Sir Edward Littleton, MP, 1st Baronet

Sir Edward Littleton (c. 1599 – c. 1657) was a 17th century English Baronet and politician, the first of a line of four Littleton Baronets with Pillaton Hall as their seat.[1]

He was the son of Sir Edward Littleton Kt. and Mary Fisher of Pillaton Hall, near Penkridge, Staffordshire. He was created a Baronet by Charles I on 28 June 1627. As this suggests, he was of Cavalier sympathies, and an important counterweight locally to Robert Greville, 2nd Baron Brooke, lord of the manor of Penkridge, who was an important leader of the Puritan and Parliamentary cause, who was killed during the siege of Lichfield Cathedral in 1643. However, Littleton proved impotent to maintain the royalist cause in the area, and parliamentary soldiers occupied Penkridge in 1645 after the briefest of skirmishes.[2]

Littleton served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire in 1636 and as Deputy Lieutenant of that county. He was Member of Parliament for Staffordshire from 1640 but was expelled from the House of Commons in 1644 on account of his loyalty to the Crown. His estates were subject to sequestration and forfeiture but he was allowed to compound for their return, at a cost of £1347.

He married Hester Courteen and was succeeded by his son Sir Edward Littleton, 2nd Baronet.

Biographical Summary

Edward Littleton, of Pileton [Pillaton] Hall, co. Stafford, Esq., s. and h. ap. of Sir Edward Littleton, of the same, by Mary, da. of Sir Clement Fisher, of Packington, oo, Warwick, was b. about 1599 ; mat. at Oxford, 28 March 1617, aged 18 ; adm. to Inner Temple, 1618, and was cr. a Bart., as above, 28 June 1627. He suc. his father, 25 Aug. 1630; was Sheriff of Staffordshire, 1636-37 ; M.P. thereof, April to May 1640 and Nov. 1640, till disabled, 4 March 1643/4. He was an ardent Royalist, and had to pay £1,347 68. 8d. to the sequestrators of estates. He m. Hester, da. of Sir William Courteen, of London, by his second wife, Hester, sister of Sir Samuel Tryon. He was living 11 June 1649, when he petitions to compound, owning to having "deserted the Pari." and gone to Oxford, which fact precludes the petition from being that of his son. He possibly may be the "Sir Edward Littleton, Knt.," who was bur. 3 Aug. 1657 at St. Edward's, Romford, and, again, the admon., 5 Feb. 1657/8, of " Sir Edward Littleton, of Ferant, co. Montgomery, Bart.," granted, however, to the widow, " Catherine " [sic], may refer to him. His widow is said to have m. Thomas Thorne, of Shelrock, Salop, and to have been bur. at Ryton church, Salop, 12 Deo. 1674.

SOURCE: Complete baronetage; Cokayne, George E. (George Edward); 1902; Vol. II; page 27-28