Benjamin Chetwood (1655–1728) was an Irish politician of English birth.

Biography

Chetwood sat in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

as the

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Harristown between 1713 and 1714.E. M. Johnston-Liik
''MPs in Dublin: Companion to History of the Irish Parliament, 1692-1800''
(Ulster Historical Foundation, 2006), p.77 (Retrieved 29 March 2020). He was the fourth son of Valentine Chetwood of Chetwood,

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

and Mary Shute, daughter of Francis Shute of

Upton, Leicestershire Upton, is a small hamlet and former civil parish, now in the parish of Sheepy, in the Hinckley and Bosworth district, in the county of Leicestershire, England. It is on the Leicestershire and Warwickshire border west of Shenton and south-east of ...

.Somerville-Woodward, Robert and Morris, Nicola ''17 Eustace Street- a History'' Timeline Research Ltd. 2007 p.13

Knightly Chetwood Knightly Chetwood (also Knightley Chetwood) (born Chetwode, 1650; died Tempsford, 1720) was an Anglican priest, poet, and translator. Life Chetwood was the eldest son of Valentine Chetwood of Chetwood, Buckinghamshire and his wife Mary Shute, ...

Dean of Gloucester The Dean of Gloucester is the head (''primus inter pares'': first among equals) and chair of the chapter of canons - the ruling body of Gloucester Cathedral - and senior priest of the Diocese of Gloucester. The dean and chapter are based at Glouce ...

, was his elder brother. Precisely when he came to Ireland is unclear. He married Anne Eustace, daughter of Sir Maurice Eustace (died 1703) of Harristown,

County Kildare County Kildare ( ga, Contae Chill Dara) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county, ...

and Eustace Street,

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and his first wife Anne Colville, by whom he had at least seven children, including Chetwood, the eldest son and heir. She died in 1713. He inherited Harristown, and large properties in Dublin city, from his father-in-law. As

trustee Trustee (or the holding of a trusteeship) is a legal term which, in its broadest sense, is a synonym for anyone in a position of trust and so can refer to any individual who holds property, authority, or a position of trust or responsibility to t ...

of the estate he was obliged to sell off much of the property, as the estate was encumbered by heavy debts. Chetwood himself was said to have made a handsome profit out of management of the estate. He had the reputation for being a shrewd and grasping businessman, and two petitions were presented to the

complaining about his mismanagement of the Eustace estate. In 1715 the Provost of

Trinity College Dublin , name_Latin = Collegium Sanctae et Individuae Trinitatis Reginae Elizabethae juxta Dublin , motto = ''Perpetuis futuris temporibus duraturam'' (Latin) , motto_lang = la , motto_English = It will last i ...

complained that Chetwood had refused absolutely to repay debts owing to the college, citing a number of technical legal grounds. In 1719 his late wife's widowed stepmother and her half-sister, both named Clothilde Eustace, petitioned the Commons complaining that he had refused to pay one her widow's

jointure Jointure is, in law, a provision for a wife after the death of her husband. As defined by Sir Edward Coke, it is "a competent livelihood of freehold for the wife, of lands or tenements, to take effect presently in possession or profit after the dea ...

and the other her

marriage portion A dowry is a payment, such as property or money, paid by the bride's family to the groom or his family at the time of marriage. Dowry contrasts with the related concepts of bride price and dower. While bride price or bride service is a payment ...

. The second petition at least was successful.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chetwood, Benjamin 1655 births 1728 deaths Irish MPs 1713–1714 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Kildare constituencies