Ralph Payne, 1st Baron Lavington
Encyclopedia
Ralph Payne, 1st Baron Lavington KB
PC
(19 March 1739 – 3 August 1807) was a British
politician and Governor of the Leeward Islands
.
in Wiltshire
, hence Payne's future peerage was as Baron Lavington. He was educated in England
at Christ's Hospital
school in West Sussex
. Following the completion of his time at Christ's, Payne returned to St Kitts where he was "elected a member of the house of assembly and unanimously voted speaker."
nobleman on 1 September 1767 at St George's in Hanover Square, London
. His wife was well connected and mixed in high social circles, including with Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III
. Payne therefore made good contacts for his political career through his marriage; however, his time with Frances was not a particularly happy one.
; holding this seat from 1768 to 1771. In order to further himself in politics, he always voted according to the government of the time. He thus made many more useful connections which were particularly beneficial to him, including his relationship with the Earl of Mansfield
. Horace Walpole observed the verbose style with which Payne made his political speeches, maintaining that such a style could be attributed to amateur dramatic performances in Payne's youth. Nevertheless, Payne became a prominent figure in London
society and held a great number of social gatherings which were very popular in the capital.
Payne was created a Knight of the Bath (KB) on 18 February 1771 and was also appointed Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of the Leeward Islands later in 1771. Payne had "inherited a considerable estate from his parents" on the islands. The islands endured a hurricane in 1772, leading Payne to become the first Governor to tour the islands in order to work out how to resolve the devastation that was caused. It was during his time as Governor that he became the patron of artist Thomas Hearne who painted several landscapes depicting events on the Leeward Islands. One of these—depicting Payne himself—is currently in the Victoria and Albert Museum
in London. Sir Ralph left the post as Governor in 1775, although he had been very popular during his tenure. Indeed, he was so popular the people petitioned to have him remain as Governor for another term.
in Cornwall
between 1776 and 1780. He then became MP for Plympton
in Devon
; holding this seat until 1784. He was also Clerk of the Board of Green Cloth between 1777 and 1782. He became a supporter of Fox following the end of the war in America
, although his political career was stilted for a period due to the increasing influence of William Pitt
who became Prime Minister in 1783. He thus left England in 1788 for another tour of Europe
, returning to England in 1790 to contest the seat of Fowey
in Cornwall. However, his plight for election was unsuccessful.
Finding it difficult to re-establish himself in the British political system and due to economic issues caused by a decrease in the performance of his plantations on the Leeward Islands, he switched allegiances to become a supporter of Pitt, throwing a party at his house on 15 August 1793 at which the Prime Minister, Pitt, was present. It was due to this switch of allegiance that he became Baron Lavington in the peerage of Ireland
on 1 October 1795. Payne was also elected as MP for New Woodstock
in October 1795, retaining this seat until 1799. He did not vote on the abolition of the slave trade during this his fourth tenure as an MP. This was likely due to his own need for the continuation of the slave trade in order that his plantations on the Leeward Islands did not cause him further economic issues.
on 12 August 1801. He was also sworn of the Privy Council later in 1799. Payne remained Governor until his death at Government House on 3 August 1807. He was buried the next day at his plantation, Carlisles, and a marble monument to him was erected in the parish church of St John's in Antigua. He died without children and in a dire economic situation, leaving his wife, Lady Lavington, having to sustain herself on an annual income of just £300; an extremely low amount for the widow of a nobleman and relatively influential politician, although it would have allowed her to keep a servant. Lady Lavington died at Hampton Court Palace
in London, UK on 2 May 1830. According to biographer W.P. Courtney, Lord Lavington's "career mirrored the meteoric rise and downfall of absentee sugar planters in Britain."
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
PC
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(19 March 1739 – 3 August 1807) was a British
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
politician and Governor of the Leeward Islands
Leeward Islands
The Leeward Islands are a group of islands in the West Indies. They are the northern islands of the Lesser Antilles chain. As a group they start east of Puerto Rico and reach southward to Dominica. They are situated where the northeastern Caribbean Sea meets the western Atlantic Ocean...
.
Early life and education
Payne was born in St George, Basseterre on the island of St Kitts in 1739 to Ralph Payne (died 1763)—the Chief Justice of St Kitts—and his wife, Alice. His family was wealthy and originally came from LavingtonLavington
Lavington may refer to:Villages in England* East Lavington, West Sussex* West Lavington, West Sussex* West Lavington, Wiltshire* Market Lavington, Wiltshire* Lenton, Lincolnshire Places elsewhere...
in Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, hence Payne's future peerage was as Baron Lavington. He was educated in England
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...
at Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital
Christ's Hospital is an English coeducational independent day and boarding school with Royal Charter located in the Sussex countryside just south of Horsham in Horsham District, West Sussex, England...
school in West Sussex
West Sussex
West Sussex is a county in the south of England, bordering onto East Sussex , Hampshire and Surrey. The county of Sussex has been divided into East and West since the 12th century, and obtained separate county councils in 1888, but it remained a single ceremonial county until 1974 and the coming...
. Following the completion of his time at Christ's, Payne returned to St Kitts where he was "elected a member of the house of assembly and unanimously voted speaker."
Return to England and marriage
By 1762, Payne had returned to England as part of his grand tour of Europe as was convention for young men in the eighteenth century. Here he became a representative for absentee landowners in Britain of plantations in the West Indies. He married Frances Lambertine Christiana Charlotte Harriet Theresa, the daughter of a GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
nobleman on 1 September 1767 at St George's in Hanover Square, London
Hanover Square, London
Hanover Square, London, is a square in Mayfair, London W1, England, situated to the south west of Oxford Circus, the major junction where Oxford Street meets Regent Street....
