Francis Luttrell (1659–1690)

For other people named Francis Luttrell, see Francis Luttrell (disambiguation).

Francis Luttrell (June 1659 to 25 July 1690) of Dunster Castle in Somerset was a landowner and MP for Minehead from 1679 until his death.

Francis Luttrell MP, JP
Colonel Francis Luttrell
Member of Parliament for Minehead
In office March 1679 – July 1690  †
Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset
In office 1685–1687
Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset
In office 1681–1687
Personal details
Born	16 June 1659 (baptised)
Died	25 July 1690(1690-07-25) (aged 31) Plymouth
Spouse	Mary Tregonwell (July 1680 to his death)
Children	One son, two daughters
Parent(s)	Francis Luttrell (1628–1666), Lucy Symonds
Alma mater	Christ Church, Oxford
Occupation	Landowner
Military service
Years of service	1642 to 1646
Rank	Colonel
Battles/wars	Monmouth Rebellion Glorious Revolution Nine Years War

Personal details

Francis Luttrell was baptised on 16 June 1659, second son of Francis Luttrell (1628–1666), and his wife Lucy Symonds, granddaughter of the politician John Pym. He had an older brother Thomas (1657-1670) and a younger Alexander (1663-1711).

Mary Luttrell (Tregonwell)

In July 1680, he married Mary Tregonwell, a wealthy heiress with an estate worth £2,500 per annum, much of which was spent refurbishing Dunster Castle, the family home. They had a son Tregonwell (1683-1703) and two daughters.

Career

Educated like other members of his family at Christ Church, Oxford, he was first elected MP for Minehead in March 1679, when still technically underage. He retained the seat until his death in 1690 and served as Deputy Lieutenant of Somerset from 1681 to 1687, Deputy Lieutenant of Dorset from 1685 to 1687, and Vice-Admiral of Somerset from 1685. He resigned these offices after refusing to back James II of England in his demand for repeal of the Test Act.

As a colonel in the local militia, Luttrell had helped suppress the Monmouth Rebellion in June 1685 but in the November 1688 Glorious Revolution he backed James' removal by his son-in-law William of Orange. When William landed in Devon, Francis mustered a number of companies of infantry, which formed the basis for the later Green Howards regiment. He died at Plymouth on 25 July while he and his regiment were awaiting transport to Flanders for service in the Nine Years War.

See also

• Feudal barony of Dunster

Sources

• Garnett, Oliver (2003). Dunster Castle, Somerset. The National Trust. ISBN 978-1-84359-049-1.
• Cassidy, Irene (1983). LUTTRELL, Francis II (1659-90), of Dunster Castle, Somerset in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1660-1690. Boydell and Brewer.