Jonathan I Rashleigh (4 July 1591 – 1 May 1675), of

Menabilly Menabilly (, meaning ''hill-slope of pebbles'') is a historic estate on the south coast of Cornwall, England, situated within the parish of Tywardreath on the Gribben peninsula about west of Fowey. It has been the seat of the Rashleigh fami ...

, near

Fowey Fowey ( ; , meaning ''beech trees'') is a port town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, ...

in Cornwall, was an English shipping-merchant, Member of Parliament for

in 1614, 1621, 1625, April 1640 and November 1640, and 1661 and served as

Sheriff of Cornwall Sheriffs and high sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list: The right to choose high sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall. The Privy Council of the United Kingdom, Privy Council, chaired by the sovereign, chooses the sheriff ...

in 1627. He supported the

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

cause during the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

Family

He was the second son and heir of John Rashleigh (1554–1624), MP for Fowey in 1588. He married twice. His first marriage was on 17 December 1614, to Anne Basset (c. 1595 – 1631), eldest daughter of Sir

Robert Basset Sir Robert Basset (1573–11 November 1641), Lord of the manor, lord of the manor of Umberleigh and lord of the manor of Heanton Punchardon#Basset, Heanton Punchardon in Devon, England, was MP for Plymouth (UK Parliament constituency), Plymouth ...

(1573–1641) of

Umberleigh Umberleigh is a former large manor within the historic hundred of (North) Tawton, but today a small village in North Devon in England. It used to be an ecclesiastical parish, but following the building of the church at Atherington it became ...

and

Heanton Punchardon Heanton Punchardon ( ) is a village, civil parish and former manor, anciently part of Braunton Hundred. It is situated directly east-southeast of the village of Braunton, in North Devon. The parish lies on the north bank of the estuary of the ...

in Devon, MP for

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

in 1593, by his wife Elizabeth Periam (1571–1635), the second daughter and co-heiress of Sir William Peryam,

Lord Chief Baron of the Exchequer The Chief Baron of the Exchequer was the first "baron" (meaning judge) of the English Exchequer of Pleas. "In the absence of both the Treasurer of the Exchequer or First Lord of the Treasury, and the Chancellor of the Exchequer, it was he who pres ...

. By Anne he had five children including: *John Rashleigh (1621–1651), who pre-deceased his father,Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 15th Edition, ed. Pirie-Gordon, H., London, 1937, p.1891, pedigree of Rashleigh of Menabilly whose mural monument exists in Kenton Church. Devon. Hoskins, W.G., ''A New Survey of England'': Devon, London, 1959 (first published 1954), p.419 He married Joan Pollexfen (died 1668), daughter of John Pollexfen of Mothecombe, Devon, and was the father of Jonathan Rashleigh II (1642–1702), of Menabilly, many times MP for Fowey and

in 1687 *Alice Rashleigh, wife of Sir Peter Courtney (c.1616 – 1670), MP, of Trethurfe, Cornwall. *Elizabeth Rashleigh, who married her cousin from the senior Cornwall line,

John Rashleigh (1619–1693) of Coombe John Rashleigh (21 January 1619 – 13 March 1693) of Coombe, near Fowey in Cornwall, was MP for Fowey (UK Parliament constituency), Fowey from 1661 to 1679. He was a member of a branch of the more prominent Rashleigh family of Menabilly, near F ...

, Fowey, MP for Fowey in 1661 His second marriage was in 1633 to Mary Harris (died 1674), daughter of John Harris of Radford, near Plymouth, Devon. Rashleigh died on 1 May 1675 and was succeeded by his grandson Jonathan Rashleigh (1642–1702), of Menabilly, many times MP for Fowey and

in 1687.

Career

Rashleigh was elected Member of Parliament for

in 1614, 1621 and 1625. In 1627 he served as

. In April 1640 he was re-elected MP for Fowey for 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 ...

and re-elected in November 1640 for the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an Parliament of England, English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660, making it the longest-lasting Parliament in English and British history. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened f ...

.} He supported the King in the Civil War and was disabled from sitting in parliament in 1644. He was bankrupted by penalties imposed on his estate and imprisoned in

St Mawes castle St Mawes Castle () is an artillery fort constructed by Henry VIII of England, Henry VIII near Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth, Cornwall, between 1540 and 1542. It formed part of the King's Device Fort, Device programme to protect against invasion ...

. His fortunes were repaired at the Restoration in 1660. He was elected once more MP for Fowey to the

Cavalier Parliament The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...

in 1661 and sat until his death at the age of 83.History of Parliament Online - Rashleigh, Jonathan
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Family

Career

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