The Temple family rose from the minor gentry to become one of the most prominent families in Buckinghamshire. In the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries the Temples represented Buckinghamshire in the Parliament, and served as the county's sheriffs and justices of the peace. Thomas Temple (1567-1637) was knighted in 1603, and in 1611 purchased baronetsy. His son Peter Temple, 2nd Baronet (1592-1653), was MP in the last two parliaments of Charles I. Although he initially supported the Parliament in the Civil War, after the execution of Charles I he became disillusioned with the cause and fell into political disfavor and financial trouble. Sir Richard Temple (1634-1697), 3rd Baronet was a secret royalist during the Protectorate. During the Restoration, he obtained a number of posts, including one on the Council for Foreign Plantations (1671) and as Commissioner of Customs (1672-1694) and gradually rebuilt the family fortune. With the death of the childless Richard Temple, 1st Viscount Cobham, the family estate at Stowe passed to his sister, Hester (Temple) Grenville.
From the description of Temple family papers : Correspondence, 1500-1757 (bulk 1600-1700). (Huntington Library, Art Collections & Botanical Gardens). WorldCat record id: 122445942
