Sir Gervase Clifton, 1st Baronet, K.B. (25 November 1587 – 28 June 1666) 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 ...

at various times between 1614 and 1666. He supported the

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cause in the

English Civil War The English Civil War or Great Rebellion was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Cavaliers, Royalists and Roundhead, Parliamentarians in the Kingdom of England from 1642 to 1651. Part of the wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of th ...

. He was educated at

St John's College, Cambridge St John's College, formally the College of St John the Evangelist in the University of Cambridge, is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, founded by the House of Tudor, Tudor matriarch L ...

Political career

In 1603, at the English coronation of King James I, Clifton was made a Knight of the

Order of the Bath The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by King George I of Great Britain, George I on 18 May 1725. Recipients of the Order are usually senior British Armed Forces, military officers or senior Civil Service ...

. He became a Justice of the Peace for Nottinghamshire in 1609, remaining until 1646. In 1611, he was third on the list of creations for the new order of

baronet 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 ...

. He was active in local Nottinghamshire and national politics in both the reign of James I and Charles I. He was High Sheriff of Nottinghamshire in 1610 and High Steward of East Retford from 1616 to 1647. During the reign of King James he was elected Member of Parliament for

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

in 1614, 1621, 1624 and 1625. He was County Treasurer from 1625 to 1626, and Deputy Lieutenant from 1626 to 1642. In 1626, he was elected MP for

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

and in 1628, he was re-elected MP for Nottinghamshire in 1628. He sat until 1629 when King Charles decided to rule without parliament for eleven years. In November 1640, Clifton was elected MP for

East Retford East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sunrise, Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact ...

in 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 took up arms in the King's cause in the Civil War and was commissioned as

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

of a regiment of Nottinghamshire Trained Bands defending

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent () or Newark is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

. He was a Commissioner for the King at Newark and Oxford, and a Commissioner of Array for Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire in 1642. When King Charles called for members of the Long Parliament loyal to him to meet in session Oxford Clifton did so and was disabled from sitting in parliament at Westminster. With the defeat of the Royalist cause in 1646 and the capture of the King, Clifton lost his political influence both nationally and locally. He was declared a "

delinquent Delinquent may refer to: * Delinquent (royalist) In 1643, near the start of the English Civil War, Parliament set up two committees: the Sequestration Committee, which confiscated the estates of the Royalists who fought against Parliament, and ...

" and fined £7,625 (equivalent to £ in ) . By the time sequestration of his estates was ended in 1650 he had paid off about half of the money. He was not active in politics again until after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. After the Restoration he regained his influence in Nottinghamshire and, from 1660, served Justice of the Peace for Nottinghamshire, High Steward of East Retford and Deputy Lieutenant. He was re-elected MP for Nottinghamshire in 1661 for 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 ...

. He held all these positions until his death, aged 78, in 1666.

Family

Clifton was born to his mother Lady Winifred Thorold three months after the death of his father Sir George Clifton, in 1587. The next year, with the death of his grandfather, Sir Gervase Clifton, he inherited the Clifton estates in Nottinghamshire.Nottingham University His guardians were his uncle, William Thorold, and Lord Burghley, although his early care fell to his maternal grandmother Lady Anne Thorold.Bruce Later he was educated at St. John's College, Cambridge, and at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

. Clifton was married seven times and had thirteen children. He married Lady Penelope Rich (died 26 October 1613), daughter of Charles Blount (while her mother was married to Robert Rich, 1st Earl of Warwick), and Lady Penelope Devereux. This marriage produced one son: * Sir Gervase Clifton, 2nd Baronet (ca.1612–1676) He married Lady Frances Clifford (died 1627), daughter of

Francis Clifford, 4th Earl of Cumberland Francis Clifford, 4th Earl of Cumberland (15594 January 1641) was a member of the Clifford family which held the seat of Skipton from 1310 to 1676. He was the second son of Henry Clifford, 2nd Earl of Cumberland and Anne Dacre and inherited h ...

, and Grisold Hughes. This marriage produced six children *Margaret Clifton (d. Feb 1697/98) *Frances Clifton *Anne Clifton *Lettice Clifton (d. 1659) *Elizabeth Clifton * Clifford Clifton (1626–1670) He married Mary Egioke (died 1630), daughter of John Egioke of Egioke Manor, Inkberrow, Worcestershire, by his wife Anne, daughter of Nicholas Huband, of Ipsley, Warwickshire.Phillimore, W.P.W., MA, BCL, (editor)''The Visitation of Worcestershire 1569'', London, 1888, p.52. He married Isobel Meek (died 1637). He married Anne South (died 1639), daughter of Sir Francis South of Kelstern, Lincolnshire. He married Jane Eyre (died 1655), daughter of Anthony Eyre of Laughton-en-le-Morthen, Nottinghamshire, and Rampton, Nottinghamshire. This marriage produced four children: *Jane Clifton *Charles Clifton *Mary Clifton *Robert Clifton (b. 1641) – eldest son became Sir Gervase Clifton, 4th Baronet Lastly, he married Lady Alice Hastings, daughter of Henry Hastings, 5th Earl of Huntingdon, and Lady Elizabeth Stanley, on 17 December 1656 at St. Andrew Undershaft, London.

Notes

References

*Bruce, Rosslyn (1906).
The Clifton Book
Retrieved 31 August 2009 * Capt A.E. Lawson Lowe, ''Historical Record of the Royal Sherwood Foresters; or Nottinghamshire Regiment of Militia'', London: Mitchell, 1872.
Biography of Sir Gervase Clifton, 1st Baronet (1587-1666)Manuscripts & Special Collections

University of Nottingham The University of Nottingham is a public research university in Nottingham, England. It was founded as University College Nottingham in 1881, and was granted a royal charter in 1948. Nottingham's main campus (University Park Campus, Nottingh ...

. Retrieved 31 August 2009. Sources used: ** P. R. Seddon, 'Sir Gervase Clifton and the Government of Nottinghamshire 1609-1640', in Transactions of the Thoroton Society, vol. XCVII, 1993, 88-98 ** Basil Duke Henning (ed), 'Sir Gervase Clifton', in The House of Commons, 1660-1690 (London: Published for the History of Parliament Trust by Secker & Warburg, 1983) ** P. R. Seddon, 'Marriage and Inheritance in the Clifton Family during the 17th century', in Transactions of the Thoroton Society, vol. LXXXIV, 1980, 33-43 ** A. H. Tricomi, 'Identifying Sir Gervase Clifton, The Addressee of ohnMarston's Letter, 1607', in Notes and Queries, 222 (1977), 202-203 ** W. H. G. Flood, 'A John Marston Letter' o Sir Gervase Clifton in The Review of English Studies 4 (1928), 887-88 ** F. W. Dobson, 'Note on a Letter of Cardinal Richelieu in the Clifton MSS', in Transactions of the Thoroton Society 16 (1912), 155-158 ** Lady E. M. Bruce, 'Ancient Documents and Letters f Sir Gervase Cliftonat Clifton Hall', in Transactions of the Thoroton Society 15 (1911), 161-173 , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Clifton, Gervase 1587 births 1666 deaths Cavaliers Knights of the Bath Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge Baronets in the Baronetage of England High sheriffs of Nottinghamshire Deputy lieutenants of Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire Militia officers English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1614 English MPs 1621–1622 English MPs 1624–1625 English MPs 1625 English MPs 1626 English MPs 1628–1629 English MPs 1640–1648 17th-century English knights Gervase