Background
He was the son of Thomas Harley of Brampton Bryan in Herefordshire. In 1623 he had married Brilliana daughter of Sir Edward Conway, one of the Secretaries of State, and acted as his aide in Parliament.
He was the son of Thomas Harley of Brampton Bryan in Herefordshire. In 1623 he had married Brilliana daughter of Sir Edward Conway, one of the Secretaries of State, and acted as his aide in Parliament.
He was rewarded for this by being appointed Master of the Mint. He was deprived of this office in 1635 but reinstated in 1643. During this period, his attitude was more that of a country gentleman than of a courtier.
He was elected to both Parliaments in 1640, where he opposed ship money, Laudian ecclesiastical innovations and the Scottish War.
This led him to join the Parliamentary party. Harley was in charge of The Committee for the Demolition of Monuments of Superstition and Idolatry, and presided over the destruction of a great deal of religious art and architecture.
On 30 September 1642, Parliamentarians led by Harley and Henry Grey, 1st Earl of Stamford occupied Hereford without opposition. In December, they withdrew to Gloucester because of the presence in the area of a Royalist army under Lord Herbert.
His support for reconciliation with the king led to his being excluded from the House of Commons in Pride"s Purge.
He resigned as Master of the Mint in May 1649 and took no further part in politics. He left several sons, his heir Edward being the father of Queen Anne"s Lord Treasurer Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Mortimer.
Short Parliament; Happy Parliament. 2nd Parliament of King Charles I]
He was an active member of that party both in Parliament and in Herefordshire, Brampton Bryan Castle undergoing siege in 1643 and 1644.