Background
Pelham was the son of Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet and his wife Mary Wilbraham.
Pelham was the son of Sir Thomas Pelham, 2nd Baronet and his wife Mary Wilbraham.
He was secluded in Pride"s Purge in 1648. He inherited the baronetcy on the death of his father in 1654. In 1654 he was elected Member of Parliament for Sussex in the First Protectorate Parliament and continued sitting in the Second Protectorate Parliament until 1658.
After the Restoration he was Member of Parliament for Sussex from 1660 to 1681 and from 1689 to 1698.
In 1694, Pelham attended a cricket match at Lewes and his personal accounts refer to him paying for a wager at the time. This is one of the earliest references in cricket history in which a named individual is involved.
Cavalier Parliament. Exclusion Bill Parliament. Habeas Corpus Parliament]
In 1645, Pelham was elected Member of Parliament for Hastings to replace disabled Royalists in the Long Parliament.