Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet

Sir Richard Temple, 3rd Baronet, KB (28 March 1634 – 8 May 1697), was an English politician who served in the House of Commons at various intervals between 1654 and 1697.

**Early Life and Education**

Temple was born on 28 March 1634. He was the son of Sir Peter Temple, 2nd Baronet of Stowe, and his second wife, Christian Leveson, daughter of Sir John Leveson. He was admitted to Gray's Inn on 6 November 1648 and enrolled at Emmanuel College, Cambridge, on 23 December 1648.

**Inheritance and Early Political Career**

He inherited the baronetcy upon the death of his father in September 1653. In 1654, Temple was elected as Member of Parliament (MP) for Warwickshire in the First Protectorate Parliament. In 1659, he was elected MP for Buckingham in the Third Protectorate Parliament. He was subsequently elected MP for Buckingham again in 1660 for the Convention Parliament.

**Knighthood and Parliamentary Service**

On 18 April 1661, he was made a Knight of the Bath. He was re-elected as MP for Buckingham in the Cavalier Parliament, serving until 1679. During this period, Temple was a member of the Council for foreign plantations in 1671 and served as commissioner of customs from 1672 to 1694. He participated actively in political debates concerning opposition to the Popish Plot and supported measures to exclude James, Duke of York, from the succession.

**Later Parliamentary Terms and Electoral Disputes**

In the February 1679 election, there was a double return, resulting in Sir Peter Tyrell being declared elected. However, Temple regained his seat in August 1679 and continued to serve as MP for Buckingham until his death in 1697.

**Stowe and Family**

In 1676, Temple commissioned the construction of a new house at Stowe, which forms the core of the present buildings. He married Mary Knapp, daughter of Henry Knapp of Woodcote, South Stoke, Oxfordshire, on 25 August 1675.

He fathered several children. His son, Sir Richard Temple, 4th Baronet, succeeded him and was later elevated to the peerage as Viscount Cobham. His eldest daughter, Maria, married Richard West. His second daughter, Hester, married Richard Grenville on 25 November 1710 in Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire. Hester inherited her brother Richard Temple's estate at Stowe, which became the family’s principal seat. She was eventually created the 1st Countess of Temple.

A younger daughter, Christian, married Sir Thomas Lyttelton, 4th Baronet. The creation of the Viscountcy of Cobham included a special remainder in default of male heirs from Sir Richard Temple, 4th Baronet, allowing inheritance by his sister Hester and her descendants, which took effect in 1889 when her descendant Charles, Lord Lyttelton, succeeded as Viscount Cobham.

**Death**

Sir Richard Temple died on 8 May 1697 at the age of 63.