. His wife was well connected and mixed in high social circles, including with Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III
George III of the United Kingdom
George III was King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of these two countries on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland until his death...
. Payne therefore made good contacts for his political career through his marriage; however, his time with Frances was not a particularly happy one.
First tenure as Governor of the Leeward Islands
Following his marriage, Payne embarked fully on his political career and became a Member of Parliament for the borough of ShaftesburyShaftesbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Shaftesbury was a parliamentary constituency in Dorset. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1295 until 1832 and one member until the constituency was abolished in 1885....
; holding this seat from 1768 to 1771. In order to further himself in politics, he always voted according to the government of the time. He thus made many more useful connections which were particularly beneficial to him, including his relationship with the Earl of Mansfield
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield
William Murray, 1st Earl of Mansfield, SL, PC was a British barrister, politician and judge noted for his reform of English law. Born to Scottish nobility, he was educated in Perth, Scotland before moving to London at the age of 13 to take up a place at Westminster School...
. Horace Walpole observed the verbose style with which Payne made his political speeches, maintaining that such a style could be attributed to amateur dramatic performances in Payne's youth. Nevertheless, Payne became a prominent figure in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
society and held a great number of social gatherings which were very popular in the capital.
Payne was created a Knight of the Bath (KB) on 18 February 1771 and was also appointed Captain-General and Governor-in-Chief of the Leeward Islands later in 1771. Payne had "inherited a considerable estate from his parents" on the islands. The islands endured a hurricane in 1772, leading Payne to become the first Governor to tour the islands in order to work out how to resolve the devastation that was caused. It was during his time as Governor that he became the patron of artist Thomas Hearne who painted several landscapes depicting events on the Leeward Islands. One of these—depicting Payne himself—is currently in the Victoria and Albert Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Victoria and Albert Museum , set in the Brompton district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, England, is the world's largest museum of decorative arts and design, housing a permanent collection of over 4.5 million objects...
in London. Sir Ralph left the post as Governor in 1775, although he had been very popular during his tenure. Indeed, he was so popular the people petitioned to have him remain as Governor for another term.
Return to England
Sir Ralph returned to England to become MP for CamelfordCamelford (UK Parliament constituency)
Camelford was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1552 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
in Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
between 1776 and 1780. He then became MP for Plympton
Plympton Erle (UK Parliament constituency)
Plympton Erle, also spelt Plympton Earle, was a parliamentary borough in Devon. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1295 until 1832, when the borough was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-1295-1640:-1640-1832:...
in Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
; holding this seat until 1784. He was also Clerk of the Board of Green Cloth between 1777 and 1782. He became a supporter of Fox following the end of the war in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, although his political career was stilted for a period due to the increasing influence of William Pitt
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
who became Prime Minister in 1783. He thus left England in 1788 for another tour of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, returning to England in 1790 to contest the seat of Fowey
Fowey (UK Parliament constituency)
Fowey was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1571 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-History:...
in Cornwall. However, his plight for election was unsuccessful.
Finding it difficult to re-establish himself in the British political system and due to economic issues caused by a decrease in the performance of his plantations on the Leeward Islands, he switched allegiances to become a supporter of Pitt, throwing a party at his house on 15 August 1793 at which the Prime Minister, Pitt, was present. It was due to this switch of allegiance that he became Baron Lavington in the peerage of Ireland
Peerage of Ireland
The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...
on 1 October 1795. Payne was also elected as MP for New Woodstock
Woodstock (UK Parliament constituency)
Woodstock, sometimes called New Woodstock, was a parliamentary constituency in the United Kingdom. It comprised the town of Woodstock in the county of Oxfordshire and the surrounding countryside and villages, and elected two Members of Parliament from its re-enfranchisement in 1553 until 1832...
in October 1795, retaining this seat until 1799. He did not vote on the abolition of the slave trade during this his fourth tenure as an MP. This was likely due to his own need for the continuation of the slave trade in order that his plantations on the Leeward Islands did not cause him further economic issues.
Second tenure as Governor of the Leeward Islands
Lord Lavington was re-elected as Governor of the Leeward Islands in February 1799, arriving in AntiguaAntigua
Antigua , also known as Waladli, is an island in the West Indies, in the Leeward Islands in the Caribbean region, the main island of the country of Antigua and Barbuda. Antigua means "ancient" in Spanish and was named by Christopher Columbus after an icon in Seville Cathedral, Santa Maria de la...
on 12 August 1801. He was also sworn of the Privy Council later in 1799. Payne remained Governor until his death at Government House on 3 August 1807. He was buried the next day at his plantation, Carlisles, and a marble monument to him was erected in the parish church of St John's in Antigua. He died without children and in a dire economic situation, leaving his wife, Lady Lavington, having to sustain herself on an annual income of just £300; an extremely low amount for the widow of a nobleman and relatively influential politician, although it would have allowed her to keep a servant. Lady Lavington died at Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace
Hampton Court Palace is a royal palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Greater London; it has not been inhabited by the British royal family since the 18th century. The palace is located south west of Charing Cross and upstream of Central London on the River Thames...
in London, UK on 2 May 1830. According to biographer W.P. Courtney, Lord Lavington's "career mirrored the meteoric rise and downfall of absentee sugar planters in Britain."
Styles and honours
- Mr Ralph Payne (1739-1768)
- Mr Ralph Payne MP (1768-1771)
- Sir Ralph Payne KB (1771-1776)
- Sir Ralph Payne KB MP (1776-1784)
- Sir Ralph Payne KB (1784-1795)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord Lavington KB (1795-1795)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord Lavington KB MP (1795-1799)
- The Rt. Hon. The Lord Lavington KB PC (1799-1807)