Richard Berkeley was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons

House of Commons of England

The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...

  in 1614.

Berkeley was the only son of Sir Henry Berkeley (died 1606) of Stoke Gifford

Stoke Gifford

Stoke Gifford is a large dormitory village, and parish in South Gloucestershire, England, in the northern suburbs of Bristol. It has around 11,000 residents as of the 2001 Census. It is home to Bristol Parkway station, on the London-South Wales railway line, and the Bristol offices of Friends Life...

 and Rendcomb

Rendcomb

Rendcomb is a village in the Cotswold local authority area of the English county of Gloucestershire. It is about five miles north of Cirencester....

, Gloucestershire, and grandson of Sir Richard Berkeley

Richard Berkeley (died 1604)

Sir Richard Berkeley of Stoke Gifford, Gloucestershire was MP for Gloucestershire in 1604. He had previously served as Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1564, and as Deputy Lieutenant of Gloucestershire. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth I in 1568. In 1595 he was appointed Lieutenant of the Tower of...

 (died 1604) of Stoke Gifford, whose effigy can be seen at the Gaunt's Chapel, Bristol. He matriculated at Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College, Oxford

Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...

 on 4 February 1592 aged 12.

In 1614, Berkeley was elected Member of Parliament

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for Gloucestershire

Gloucestershire (UK Parliament constituency)

The constituency of Gloucestershire was a UK Parliamentary constituency. After it was abolished under the 1832 Electoral Reform Act, two new constituencies, West Gloucestershire and East Gloucestershire, were created....

.

Berkeley supported the King in the Civil War and on 2 February 1647 he compounded and was fined at £370 on 6 February. On 11 April 1649 he was assesssed at £150. On 1 August 1649 he was to be discharged on payment of £60 but on 5 December 1651 he was ordered to pay £80 extra on old rent. Having paid it, on 30 Jan 1652 his assessment of £100 was discharged and sequestration was taken off his estate.

Berkeley died at the age of 83.

Berkeley married Elinor Roe widow of Robert Roe and secondly Jane Meriett daughter of Sir Thomas Merriatt. His son Maurice

Maurice Berkeley (Gloucestershire MP)

Sir Maurice Berkeley was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1626. He supported the Royalist cause in the English Civil War....

was later MP for Gloucestershire.