Richard Jennings

Richard Jennings or Jenyns (c. 1619-8 May 1668), of Sandridge in Hertfordshire, was an English Member of Parliament and father of Queen Anne's confidant, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough.

Jennings succeeded his father, Sir John Jennings, as head of the family in August 1642, and was also elected to his seat as MP for St Albans. He took the Parliamentary side in the Civil War, and having been captured by the Royalists was imprisoned for some time. As a moderate he was secluded from the House of Commons by Pride's Purge in December 1648, but was re-elected for the city in Richard Cromwell's Parliament of 1659. He took a leading role in the restored Long Parliament during the few weeks of 1660 when the secluded members resumed their seats, and after the Restoration remained MP for St Albans until his death.

Richard married Frances Thornhurst, daughter of Sir Gifford Thornhurst. Their daughters, Sarah and Frances, were both noteworthy figures at the court of Charles II. Frances, nicknamed "La Belle Jennings", became maid of honour to the Duchess of York in 1664, and eventually by her second marriage became Countess of Tyrconnel. Sarah married John Churchill, the future Duke of Marlborough, in 1677, and was highly influential during the reign of Queen Anne.

References

*D Brunton & D H Pennington, "Members of the Long Parliament" (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1954)
*"Cobbett's Parliamentary history of England, from the Norman Conquest in 1066 to the year 1803" (London: Thomas Hansard, 1808) [http://www2.odl.ox.ac.uk/gsdl/cgi-bin/library?e=p-000-00---0modhis06--00-0-0-0prompt-10---4------0-1l--1-en-50---20-about---00001-001-1-1isoZz-8859Zz-1-0&a=d&cl=CL1]
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