Alexander Pendarves
Alexander Pendarves, MP (baptised 11 November 1662 – 13 March 1725)[1] was a Cornish landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1689 and 1725.[1]
Alexander Pendarves | |
|---|---|
 Alexander Pendarves | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1662 |
| Died | 13 March 1725 London, England |
| Nationality |  |
| Political party | Tory |
| Spouse(s) | Lady Dorothy Bourke Mary Granville Delany |
| Occupation | Politician |
Early life
Pendarves, of Roscrow, Cornwall, United Kingdom was the son of John Pendarves and Bridget, daughter of Sir Alexander Carew, 2nd Baronet of Antony, Cornwall.[2] He had two brothers, Rev. John Pendarves (born 1682), Rector of Drewsteignton,[3] and William (died 1693).[4]
He graduated from Exeter College, Oxford in 1682 and was called to Bar of Gray's Inn in the same year.[5]
Career
Pendarves was a wealthy landowner. He served as Director of Land-Bank in 1696,[5] Stannator for Tywarnhaile in 1703,[5] Commissioner of Prizes from September 1703 to July 1705,[5] Commissioner for Sewers for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 1712,[5] and Surveyor General of the Land Revenues of the Crown from January 1714 to January 1715.[5]
Pendarves was most notable as a Member of Parliament, serving four different constituencies over the course of his career. In 1689 he was returned as MP for Penryn and sat until 1698 when he chose not to stand in the general election. However, he contested a subsequent by-election and was returned again for Penryn on 16 January 1699. In 1701 he stood at Penryn and Saltash but chose to represent Penryn until 1705. He was elected at Saltash in 1708 and remained until 1710 when he was returned again at Saltash. However he was also returned at Penryn and chose to represent that seat. He was returned again at Penryn in 1713 but when he was required to stand for re-election on appointment to office in 1714, he lost the by-election. He then won a by-election at Helston.[6] In 1721, he was returned as MP for Launceston, which he held until his death.[7][3] In 1711, he was listed as member of the October Club, an organization of Tory MPs active at this time. The group made resolutions calling for inquiries into suspected financial abuses and was "a major threat to the Harley administration".[8]
Personal life
He first married Lady Dorothy Bourke, daughter of Richard Burke, 8th Earl of Clanricarde.
He married secondly Mary (1700–1788), daughter of Bernard Granville (died 1723). Her uncle, Bernard's brother, was George Granville, 1st Baron Lansdowne. Mary was introduced to Pendarves while visiting Lord Lansdowne in December 1717. Shortly thereafter, in February 1718, at the age of 17, she married Pendarves, age 60, a marriage brought on by her parents' financial dependence on Lord Lansdowne, and Lord Lansdowne's hope to have political influence through the nuptials. Lord Lansdowne was of the mindset that should Mary outlive her spouse, the estate she would inherit would repay her for years of misery.[3] Two months after the wedding, the couple left for Roscrow Castle. There, Pendarves suffered from gout and it worsened. In 1721, the two moved to London where Pendarves began to drink excessively while his wife reunited with many of her old friends. Pendarves died suddenly in his sleep in 1725. Upon his death in London, Roscrow Castle passed to Pendarves' niece, Mary, daughter of Rev. John Pendarves.[9] As Pendarves had not changed his will to accommodate his wife Mary, she was left a poor widow. In later years, however, the Bluestocking artist and writer became notable for her "paper-mosaicks".
References
- Hayton, David; Cruickshanks, Eveline; Handley, Stuart (2002). The House of Commons, 1690-1715. 1. Cambridge University Press. p. 128. ISBN 0-521-77221-4.
- Hayton (2002), pp. 126
- Mrs. Delany (Mary), Lady Augusta Waddington Hall Llanover (1861). The autobiography and correspondence of Mary Granville, Mrs. Delany: with interesting reminiscences of King George the Third and Queen Charlotte. 3 (Digitized 8 Jun 2007 ed.). R. Bentley. p. 23.
- Foster, Joseph (1891). Alumni Oxonienses: the members of the University of Oxford, 1715-1886 : their parentage, birthplace and year of birth, with a record of their degrees : being the Matriculation Register of the University. 3. University of Oxford (Digitized 5 Sep 2008 ed.). Joseph Foster. p. 1140.
- Hayton (2002), p. 126
- "PENDARVES, Alexander (1662-1725), of Roskrow, Cornw". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- "PENDARVES, Alexander (?1665-1725), of Roskrow, Cornw". History of Parliament Online (1715-1754). Retrieved 17 August 2018.
- H. T. Dickinson, Bolingbroke (London: Constable, 1970), p. 80.
- Hitchins, Fortescue; Drew, Samuel (1824). The history of Cornwall: from the earliest records and traditions, to the present time. 2 (Digitized 30 Oct 2007 ed.). W. Penaluna. p. 292.
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Henry Fanshawe Sir Nicholas Slanning, Bt |
Member of Parliament for Penryn 1689–1698 With: Anthony Rowe 1689–90 Samuel Rolle 1690 Sidney Godolphin 1690–95 James Vernon from 1695 |
Succeeded by James Vernon Samuel Trefusis |
| Preceded by John Morice James Buller |
Member of Parliament for Saltash January – March 1701 With: James Buller |
Succeeded by James Buller Thomas Carew |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Joseph Moyle James Buller |
Member of Parliament for Saltash 1708–1710 With: James Buller May – December 1708 Sir Cholmeley Dering, Bt 1708–10 Jonathan Elford from 1710 |
Succeeded by Jonathan Elford Sir William Carew, Bt |
| Preceded by James Vernon Samuel Trefusis |
Member of Parliament for Penryn 1710–1714 With: Samuel Trefusis |
Succeeded by Samuel Trefusis James Vernon |
| Preceded by Charles Coxe Henry Campion |
Member of Parliament for Helston 1714–1715 With: Thomas Tonkin |
Succeeded by Sir Gilbert Heathcote, Bt Sidney Godolphin |
| Preceded by Edward Herle John Anstis |
Member of Parliament for Launceston 1721–1725 With: John Anstis to 1722 John Freind 1722–24 John Willes from 1724 |
Succeeded by John Willes John Freind |