Description:Sir Richard Leveson of Halling, Trentham and Lilleshall was the second son of Sir John Leveson of Halling and his second wife Christian Mildmay. He had one elder brother, John Leveson who died in 1612. He also had a sister Rachel who married Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport of High Ercall, Salop before 1615. The letters in the Sutherland Papers reflect that Richard maintained a close relationship with Rachel and the Newport family up until his death in 1661.
Sir Richard inherited property in Staffordshire and Shropshire from his father’s cousin the famous Vice-Admiral Sir Richard Leveson (c.1570-1605). The Vice-Admiral bequeathed his Estates to Richard as Sir John’s eldest son John was intended to inherit Sir John’s estates in Kent. However, John died three years before his father in 1612, leaving Richard to inherit both the Vice-Admiral’s Trentham and Lilleshall Estates, and also his father’s Kentish Estate. Between 1630 and 1638 Sir Richard rebuilt his family’s seat at Trentham in Staffordshire at a cost of over £6000.
Sir Richard was married to Katherine Duddeley, daughter of Sir Robert Dudley. The letters which Katherine wrote to Richard before their marriage portray the rituals of courtship practised at this time. Their correspondence also reflects the issues which people living in the seventeenth century perceived to be most important when choosing a marriage partner. Although Richard and Katherine had no children of their own, Sir Richard’s letters in the Sutherland Papers reflect that he maintained a close relationship with his nephews and nieces, particularly those in the Newport family.
Sir Richard supported the Royalist cause during the Civil War 1642-1645. From his correspondence in the Sutherland Papers Collection, Sir Richard appears to have played an instrumental role in encouraging Royalist support in Staffordshire. In 1645 Sir Richard was imprisoned at the Parliamentary Garrison in Namptwich, and many letters in the Sutherland Papers Collection relate to his bail and parole from imprisonment.
There are a huge range of documents in the Sutherland Papers which relate to Sir Richard Leveson, particularly private correspondence which tells us a great deal about his character and about his family life. In a broader context, Sir Richard’s letters reflect the concerns and issues which people living during the seventeenth century perceived to be important, and they also provide very valuable contemporary accounts of political events during this time.