James Grenville
James Grenville (12 February 1715 – 14 September 1783) was a British politician.
He was born at Wotton House, Buckinghamshire in 1715 into the influential Grenville political family and was one of five brothers who went into politics. He was the third son of Richard Grenville, a prominent Buckinghamshire politician and his brothers included Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple, George Grenville, later the Prime Minister, and Thomas Grenville. He was educated at Eton College (1728-32) and studied law at the Inner Temple, where he was called to the bar in 1738.[1]
In 1738 he inherited Butleigh Court, Somerset from his aunt Catherine Riggs née Symcox.[2]
He was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1741 on the slate of Lord Cobham and served as one of Cobham's Cubs during his early years in parliament. In 1746 he was given a position at the Board of Trade.[3] From 1756 to 1761, under Pitt, he was a junior Lord of the Treasury. Other positions included Lord of the Treasury (Nov. 1756-Apr. 1757 and July 1757-Mar. 1761), Cofferer of the Household (Mar.-Oct. 1761), Privy Counsellor, 1761 and Joint Vice-Treasurer of Ireland (Aug. 1766-Jan. 1770).
In October 1761 following his brother-in-law William Pitt's resignation, James Grenville resigned along with him and went into opposition. He later oversaw the reconciliation between George Grenville, who had caused a rift with his family by not resigning, and their eldest brother Richard Grenville-Temple, 2nd Earl Temple a close ally of Pitt.[4]
He married Mary, the daughter and heiress of James Smyth of South Elkington, Lincolnshire and with her had 2 twin sons. He was succeeded in 1783 by his son James, who received most of his estate and was later created Baron Glastonbury, although some property also passed to the younger twin General Richard Grenville.[2] Both sons served together as the MPs for Buckingham from 1774 to 1780.
References
- "GRENVILLE, James (1715-83), of Butleigh Court, Som". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 11 June 2016.
- "Butleigh". British History Online. Retrieved 26 March 2018.
- Lawson p.43-44
- Lawson p.216-217
Bibliography
- Lawson, Philip. George Grenville: A Political Life. University of Manchester Press, 1984.
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by William Pitt George Lyttelton |
Member of Parliament for Old Sarum 1742–1747 With: William Pitt |
Succeeded by William Pitt Edward Willes |
| Preceded by Viscount Deerhurst Thomas Grenville |
Member of Parliament for Bridport 1747–1754 With: Viscount Deerhurst 1747 John Frederick Pinney 1747–54 |
Succeeded by John Frederick Pinney Thomas Coventry |
| Preceded by George Grenville Temple West |
Member of Parliament for Buckingham 1754–1768 With: George Grenville |
Succeeded by George Grenville Henry Grenville |
| Preceded by Sir Lionel Pilkington Robert Pratt |
Member of Parliament for Horsham 1768–1770 With: Robert Pratt |
Succeeded by Robert Pratt James Wallace |
| Court offices | ||
| Preceded by The Duke of Leeds |
Cofferer of the Household 1761 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Thomond |