Col. Richard Shuttleworth, MP for Preston

Richard Shuttleworth (1587–1669) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1640 and 1659. Shuttleworth was the son of Thomas Shuttleworth and his wife Anne Lever, daughter of Richard Lever. in 1607 he inherited the family estates of Gawthorpe from his uncle, the Rev Lawrence Shuttleworth. He served as High Sheriff of Lancashire for 1618 and 1637 and in April 1640 was elected as Member of Parliament for Preston in the Short Parliament. He was re-elected in November 1640 for the Long Parliament and sat until 1648 when he was possibly secluded or chose not to sit after Pride's Purge. In 1654 Shuttleworth was re-elected for Preston in the First Protectorate Parliament. He was re-elected for Preston for the Second Protectorate Parliament in 1656 and for the Third Protectorate Parliament in 1659. During the interregnum, Shuttleworth was a leading magistrate for Blackburn hundred with John Starkie of Huntroyde and was frequently recorded as officiating at marriages.[1] He supported the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War, serving as a Colonel in the parliamentary army. Shuttleworth died at the age of 82. He had married Fleetwood Barton, daughter of Mary and Richard Barton of Barton-in-Amounderness[1] with whom he had eight sons and four daughters, Richard, Nicholas, Ughtred, Barton, John, Edward, William, Thomas, Anne (died in infancy) Margaret, Anne and Ellinor. Four of his sons fought in the Parliamentary army in the Civil War. His son Richard was MP for Clitheroe. Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Shuttleworth_(MP_for_Preston)

The first official resident of Gawthorpe Hall and also one of the most celebrated early members of the Shuttleworth family. Richard (b. 1587) lived at Gawthorpe Hall for more than 60 years, along with his wife and their 11 children, who were all born there. During that time, he served as High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1618 and 1638, was elected MP for Preston in 1641, and, most significantly, was made a colonel of the parliamentary army when the English Civil War started in 1642. Richard's responsibility as colonel was to defend northeast Lancashire from the royalists, which meant that Gawthorpe Hall soon became a meeting place for local parliamentarian leaders and forces. During the war, Richard won a critical victory over the royalists when 400 of his men defeated 4,000 royalist troops at Read Bridge. In the process, he may also have saved Gawthorpe from possible capture and destruction, as the royalist troops had been advancing toward Padiham at the time. Despite fighting against the royalists in the Civil War, Richard continued to thrive after the Restoration and left his substantial estates to his eldest grandson, another Richard (b. 1644), who had been brought up in Yorkshire. He was involved in the unfortunate story of the Pendle witches, in which seven people (six women and one man) were put to death by hanging in 1612. The person who accused the women of being witches was Robert Nutter, the servant of Sir Richard Shuttleworth (oldest son of Hugh and Anne.) The accused witches, Chattox (Anne Whittle) and her daughter, Anne Redfearn, lived in West Close, which was owned by the Shuttleworths of Gawthorpe. The following excerpt from Conroy1 descirbes the events and connections. Figure 12 shows the pedigrees of the Pendle witches. Robert Nutter from Greenhead Farm was a servant of Sir Richard who travelled with him when he went on his judiciary circuit in the area. As they returned through Cheshire after one of their visits to Chester in 1595 Robert complained to Richard that he had been bewitched by Chattox (the nickname of Anne Whittle, one of the Pendle witches) just as his father Christopher Nutter had been bewitched by Chattox's daughter Anne Redfearn in 1593, two years previously. Robert died in Cheshire and in 1612 Chattox was executed at Lancaster Castle for his murder, and Anne Redfearn, her daughter, was executed for the murder of his father Christopher. As Chattox and her family lived on Shuttleworth lands, at West Close, the Shuttleworths had to pay 6d as landowners for the transporting of Bess Whittle's clothes to Lancaster in 1613. Bess was Chattox' other daughter but she was not convicted of witchcraft. The clothes were her downfall for Bess had broken into Malkin Tower and stolen the best linen apparel from the Demdike brood, then was foolish enough to wear items of it at church on Sunday! She had been seen by Alison Device, granddaughter of Old Demdike (the nickname of Elisabeth Southernms) who reported her to Roger Nowell, the magistrate. "The Lancashire Witches" by Harrison Ainsworth is based on the case.

