Sir Richard Graham, 1st Baronet of Esk (c. 1583 - 28 January 1654) was an English politician elected to 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 ...

(1626 to 1629). He fought 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 ...

for the royalist army.

Career

Graham was born eldest son of Fergus Graham (sometimes, Grahme) of Plump, Kirkandrews-upon-Esk, in Cumberland, and Lady Sybella Bell, daughter of Sir William Bell, of the Bell Clan, Scotsbrig, Middlebie. His siblings included four + younger brothers: William Graham, of Plomp; Francis Graham; Reginald Graham, of Nunnington; Matthew Graham; and one sister, Elizabeth Scott. By 1624, Graham married Lady Catharine Musgrave (~1602-1660), daughter of Sir Thomas Musgrave, of Cumcatch, Cumberland and his wife, Lady Ursula Carnaby. Together they had seven children (two sons and five daughters): Lady Agnes Johnstone (~1624-1682), married John Ambrose Johnstone, I of Poldean, Scotland (Clan Johnstone); Henrietta Maria Graham; Catherine Graham; Elizabeth Herron; Susan Carnaby. Sir Thomas Musgrave of Cumcatch and Susannah Thwaites Graham's eldest son and heir was Sir George Graham (~1625-1658), 2nd Baronet of Esk and Netherby; he married Lady Mary (Johnstone), the daughter of James Johnstone, 1st Earl of Hartfell, and Lady Margaret (Douglas); and younger son, Sir Richard Graham (1635-1711), became 1st Baronet of Norton Conyers, married Lady Elizabeth Fortescue, daughter of Col. Sir Chichester Fortescue and Lady Elizabeth (Slingsby). Graham served as Gentleman of the Horse to

George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham ( ; 20 August 1592 – 23 August 1628), was an English courtier, statesman, and patron of the arts. He was a favourite and self-described "lover" of King James VI and I. Buckingham remained at the heigh ...

. On 18 February 1623 he set out with Buckingham and

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

, who assumed the names Tom and James Smith to travel incognito to Madrid to meet the Infanta, an expedition known as the

Spanish Match The Spanish match was a proposed marriage between Prince Charles I of England, Charles, the son of King James VI & I of Kingdom of Scotland and Kingdom of England, England, and Infante, Infanta Maria Anna of Spain, the daughter of Philip III of ...

.Samuel Rawson Gardiner, ''Prince Charles and the Spanish Marriage 1617-23'', vol. 2 (London, 1869), p. 302. In 1624, Graham bought the manor of Norton Conyers in the

North Riding of Yorkshire The North Riding of Yorkshire was a subdivision of Yorkshire, England, alongside York, the East Riding and West Riding. The riding's highest point was at Mickle Fell at . From the Restoration it was used as a lieutenancy area, having b ...

. In 1626, he was elected Member of Parliament ("M.P") for

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

. He was re-elected MP for Carlisle in 1628 and sat until 1629, at which time King Charles decided to rule without parliament, for eleven years. On 29 March 1629, he was entitled

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 ...

of Esk, Cumberland.George Edward Cokayne ''Complete Baronetage Volume 2'' 1900
/ref> He purchased the estate of Netherby and the Barony of Liddell in Cumberland. During the

Wars of the Three Kingdoms The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities in a personal union un ...

(1639 – 1653), Graham supported the Royalist cause. On 2 July 1644, he fought in the

Battle of Marston Moor The Battle of Marston Moor was fought on 2 July 1644, during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms of 1639–1653. The combined forces of the English Parliamentarians under Lord Fairfax and the Earl of Manchester and the Scottish Covenanters unde ...

and suffered serious injuries. Lady Catherine died 23 March 1650 and is buried at Wath Upon Dearne in Yorkshire. Graham died 28 January 1654; and buried beside his wife on 11 February 1654.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Richard 1580s births 1654 deaths English MPs 1626 English MPs 1628–1629 Cavaliers Baronets in the Baronetage of England