Sir Francis Gerard, 2nd Baronet (12 October 1617 – December 1680) 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 ...
variously between 1641 and 1660.
Gerard was the son of
Sir Gilbert Gerard, 1st Baronet of Harrow on the Hill
Sir Gilbert Gerard, 1st Baronet of Harrow on the Hill (23 October 1587 – 6 January 1670) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons at various times between 1614 and 1660. He was a supporter of the ...
and his wife Mary Barrington, a daughter of Sir
Francis Barrington
Sir Francis Barrington, 1st Baronet of Barrington Hall, Essex (c. 1560 – 3 July 1628) was a Puritan activist and politician, who was MP for Essex from 1601 to 1604, then 1620 to 1628.
One of the wealthiest members of the Essex gentry, ...
and Joan Cromwell, and a cousin of Oliver Cromwell.
[John Burke, John Bernard Burke ''A genealogical and heraldic history of the extinct and dormant baronetcies'']
/ref>
In 1641, Gerard was elected Member of Parliament for Seaford 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 ...
and sat until 1648. In 1659 he was elected MP for Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...
in the Third Protectorate Parliament
The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a po ...
.
In 1660, Gerard was elected Member of Parliament for Bossiney
Bossiney (, meaning ''Kyni's dwelling'') is a village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is north-east of the larger village of Tintagel which it adjoins: further north-east are the Rocky Valley and Trethevy. Until 1832 the village, ...
in the Convention Parliament. He inherited the baronetcy
A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...
on the death of his father in 1670.
Gerard died at the age of 63.
Gerard married Isabel Cheek, daughter of Sir Thomas Cheek. Their three sons Charles, Francis and Cheek successively inherited the baronetcy.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gerard, Francis
1617 births
1680 deaths
Members of the Parliament of England for Bossiney
People from Seaford, East Sussex
People from Harrow on the Hill
English MPs 1640–1648
English MPs 1659
English MPs 1660
Baronets in the Baronetage of England