Richard Shuttleworth was born in 1592. He was the son of Thomas Shuttleworth and Anne Lever. He married Fleetwood Barton on 24 April 1612. He died in June 1669, with 11 other children (five sons fighting for Parl Civil War):. He was Sheriff and 1638, Member of Parliament (M.P.) Preston 1641 and 1656, Colonel Parly Army Civil War Lancs 1618. He lived Gawthorpe Hall. Child of Richard Shuttleworth and Fleetwood Barton

1. Richard Shuttleworth+ d. 1648
   

The Peerage

Richard Shuttleworth, esq. of Gawthorp, who m. Fleetwood, daughter and heir of R. Barton, esq. of Barton, and had issue,

1. Richard, who m. Jane, or Joan, dau. of Mr. Kirk, citizen of London, and died in the lifetime of his father, anno 1648, leaving two sons and a daughter, viz.
   
   1. Richard (Sir), heir to his grandfather.
      
   2. Nicholas, of whom presently, as founder of the branch before us.
      
   3. Fleetwood, living, unmarried, in 1664.
      
2. Nicholas.
   
3. Ughtred, who m. Jane, daughter of Radcliff Asshton, esq. of Cuerdale.
   
4. Barton.
   
5. John.
   
6. Edward.
   
7. William, captain in the Parliament's army, slain at Lancaster.
   
8. Margaret, m. to Nicholas Towneley, esq. of Royle.
   
9. Anne, m. first, to — Asshton, of Cuerdale, and secondly, to R. Towneley, esq. of Barnside and Carr.
   

In the Oliverian times, when rank and property were compelled to sail with the current, this Richard Shuttleworth, of Gawthorp, and John Starkie, esq. of Huntroyde, were two leading magistrates for the hundred of Blackburn, and their names as hymeneal priests, according to the prevalent usage of the period, frequently occur in the parish registers of the neighbouring churches. Mr. Shuttleworth d. in June, 1609, at the advanced age of eighty-two, and was s. by his elder grandson. Sir Richard Shuttleworth, knt. of Gawthorp, while the younger,

From genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain Volume 3 by John Burke:

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Wikipedia

Although the new Hall was technically complete, it's considered unlikely that Lawrence ever actually lived there, since he died in February 1608. Like his brother before him, Lawrence didn't have any children, so Gawthorpe passed to his nephew, Colonel Richard Shuttleworth -- the first official resident of Gawthorpe Hall and also one of the most celebrated early members of the Shuttleworth family. Richard (b. 1587) lived at Gawthorpe Hall for more than 60 years, along with his wife and their 11 children, who were all born there. During that time, he served as High Sheriff of Lancashire in 1618 and 1638, was elected MP for Preston in 1641, and, most significantly, was made a colonel of the parliamentary army when the English Civil War started in 1642. Richard's responsibility as colonel was to defend northeast Lancashire from the royalists, which meant that Gawthorpe Hall soon became a meeting place for local parliamentarian leaders and forces. During the war, Richard won a critical victory over the royalists when 400 of his men defeated 4,000 royalist troops at Read Bridge. In the process, he may also have saved Gawthorpe from possible capture and destruction, as the royalist troops had been advancing toward Padiham at the time.
Despite fighting against the royalists in the Civil War, Richard continued to thrive after the Restoration and left his substantial estates to his eldest grandson, another Richard (b. 1644), who had been brought up in Yorkshire.

Gawthorpe Hall -- Legacy of the Shuttleworths by Tori V. Martínez, timetravel-britain.com