Sir Richard Willis, 1st Baronet facts for kids

Sir Richard Willis (born January 13, 1614 – died December 1690) was an important figure during a tough time in English history. He was a Royalist officer, meaning he supported King Charles I during the English Civil War. But later, during a period called the Interregnum, he also worked as a secret agent for the Parliamentarians, who were against the King. This made him a "double agent."

Early Life and Family

Richard Willis was the younger brother of Thomas Willys. Their father, Richard Willys, was a lawyer and owned lands in Fen Ditton and Horningsey, Cambridgeshire. Both Richard and his brother Thomas were given the special title of "Baronet" by King Charles I.

A Soldier's Path

Richard Willis went to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1631 and also studied law at Gray's Inn. Since he was a younger son, he wouldn't inherit much family wealth. So, he decided to become a professional soldier. He joined the Dutch army and fought in the Siege of Breda in 1637.

After that, he returned to England to serve King Charles I in the Bishops' Wars from 1639 to 1640. Before the English Civil War began, Willis was part of the King's Guard at Whitehall.

Fighting for the King

When the English Civil War started, Willis joined the Royalist army. He was a brave cavalry officer. In 1642, King Charles I made him a knight for his courage in a fight near Shrewsbury. He was promoted to Colonel, leading a group of cavalry soldiers. During this time, he was captured twice but managed to escape!

After being captured again at Ellesmere in 1644, he was held in the Tower of London for nine months. Once free, Willis joined the forces of Prince Rupert, a famous Royalist commander.

Willis became a top commander for the King in areas like Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, and Rutland. In May 1645, he was made Governor of Newark, an important town.

Trouble and a New Title

Around this time, Prince Rupert's army was defeated at the Battle of Naseby. A rival of Rupert's, Lord Digby, made the King suspicious of Rupert. When Rupert surrendered at Bristol, King Charles dismissed him.

While the King was at Newark, Rupert came to confront him. Willis rode out with Lord Gerard to meet Rupert. Even though Rupert was cleared of wrongdoing, King Charles saw Willis's support for Rupert as disloyal. Willis was replaced as Governor of Newark by Lord Belasyse. Willis even challenged Belasyse to a duel, but the King stopped it.

Rupert and the King later made up. Because of his past loyal service, Willis was given the title of Baronet of Fen Ditton in June 1646. His older brother had received the same title five years earlier.

A Secret Agent?

After the Royalists lost the war, Willis spent some time in Italy. He came back to England in 1652 and joined a secret Royalist group called the Sealed Knot.

However, it seems Willis became a double agent. Even though he was imprisoned twice by the Commonwealth government, he secretly started working with Cromwell's spy chief, John Thurloe, around 1656 or 1657. Some people think he did it for money. The writer Charles Dickens even wrote that Willis "reported to Oliver everything that passed among them, and had two hundred a year for it." Others think he might have wanted to keep himself safe in case the Royalist cause failed for good.

It's important to know that even though he was a double agent, there's no strong proof that Willis ever gave away important secrets or truly betrayed his old friends.

In 1659, Willis was accused by Thurloe's secretary, Samuel Morland. Morland claimed that Willis, Thurloe, and Cromwell planned to trick the future King Charles II and his brothers into returning to England, only to harm them. Morland said he overheard this plan while pretending to be asleep in Thurloe's office.

Later Life

After the King returned to power in 1660 (this was called the Restoration), Willis was not allowed at court. But he wasn't punished further, probably because of his earlier service to the King. He married a wealthy woman and lived a comfortable life with his family in Fen Ditton until he died in December 1690.

Family Life

Sir Richard Willis married Alice Fox before 1659. Alice was the daughter of Dr. Thomas Fox. Her great-grandfather was John Foxe, a famous writer known for his book about martyrs.

The Baronet title passed to their son, Sir Thomas Fox Willys (born 1661 – died 1701). Thomas died without marrying or having children. So, when he passed away, the Baronetcy title created for Sir Richard Willis ended.

In Books and Stories

Sir Richard Willis appears as a character in a play called Cromwell by Victor Hugo. This play was published in Paris in 1828.

Also, the author Iain Pears explained that much of his book An Instance of the Fingerpost was inspired by the life of Willis and his family's later attempts to clear his name.