Ralph Assheton (Parliamentarian)

Sir Ralph Assheton (ca. 1605 – 30 January 1680) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1680.

Assheton was the son of Sir Ralph Ashton, 1st Baronet of Lever, Lancashire. He matriculated from Magdalene College, Cambridge at Easter 1623. He was admitted at Gray's Inn on 7 May 1624.[1]

In April 1640, Assheton was elected Member of Parliament for Clitheroe in the Short Parliament. He was re-elected in November 1640 as MP for Clitheroe in the Long Parliament[2] He succeeded to the Baronetcy in 1644.

In 1660 Assheton was re-elected MP for Clitheroe for the Convention Parliament and again in 1661 for the Cavalier Parliament but was unseated on petition in February 1662. He was re-elected MP for Clitheroe in 1679 a year before his death.[3]

Assheton died at the age of 75. He built the vault beneath the Assheton chapel at St Leonard's Church Downham, and endowed a sermon on the resurrection to be preached an annually on the anniversary of his death.[4]

References

  1. ^ Poole, Henry in Venn, J. & J. A., Alumni Cantabrigienses, Cambridge University Press, 10 vols, 1922–1958.
  2. ^ Browne WIllis Notitia parliamentaria, or, An history of the counties, cities, and boroughs in England and Wales: ... The whole extracted from mss. and printed evidences 1750 pp229-239
  3. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "C" (part 4)
  4. ^ Parish Church of St Leonard, Downham
Parliament of England
Preceded by
Parliament suspended since 1629		 Member of Parliament for Clitheroe
1640-1653
With: Richard Shuttleworth		 Succeeded by
Not represented in Barebones Parliament
Preceded by
Not represented		 Member of Parliament for Clitheroe
1659-1662
With: William White 1660
William Hulton 1660
John Heath 1660-1662		 Succeeded by
John Heath
Ambrose Pudsay
Preceded by
John Heath
Sir Thomas Stringer		 Member of Parliament for Clitheroe
1679-1680
With: Sir Thomas Stringer		 Succeeded by
Sir Thomas Stringer
Henry Marsden