Background
Oakeley was the eldest surviving son of Richard Oakeley of Oakeley, Shropshire and his wife Mary Combes, daughter of Edward Combes of Fetter Lane, London. His father was Member of Parliament for Bishops Castle in 1624, and acted as a royalist commissioner during the Civil War, which resulted in a fine of £460 for his delinquency. He succeeded to property in Shropshire, Montgomeryshire and Oxfordshire on the death of his father in 1653 1659, he was elected Member of Parliament for Bishop"s Castle for the Third Protectorate Parliament.
Education
Oakeley attended Balliol College, Oxford and Middle Temple in 1651.
Career
Oakeley was commissioner for assessment for Shropshire from January 1660 to 1680. In March 1660 he was commissioner for militia for Shropshire and North Wales and became Justice of the Peace for Shropshire and Montgomeryshire until 1687. Although he was appointed Sheriff of Shropshire in March 1660, he was not prevented from taking his seat in April 1660 when he was elected Member of Parliament for Bishop"s Castle again in the Convention Parliament.
He was commissioner for assessment for Montgomeryshire from September 1660 to 1663.
He was proposed for the order of Knight of the Royal Oak with an annual income of £800. He became a freeman of Ludlow in 1661.
In 1661 he was re-elected Member of Parliament for Bishop"s Castle in the Cavalier Parliament. He was commissioner for loyal and indigent officers in 1662, commissioner for corporations for Shropshire from 1662 to 1663 and commissioner for assessment for Oxfordshire from 1663 to 1680.
From 1673 to 1680 he was commissioner for assessment for Montgomeryshire and was commissioner for recusants in 1675, In March 1679 he was re-elected Member of Parliament for Bishop"s Castle for the First Exclusion Parliament.
He was a capain of the infantry militia by 1681 and was a major in the militia from about 1683 to 1686. He was commissioner for assessment for Shropshire and Oxfordshire from 1689 to 1690 and was reinstated as Justice of the Peace for Shropshire and Montgomeryshire from 1689 until his death. In 1690 he was elected Member of Parliament for Bishop" s Castle again.
Oakeley died at the age of about 59 and was buried at Bishop’s Castle on 31 January
1695. Oakeley married firstly under settlement dated 13 November 1663, Mary Waring daughter of Walter Waring of Owlbury, Lydham, Shropshire, and had a daughter.
Membership
Cavalier Parliament; Habeas Corpus Parliament.
