Description:Vice Admiral Sir Richard Leveson was the son of Sir Walter Leveson (1550-1602) of Lilleshall, Shropshire, and his wife Anne Corbet, daughter of Sir Andrew Corbet of Moreton Corbet, Salop.
After his marriage to Margaret Howard (c.1570-1641), daughter of Lord Charles Howard of Effingham, the Lord High Admiral, Sir Richard pursued a naval career, playing an instrumental role alongside his cousin Sir John Leveson of Halling in defending England against the Spanish Armada in the late sixteenth century. Sir Richard became Vice-Admiral of England in 1604, an honour conferred by King James I.
When not at sea, the family were based in Shropshire, where Sir Richard Leveson served as MP in 1589 and 1604.
Sir Richard had a close relationship with his cousin Sir John Leveson of Halling (1555-1615). Sir Richard entrusted his estates in Shropshire and Staffordshire to Sir John after his death in 1605, with the intention that Sir John’s younger son Richard would inherit them.
Aside from his relationship with his cousin Sir John, Sir Richard's home life was turbulent. His father was heavily in debt and died in the Fleet prison in 1602. In the early seventeenth century his wife Margaret became troubled with mental illness. Towards the end of his own life, however, Sir Richard formed a happy attachment with Mary Fitton in Staffordshire (1578-1641).
Vice Admiral Sir Richard Leveson’s Papers
in the Sutherland Collection
Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Leveson’s private papers in the Sutherland collection tell us a great deal about his career in the English Navy and also about family life. Despite an unhappy private life, Sir Richard evidently enjoyed a good relationship with his cousin Sir John and his letters are written with remarkably good humour, reflecting a jovial character.
Sir Richard’s letters to Sir John indicate that the two men exchanged correspondence frequently. The letters tell us that Sir Richard asked Sir John to care for his wife Margaret while he was away at sea, reflecting his esteem for his cousin.
Many of Sir Richard’s letters indicate that he was close to the centre of political decisions in relation to English campaigns against the Spanish during the late sixteenth century. In many of the accounts of his naval expeditions, Sir Richard refers repeatedly to the need for secrecy, reflecting the atmosphere of suspicion which characterised Court politics at this time.
Biographical information from Richard Wisker, ‘Leveson, Sir Richard (c.1570–1605)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/16538]