Francis Lascelles

Francis Lascelles (1612-1667), also spelt Lassels, was an English politician, soldier and businessman who fought for Parliament in the 1639-1652 Wars of the Three Kingdoms and was a Member of Parliament between 1645 and 1660. One of the MPs who retained their seat after Pride's Purge in December 1648, he was named as a member of the Commission appointed for the trial of Charles I in 1649. However, he did not sign the death warrant and largely escaped punishment after the 1660 Restoration, although he was fined and barred from holding public office. In December 1662, he was accused of involvement in the so-called 'Lascelles Plot,' a conspiracy centred on Northallerton, which proved to be a fabrication by government informers. He died at home in November 1667. Biography The Lascelles were a well established Yorkshire family, and part of a network of mercantile interests in London, Ireland, New England and Barbados. There were various branches in Yorkshire, including Northallerton, Durham, Whitby, York, Harewood House and Terrington. Francis Lascelles was born in August 1612 at Stank Hall, near Northallerton, eldest son of William Lascelles (died before 1624) and Elizabeth Wadeson (died 1647). He had three brothers, Robert (1617, died before 1640), Peregrine (1619-1658) and Thomas (1624-1697).