Description:One of Sir Richard Leveson’s nephews was the politician Francis Newport, first earl of Bradford (1619–1708). Francis was the son of Sir Richard's sister Rachel (d. 1661) and her husband Richard Newport, 1st Baron Newport of High Ercall (1587-1651).
Sir Richard was a prominent Royalist campaigner in Staffordshire. He received letters from his nephew Francis informing him of events from both sides of the conflict leading up to and during the Civil War (1642-1646). Francis was based in London, at the centre of developments, and his letters communicate these developments to Sir Richard who was based in Trentham. The fact that Francis corresponded in such a way with his Royalist uncle suggests, as Victor Slater writes, that ‘by the summer of 1642' Francis Newport was 'drifting towards the king's camp’.
An early letter from December 1639 reflects the sort of political news which Francis was communicating to his uncle. He writes: ‘the rumour goes of the Spaniards truce with the French, & the Turks with the Persian, and lastly of ours with Scotland’. These letters tell us about the political situation at the time, as seen through the eyes of contemporary people.
Contextual information from Victor Stater, ‘Newport, Francis, first earl of Bradford (1619–1708)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004 [http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/20033]