EDGECUMBE or EDGECOMBE, the name of a celebrated west of England family, taken from the manor of Edgecumbe in Cornwall. One of its earlier members was Sir Richard Edgecumbe (d. 1489), who was descended from a Richard Edgecumbe who flourished during the reign of Edward I. Richard was a member of parliament in 1467; afterwards he joined Henry, earl of Rich mond, in Brittany, returned with the earl to England, and fought at Bosworth, where he was knighted. He was richly rewarded and sent by Henry VII. on errands to Scotland, Ireland and Brittany; he died at Morlaix on Sept. 8, 1489. His son and successor, Sir Piers Edgecumbe (d. 1539) went to France with Henry VIII. in 1513. His son Sir Richard Edgecumbe 1562), a cultured and hospitable man, is celebrated through Richard Carew's Friendly Remembrance of Sir Richard Edge cumbe. Sir Richard's eldest son, Piers or Peter Edgecumbe (1536-1607), was a member of parliament under Elizabeth for about 3o years.
Another famous member of this family was Richard, 1st baron Edgecumbe (1680-1758), a son of Sir Richard Edgecumbe. Educated at Trinity college, Cambridge, he was successively member of parliament for St. Germans, Plympton and Lostwithiel from 1701 to 1742, on two occasions served as a lord of the treasury, and from 1724 to 1742 was paymaster-general for Ireland, becoming chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster in He managed the elections for the Cornish boroughs in the interests of Sir Robert Walpole and his elevation to the peerage, which took place in 1742, was designed to prevent him from giving evidence about Walpole's expenditure of the secret service money. His son and successor, Richard, the 2nd baron (1716-61), was comptroller of the royal household, a member of parliament, and a major-general in the army.
Richard's brother George (1721-95), was a naval officer during the Seven Years' War. Succeeding to the barony on the 2nd baron's death in 1761 he became an admiral and treasurer of the royal household, was created Viscount Mount-Edgecumbe in 1781 and earl of Mount-Edgecumbe in 1789.