the second son ...

and was baptised on 27 December 1621. In April 1640, Cranfield was elected Member of Parliament for

Liverpool Liverpool is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. It is situated on the eastern side of the River Mersey, Mersey Estuary, near the Irish Sea, north-west of London. With a population ...

in the

Short Parliament The Short Parliament was a Parliament of England that was summoned by King Charles I of England on 20 February 1640 and sat from 13 April to 5 May 1640. It was so called because of its short session of only three weeks. After 11 years of per ...

. He inherited the

earldom Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

on the death of his father in 1645. Middlesex was nominated as Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire in 1646 and Keeper of Kingswood Forest in 1647. In 1648, he was a Parliamentary commissioner to the Treaty of Newport. Cranfield married Lady Anne Bourchier, daughter of

Edward Bourchier, 4th Earl of Bath Edward Bourchier, 4th Earl of Bath (baptised 1 March 1590Cokayne, ''The Complete Peerage'', new edition, Vol II, p. 18 – died 31 March 1636). Origins He was born in Somerset, the eldest son and heir of William Bourchier, 3rd Earl of Ba ...

. His daughter Elizabeth married John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgewater. He was succeeded by his brother Lionel who became the 3rd

Earl of Middlesex Earl of Middlesex was a title that was created twice in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1622 for Lionel Cranfield, 1st Earl of Middlesex, Lionel Cranfield, 1st Baron Cranfield, the Lord High Treasurer. He had already been creat ...

References

, - Cranfield, James Cranfield, Lord 1621 births 1651 deaths Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Liverpool Earls of Middlesex {{April1640-England-MP-stub