Godfrey Bagnall Clarke
Encyclopedia
Godfrey Bagnall Clarke of Sutton Scarsdale Hall
in Derbyshire
, was a British Member of Parliament
, representing Derbyshire
.
Clarke was elected in 1768, winning a contested election (a rare event in Derbyshire) to beat one of the sitting MPs, Sir Henry Harpur
. Clarke's personal politics are unknown, and he seems never to have spoken in the House of Commons, but he was supported by the Derbyshire Tories and voted consistently with the opposition. He was re-elected unopposed in October 1774 but was already ill, and died only two months later, unmarried and in his early thirties.
His estates at Sutton, Chilcote Hall and Somersall Hall
passed to his sister who married Joseph Hart Pryce (Clarke from 1787) and then to their daughter Anna Maria Clarke who married Walter Butler, 18th Earl of Ormonde
.
Clarke was a great friend of the historian Edward Gibbon
, whom he met while on the Grand Tour
, and Gibbon executed his will.
Sutton Scarsdale Hall
Sutton Scarsdale Hall is a Grade 1 listed Georgian ruined stately home in Sutton Scarsdale, just outside Chesterfield, Derbyshire.-Estate history:...
in Derbyshire
Derbyshire
Derbyshire is a county in the East Midlands of England. A substantial portion of the Peak District National Park lies within Derbyshire. The northern part of Derbyshire overlaps with the Pennines, a famous chain of hills and mountains. The county contains within its boundary of approx...
, was a British 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,...
, representing Derbyshire
Derbyshire (UK Parliament constituency)
Derbyshire is a former United Kingdom Parliamentary constituency. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
.
Clarke was elected in 1768, winning a contested election (a rare event in Derbyshire) to beat one of the sitting MPs, Sir Henry Harpur
Sir Henry Harpur, 6th Baronet
Sir Henry Harpur, 6th Baronet was an English Tory politician who represented the constituency of Derbyshire.Harpur was the son of Sir Henry Harpur, 5th Baronet and Lady Caroline Manners, daughter of John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland. He succeeded his father to the Baronetcy in 1748. He lived at...
. Clarke's personal politics are unknown, and he seems never to have spoken in the House of Commons, but he was supported by the Derbyshire Tories and voted consistently with the opposition. He was re-elected unopposed in October 1774 but was already ill, and died only two months later, unmarried and in his early thirties.
His estates at Sutton, Chilcote Hall and Somersall Hall
Somersall Hall
For a similarly named house in Derbyshire see Somersal Herbert HallSomersall Hall is a small country house near Brampton, Chesterfield, Derbyshire. It is a Grade II listed building....
passed to his sister who married Joseph Hart Pryce (Clarke from 1787) and then to their daughter Anna Maria Clarke who married Walter Butler, 18th Earl of Ormonde
Walter Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormonde
Walter Butler, 1st Marquess of Ormonde KP was an Irish peer and politician. Partly to sustain his extravagant lifestyle, Walter gave up his hereditary right to the grant of the prisage of the wines of Ireland for an enormous sum of money. The right had been made to the 4th Chief Butler of Ireland...
.
Clarke was a great friend of the historian Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon
Edward Gibbon was an English historian and Member of Parliament...
, whom he met while on the Grand Tour
Grand Tour
The Grand Tour was the traditional trip of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of large-scale rail transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary. It served as an educational rite of passage...
, and Gibbon executed his will.