Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth
Encyclopedia
Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth (ca. 1680 – 25 October 1734) was an English Whig
politician who sat in the House of Commons
for Cornish constituencies
from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage.
, merchant and Member of Parliament, and his wife Jael Godolphin, daughter of Sir Francis Godolphin. His uncles Hugh
and Charles
were also MPs in Cornwall. He matriculated as fellow-commoner at King's College, Cambridge
in 1697.
Boscawen had absolute control of the parliamentary representation of the boroughs of Tregony
and Truro, and he exercised considerable influence on the elections for Penryn
. He was elected Member of Parliament
for Tregony from 1702 to 1705, for the county of Cornwall
from 1705 to 1710, for Truro from 1710 to 1713, and for Penryn from 1713 until June 1720. In 1720 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Boscawen and Viscount Falmouth
, having been for some time discontented at the delay in his advancement to that position. Both before and after the accession of George I
he spent large sums of money in support of Whig principles, and was rewarded on his party's triumph by many valuable offices.
Boscawen was a groom of the bedchamber to Prince George of Denmark, steward of the duchy of Cornwall
and Lord Warden of the Stannaries
in 1708, Comptroller of the Household
from 1714 to 1720, and joint vice-treasurer of Ireland from 1717 until a few months before his death.
Boscawen died suddenly at Trefusis, in Cornwall, aged 54, and was buried at St Michael Penkivel
.
Boscawen married on 23 April 1700 in Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey
, Charlotte Godfrey elder daughter and coheir of Colonel Charles Godfrey, master of the jewel office and his wife Arabella Churchill
. Charlotte died on 22 March 1754, and was also buried at Penkivel. She had wanted to become a lady of the bedchamber to the wife of George II
, and tried to bribe Lady Sundon (Charlotte Clayton) into obtaining the post for her.
British Whig Party
The Whigs were a party in the Parliament of England, Parliament of Great Britain, and Parliament of the United Kingdom, who contested power with the rival Tories from the 1680s to the 1850s. The Whigs' origin lay in constitutional monarchism and opposition to absolute rule...
politician who sat in the House of Commons
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
for Cornish constituencies
Parliamentary representation from Cornwall
The historic county of Cornwall in south-west England was represented in Parliament from the 13th century. This article provides a list of constituencies constituting the Parliamentary representation from Cornwall....
from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage.
Life
Boscawen was the eldest son of Edward BoscawenEdward Boscawen (MP)
Edward Boscawen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1659 and 1685.Boscawen was the son of Hugh Boscawen of Tregothnan, Cornwall and was baptised on 21 November 1628. He was apprenticed to a merchant with business in Turkey in 1648 and then to John Rolle,...
, merchant and Member of Parliament, and his wife Jael Godolphin, daughter of Sir Francis Godolphin. His uncles Hugh
Hugh Boscawen
Hugh Boscawen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1646 and 1701.Boscawen was the son of Hugh Boscawen of Tregothnan, Cornwall and was baptised on 21 August 1625....
and Charles
Charles Boscawen
Charles Boscawen was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons variously between 1654 and 1689.Boscawen was the son of Hugh Boscawen of Tregothnan, Cornwall and his wife Margaret Rolle, daughter of Robert Rolle of Heanton Satchville, Devon. He was baptised on 28 October 1627...
were also MPs in Cornwall. He matriculated as fellow-commoner at 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....
in 1697.
Boscawen had absolute control of the parliamentary representation of the boroughs of Tregony
Tregony (UK Parliament constituency)
Tregony was a rotten borough in Cornwall which was represented in the Model Parliament of 1295, and returned two Members of Parliament to the English and later British Parliament continuously from 1562 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act....
and Truro, and he exercised considerable influence on the elections for Penryn
Penryn (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1553 until 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to until 1832...
. He was elected 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 Tregony from 1702 to 1705, for the county of Cornwall
Cornwall (UK Parliament constituency)
Cornwall is a former county constituency covering the county of Cornwall, in the South West of England. It was a constituency of the House of Commons of England then of the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832...
from 1705 to 1710, for Truro from 1710 to 1713, and for Penryn from 1713 until June 1720. In 1720 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Boscawen and Viscount Falmouth
Viscount Falmouth
Viscount Falmouth is a title that has been created twice, first in the Peerage of England, and then in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 for George FitzRoy, illegitimate son of King Charles II by Barbara Villiers. He was created Earl of...
, having been for some time discontented at the delay in his advancement to that position. Both before and after the accession of George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
he spent large sums of money in support of Whig principles, and was rewarded on his party's triumph by many valuable offices.
Boscawen was a groom of the bedchamber to Prince George of Denmark, steward of the duchy of Cornwall
Duchy of Cornwall
The Duchy of Cornwall is one of two royal duchies in England, the other being the Duchy of Lancaster. The eldest son of the reigning British monarch inherits the duchy and title of Duke of Cornwall at the time of his birth, or of his parent's succession to the throne. If the monarch has no son, the...
and Lord Warden of the Stannaries
Lord Warden of the Stannaries
The Lord Warden of the Stannaries used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the time being, has the function of calling a Stannary Parliament of tinners...
in 1708, Comptroller of the Household
Comptroller of the Household
The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the English royal household, currently the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department, and often a cabinet member. He was an ex officio member of the Board of Green Cloth, until that body was abolished in the reform of the local...
from 1714 to 1720, and joint vice-treasurer of Ireland from 1717 until a few months before his death.
Boscawen died suddenly at Trefusis, in Cornwall, aged 54, and was buried at St Michael Penkivel
St Michael Penkivel
St Michael Penkevil, sometimes spelt St Michael Penkivel, is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is situated in the valley of the River Fal approximately three miles southeast of Truro....
.
Boscawen married on 23 April 1700 in Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey
Westminster Abbey
The Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey, is a large, mainly Gothic church, in the City of Westminster, London, United Kingdom, located just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is the traditional place of coronation and burial site for English,...
, Charlotte Godfrey elder daughter and coheir of Colonel Charles Godfrey, master of the jewel office and his wife Arabella Churchill
Arabella Churchill (royal mistress)
Arabella Churchill was the mistress of King James II, and the mother of four of his children...
. Charlotte died on 22 March 1754, and was also buried at Penkivel. She had wanted to become a lady of the bedchamber to the wife of George II
George II of Great Britain
George II was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg and Archtreasurer and Prince-elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death.George was the last British monarch born outside Great Britain. He was born and brought up in Northern Germany...
, and tried to bribe Lady Sundon (Charlotte Clayton) into obtaining the post for her.
See also
- A. A. Hanham, ‘Boscawen, Hugh, first Viscount Falmouth (c.1680–1734)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 27 Aug 2007.