Sir Richard Newdigate, 1st Baronet

Sir Richard Newdigate, 1st Baronet (17 September 1602 – 14 October 1678) was an English judge, landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1660.

Family Richard Newdigate was a younger son of Sir John Newdigate (5 March 1571 – 28 March 1610) He was the grandson of John Newdigate (1541 – 22 February 1592), esquire, of Harefield, Middlesex, and Martha Cave (24 February 1546 – 22 November 1575), the daughter and co-heir of Anthony Cave. He was High Steward of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield from 1646 until his death.

Newdigate was counsel with William Prynne and John Bradshaw on behalf of the state in the proceedings taken against Connor Maguire, 2nd Baron of Enniskillen, and other Irish rebels in 1644–5. He was also one of the counsel for the eleven members impeached by Thomas Fairfax in June 1647.

On 9 February 1653–54, he was called to the degree of serjeant-at-law, and on 31 May following was made a justice of the upper bench, in which capacity he was placed on the special commission for the trial of the Yorkshire insurgents on 5 April 1655. He declined to serve, on the ground that levying war against the Lord Protector Oliver Cromwell was not within the statute of treason; and in consequence was removed from his place (3 May), and resumed practice at the bar. He was, however, reinstated before 26 June 1657, when he attended, as justice of the upper bench, the ceremony of the reinvestiture of the Protector in Westminster Hall.

1675 added the Warwickshire manor of Arbury to his holdings. He had succeeded in 1642, on the death of his elder brother, to that of Harefield, Middlesex, the ancient seat of his family, which had been alienated in the preceding century by his grandfather, a debtor, in a deal for Arbury with Edmund Anderson. On 24 July 1677, a baronetcy was conferred on him by Charles II without payment of the ordinary fees.

Family Newdigate married, in 1631, Juliana, daughter of Sir Francis Leigh, K.B., of King's Newnham, Warwickshire, and had issue six sons and five daughters. He was succeeded by his eldest surviving son, Sir Richard Newdigate, 2nd Baronet (d. 1710), whose son, Sir Richard, third baronet, was father of Sir Roger Newdigate.

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