John Hungerford (MP)
Encyclopedia
John Hungerford was an English politician
and lawyer. He was Member of Parliament
for Scarborough
from 1692 to 1695 (when he was expelled for receiving a bribe), 1702 to 1705, and from 1707 until his death. He was legal counsel for the East India Company
, and also defended several of those accused of being Jacobites
in the years following the Rebellion of 1715.
, being then described as the son and heir-apparent of "Richard Hungerford" of Wiltshire. A claimed connection with the family of Farleigh, according to William Hardy writing in the Dictionary of National Biography
, has not been ascertained. He graduated M.A. at Cambridge per literas regias in 1683. He entered parliament on 28 April 1692 as member for Scarborough
, and soon after was appointed chairman of the committee of the house to whom the Orphans Bill was committed. On 23 March 1694 he received from the promoters of the bill a bribe of twenty guineas "for his pains and services" in that capacity, and was consequently expelled the house on 26 March 1695.
On a vacancy occurring in the representation of Scarborough in November 1707 he was again elected for that borough, and continued to represent it till his death. In December 1709 he introduced a bill to prevent excessive gaming. He was one of the commissioners of alienation; standing counsel to the East India Company; and cursitor of the counties of York and Westmoreland. He defended three persons, Francis Francia (22 January 1717), John Matthews (1719), and Christopher Sayer (1722), charged with treasonable relations with the Old Pretender. Francia was acquitted, but Matthews and Sayer were convicted. Hungerford died on 8 June 1729. By his will, dated 24 May 1729, and proved by his widow Mary 13 June following, he left bequests to King's College, Cambridge
, and to many relatives.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and lawyer. He was Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Scarborough
Scarborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Scarborough was the name of a constituency in Yorkshire, electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, at two periods. From 1295 until 1918 it was a parliamentary borough consisting only of the town of Scarborough, electing two MPs until 1885 and one from 1885 until 1918...
from 1692 to 1695 (when he was expelled for receiving a bribe), 1702 to 1705, and from 1707 until his death. He was legal counsel for the East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
, and also defended several of those accused of being Jacobites
Jacobitism
Jacobitism was the political movement in Britain dedicated to the restoration of the Stuart kings to the thrones of England, Scotland, later the Kingdom of Great Britain, and the Kingdom of Ireland...
in the years following the Rebellion of 1715.
Biography
John Hungerford was in 1677 admitted a student at Lincoln's InnLincoln's Inn
The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn. Although Lincoln's Inn is able to trace its official records beyond...
, being then described as the son and heir-apparent of "Richard Hungerford" of Wiltshire. A claimed connection with the family of Farleigh, according to William Hardy writing in the Dictionary of National Biography
Dictionary of National Biography
The Dictionary of National Biography is a standard work of reference on notable figures from British history, published from 1885...
, has not been ascertained. He graduated M.A. at Cambridge per literas regias in 1683. He entered parliament on 28 April 1692 as member for Scarborough
Scarborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Scarborough was the name of a constituency in Yorkshire, electing Members of Parliament to the House of Commons, at two periods. From 1295 until 1918 it was a parliamentary borough consisting only of the town of Scarborough, electing two MPs until 1885 and one from 1885 until 1918...
, and soon after was appointed chairman of the committee of the house to whom the Orphans Bill was committed. On 23 March 1694 he received from the promoters of the bill a bribe of twenty guineas "for his pains and services" in that capacity, and was consequently expelled the house on 26 March 1695.
On a vacancy occurring in the representation of Scarborough in November 1707 he was again elected for that borough, and continued to represent it till his death. In December 1709 he introduced a bill to prevent excessive gaming. He was one of the commissioners of alienation; standing counsel to the East India Company; and cursitor of the counties of York and Westmoreland. He defended three persons, Francis Francia (22 January 1717), John Matthews (1719), and Christopher Sayer (1722), charged with treasonable relations with the Old Pretender. Francia was acquitted, but Matthews and Sayer were convicted. Hungerford died on 8 June 1729. By his will, dated 24 May 1729, and proved by his widow Mary 13 June following, he left bequests to King's College, Cambridge
King's College, Cambridge
King's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college's full name is "The King's College of our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge", but it is usually referred to simply as "King's" within the University....
, and to many relatives.