Richard Onslow

Sir Richard Onslow (1601 – 19 May 1664) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1628 and 1664. He fought on the Parliamentary side during the English Civil War. He was the grandson of one Speaker of the House of Commons and the grandfather of another, both also called Richard Onslow.

Life Young life Onslow was the younger son of Sir Edward Onslow of Knowle (in Cranleigh), Surrey, and his wife Isabel (Elizabeth), daughter of Sir Thomas Shirley of Wiston, West Sussex. He was baptized on 30 July 1601. He had an elder brother Thomas (the heir), and three sisters. His father died in 1615, appointing Elizabeth his executrix and residuary legatee. To Richard was bequeathed an annuity of £100 per annum from manors and estates in Gloucestershire.

The manor of Bramley (with lands in Bramley, Shalford, Wonersh and Dunsfold), was left in the hands of overseers to provide annuities for the sisters in their minorities, and then to be sold by them, with an option for Thomas Onslow to purchase for £2000 within three years. Richard's three sisters, all unmarried at their father's death, proceeded to respectable marriages.

Richard matriculated as a Fellow-Commoner at Jesus College, Cambridge in 1617, and was admitted at Lincoln's Inn in 1618. He married Elizabeth, daughter of Arthur Strangways, produced his first child by 1621, and was knighted on 2 June 1624. In 1628 he was elected Member of Parliament for Surrey, and sat until 1629 when King Charles I began to rule without parliament for eleven years. In 1630 his mother Elizabeth died leaving him all her freehold land and the residue of her estate, and giving a silver chafing-dish to Richard's wife. In November 1638 he was a deputy-lieutenant for the county of Surrey.

Civil War period Onslow was elected MP for Surrey in April 1640 for the Short Parliament and in November 1640 for the Long Parliament. In 1642, the lodge in Clandon Park, West Clandon, and the Park itself, formerly enclosed but since disemparked, was sold to him by Sir Richard Weston and was now re-emparked: he purchased Temple House at Merrow, with the advowson of Merrow church, but not the Temple manor.

When the Civil War broke out in 1642, he commanded the Surrey Trained Bands at the start of hostilities, then raised a regiment for Parliament, leading his men at the siege of Basing House in 1644.

Being of moderate views, he was one of the members excluded from Parliament in Pride's Purge in December 1648. In 1650 he recommenced a series of transactions which led much later (1711) to the acquisition of the manor of West Clandon.

Death His death in 1664 took place in mysterious circumstances at Arundel House in London. It was announced to have been owing to an "ague" which developed into gangrene. However, Lucy Hutchinson, whose husband John Hutchinson had recently been imprisoned as a Regicide, believed Onslow to be her enemy for having denounced her husband in parliament: she is said to have heard that Onslow had been struck by lightning, an allegation widely believed in Onslow's family. He was buried at Cranleigh, Surrey,

Portrait and heraldry The Surrey Visitation of 1623

Family Sir Richard Onslow married Elizabeth Strangeways (c. 1601 – 27 August 1679), daughter and heir of Arthur Strangeways. They had 14 children:

Sir Henry Onslow (1621–c. 1667), married Jane Stidolph and had issue Sir Arthur Onslow, 1st Baronet (1622–1688), also MP for Guildford and Surrey Elizabeth Onslow (1624 – aft. 1678), married first John Berney of Swardeston and second Sir Francis Wyndham, 3rd Baronet Anne Onslow (b. 1626), married Sir Anthony Shirley, 1st Baronet Mary Onslow (b. 1638), married Sir George Freeman John Onslow (c. January – February 1630N.S.) Jane Onslow (1631 – 5 May 1729), married Sir George Croke Richard Onslow (1632–c. 1712), married Abigail Reynardson, without issue, member of the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers Thomas Onslow (1633 – aft. 1664), died unmarried Dorothy Onslow (1635–1642) Catherine Onslow (1636–1659), married Sir Thomas Cobb, 1st Baronet John Onslow (12 September 1636 – April 1663), died unmarried, member of the Inner Temple Denzil Onslow (of Pyrford) (c. 1642–1721) one other child, died young