Richard Cresswell (MP)
Encyclopedia
Richard Cresswell was an English
politician.
The first son of a “roaring Shropshire squire” Richard Cresswell of Sidbury, Salop
and his wife Mary Moreton, and grandson of a staunch Cavalier, also named Richard Cresswell (formerly a page
to Charles I
); Cresswell was nicknamed “Black Dick Cresswell”. He had inherited his father's unstable traits, but also his grandfather's loyalism. His father, having been disinherited, was described as “a perfect madman”, “a Judas and devil incarnate” by his son-in-law, who when obliged to stay with the family for a time at Sidbury, wrote that “to live with him (Cresswell the elder) is to live in Bedlam
, for he is made up of noise, nonsense, railing, bawling and impertinence....”
Richard Cresswell succeeded in 1708 to his grandfather's very considerable estates, including several manors in Staffordshire
, Shropshire
and Herefordshire
. By the time he married, Cresswell was already enjoying a reputation as a “giddy rake
”. The addition of his wife's properties, including the Wiltshire
manors of Sherston
, Malmesbury and Norton, helped consolidate his position among the gentry of north Wiltshire.
Cresswell stood as a Tory
candidate for the borough of Bridgnorth
, but after his election he made little impression on the House of Commons
and is not known to have ever made a speech in Parliament. He was a member of the October Club
; and in 1713 voted for the French commerce bill. The following election he was returned as the member for Wootton Bassett
; however, after the death of Queen Anne
, Cresswell refrained from any further involvement in Parliament, probably spending the remainder of his life abroad. His already questionable reputation was sullied even further by his arrest in 1716 on thirty-eight separate charges of buggery
'with a young Genoese
boy he had lately dressed up'. From 1726 till 1730 he was known to be in France
, travelling with 'one Mrs Smith, called his niece'. In 1730, due to financial problems, he was forced to mortgage his Pinkney Park estate in Wiltshire for £10,000. In his final years the administration of his estate was left to his son Thomas Estcourt Cresswell
.
He died intestate in 1743.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
politician.
The first son of a “roaring Shropshire squire” Richard Cresswell of Sidbury, Salop
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and his wife Mary Moreton, and grandson of a staunch Cavalier, also named Richard Cresswell (formerly a page
Page (servant)
A page or page boy is a traditionally young male servant, a messenger at the service of a nobleman or royal.-The medieval page:In medieval times, a page was an attendant to a knight; an apprentice squire...
to Charles I
Charles I of England
Charles I was King of England, King of Scotland, and King of Ireland from 27 March 1625 until his execution in 1649. Charles engaged in a struggle for power with the Parliament of England, attempting to obtain royal revenue whilst Parliament sought to curb his Royal prerogative which Charles...
); Cresswell was nicknamed “Black Dick Cresswell”. He had inherited his father's unstable traits, but also his grandfather's loyalism. His father, having been disinherited, was described as “a perfect madman”, “a Judas and devil incarnate” by his son-in-law, who when obliged to stay with the family for a time at Sidbury, wrote that “to live with him (Cresswell the elder) is to live in Bedlam
Bethlem Royal Hospital
The Bethlem Royal Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in London, United Kingdom and part of the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Although no longer based at its original location, it is recognised as the world's first and oldest institution to specialise in mental illnesses....
, for he is made up of noise, nonsense, railing, bawling and impertinence....”
Richard Cresswell succeeded in 1708 to his grandfather's very considerable estates, including several manors in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, Shropshire
Shropshire
Shropshire is a county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. It borders Wales to the west...
and Herefordshire
Herefordshire
Herefordshire is a historic and ceremonial county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes it is a NUTS 3 region and is one of three counties that comprise the "Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire" NUTS 2 region. It also forms a unitary district known as the...
. By the time he married, Cresswell was already enjoying a reputation as a “giddy rake
Rake (character)
A rake, short for rakehell, is a historic term applied to a man who is habituated to immoral conduct, frequently a heartless womanizer. Often a rake was a man who wasted his fortune on gambling, wine, women and song, incurring lavish debts in the process...
”. The addition of his wife's properties, including the Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
manors of Sherston
Sherston, Wiltshire
Sherston is a village approximately 5 miles to the west of Malmesbury in the English county of Wiltshire. The population in 2001 was 1418 .- History :...
, Malmesbury and Norton, helped consolidate his position among the gentry of north Wiltshire.
Cresswell stood as a Tory
Tory
Toryism is a traditionalist and conservative political philosophy which grew out of the Cavalier faction in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It is a prominent ideology in the politics of the United Kingdom, but also features in parts of The Commonwealth, particularly in Canada...
candidate for the borough of Bridgnorth
Bridgnorth (UK Parliament constituency)
Bridgnorth was a parliamentary borough in Shropshire which was represented in the House of Commons of England from 1295 until 1707, then in the House of Commons of Great Britain until 1800, and in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 until its abolition in 1885.It...
, but after his election he made little impression on the House of Commons
House of Commons of Great Britain
The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the Parliament of Scotland, as one of the most significant...
and is not known to have ever made a speech in Parliament. He was a member of the October Club
October Club
The October Club was a group of Tory MPs, active around 1711 to 1714. The group took its name from the strong ale they reportedly drank.After Robert Harley refused to set up an inquiry into the former administrations financial policies, on 5 February 1711 some Tories passed resolutions calling for...
; and in 1713 voted for the French commerce bill. The following election he was returned as the member for Wootton Bassett
Wootton Bassett (UK Parliament constituency)
Wootton Bassett was a parliamentary borough in Wiltshire, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1447 until 1832, when the rotten borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
; however, after the death of Queen Anne
Anne of Great Britain
Anne ascended the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland on 8 March 1702. On 1 May 1707, under the Act of Union, two of her realms, England and Scotland, were united as a single sovereign state, the Kingdom of Great Britain.Anne's Catholic father, James II and VII, was deposed during the...
, Cresswell refrained from any further involvement in Parliament, probably spending the remainder of his life abroad. His already questionable reputation was sullied even further by his arrest in 1716 on thirty-eight separate charges of buggery
Buggery
The British English term buggery is very close in meaning to the term sodomy, and is often used interchangeably in law and popular speech. It may be, also, a specific common law offence, encompassing both sodomy and bestiality.-In law:...
'with a young Genoese
Genoa
Genoa |Ligurian]] Zena ; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria....
boy he had lately dressed up'. From 1726 till 1730 he was known to be in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, travelling with 'one Mrs Smith, called his niece'. In 1730, due to financial problems, he was forced to mortgage his Pinkney Park estate in Wiltshire for £10,000. In his final years the administration of his estate was left to his son Thomas Estcourt Cresswell
Thomas Estcourt Cresswell
Thomas Estcourt Cresswell was an English politician.The son of Richard Cresswell and his wife Elizabeth Estcourt, daughter and heiress of Sir Thomas Estcourt Knt; of Pinkney Park; Cresswell gained a degree of notoriety as a bigamist after his marriage in February 1744 to a wealthy heiress, Miss...
.
He died intestate in 1743.