Maurice Berkeley, 3rd Viscount Fitzhardinge (1628 – 13 June 1690), known as Sir Maurice Berkeley, Bt from 1660 to 1668, was an English politician, of the Bruton branch of the Berkeley family.
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Early life
Maurice was the eldest son of Sir Charles Berkeley and his wife Elizabeth Killigrew, and was baptized on 15 June 1628. His father was the head of the branch of the Berkeley family founded by Maurice Berkeley, which was seated at Bruton, Somerset.
Unlike his relatives, he took no part in the English Civil War. On 1 January 1649, he married Anne Lee, the daughter of Sir Henry Lee, 1st Baronet, by whom he had two daughters. He also had two natural sons by Mary Rutley. Anne was the stepdaughter of Robert Rich, 2nd Earl of Warwick, the Parliamentary Lord High Admiral.
Career
Berkeley held local office under the Protectorate: he was a commissioner of assessment for Somerset in 1657, and was again appointed to the commission in January 1660. In March he was appointed to the militia commission and the commission of the peace for Somerset.
Appointed a captain of militia horse in April 1660, he obtained a pass to travel overseas and brought to the court of Charles II the news of Monck's declaration in favour of restoration. He was rewarded with a baronetcy on 2 July 1660, and was appointed to the household the Duke of Gloucester in May; however, Gloucester died of smallpox in September and his appointment lapsed. In June, he was appointed an extraordinary gentleman of the privy chamber to the King. Berkeley also briefly enjoyed two revenue posts as treasurer and receiver of the Dunkirk garrison from December 1660 to 1661, and joint agent for wine licenses from 1661 to 1662. Locally, he was appointed to the commission for oyer and terminer on the Western circuit in July and for sewers in Somerset in December.