Bennet Sherard of

Whissendine Whissendine is a village and civil parish in Rutland, England, north-west of the county town, Oakham. The population at the 2001 census was 1,189, increasing to 1,253 at the 2011 census. The village's name either means 'valley of Hwicce' o ...

JP DL (''baptised'' 24 August 1649 – ''buried'' 30 September 1701) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for

Rutland Rutland () is a ceremonial county and unitary authority in the East Midlands, England. The county is bounded to the west and north by Leicestershire, to the northeast by Lincolnshire and the southeast by Northamptonshire. Its greatest len ...

Early life

Sherard was baptised on 24 August 1649. He was the second, but eldest surviving son of Hon. Philip Sherard (1623–1695), and the former Margaret (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Denton) Eure, the widow of a son of

Lord Eure Baron Eure was a title in the Peerage of England. It was granted to Sir William Eure by Henry VIII in 1544. The Baron was thereafter called Lord Eure. The title became extinct with the death of Ralph Eure in 1690. The family name is also spelt ' ...

and daughter of Sir Thomas Denton of Hillesden. His father was a younger son of William Sherard, 1st Baron Sherard. His uncle was

Bennet Sherard, 2nd Baron Sherard Bennet Sherard, 2nd Baron Sherard DL (''baptised'' 30 November 1621 – 15 January 1700) was a British politician and Irish peer. An influential landowner in Leicestershire and Rutland, he was returned to Parliament by the former county from 1679 ...

, who sat as MP for

Leicestershire Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...

and served as Lord Lieutenant of Rutland. His nephew was Bennet Sherard, 1st Earl of Harborough. He was educated at The Queen's College, Oxford, graduating in 1666.

Career

Sherard was Commissioner for Assessment for

from 1679 to 1680 and from 1689 to 1690, West Riding of Yorkshire and York in 1690. He served as

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for Rutland from 1689 until his death, Deputy Lieutenant of Rutland from 1690 until his death. He served as Captain of Militia Horse by 1697 until his death in 1701. He succeeded to his father's estates in 1695. In 1699, he settled the manor of Hellewell on his eldest son

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who popularize ...

. After his death in 1701, he left him the rest of his estates. Sherard succeeded to his father's seat (which he had long held except during

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

's Parliament). Although an inactive Member of the Convention, he was appointed to nine committees and was added, along with his uncle, to the Committee of Inquiry into the delay in raising the siege of Derry. After the recess he was among those appointed to consider the bill for restoring corporations.

Personal life

By 1679, Sherard was married to Dorothy (née Fairfax) Stapylton (1655–1744), the widow of Robert Stapylton of Wighill (a son of Philip Stapleton) and daughter of Henry Fairfax, 4th Lord Fairfax of Cameron and Frances Barwick (daughter of Sir Robert Barwick). Together, they were the parents of four sons and six daughters, including: * Philip Sherard, 2nd Earl of Harborough (–1750), who married Anne Pedley, daughter of Nicholas Pedley (son and heir of Sir Nicholas Pedley, Serjeant-at-Law). * Margaret Sherard, who married The Most Rev. John Gilbert, Archbishop of York. Sherard died in 1701 and was buried at

St Andrew's Church, Whissendine St Andrew's Church is a church in Whissendine, Rutland. It is a Grade I listed building. History The church is one of the largest in Rutland and has a perpendicular tower. The earliest parts of the church date from the 13th century. The towe ...

on 30 September 1701. His son

sat for

as a Whig from 1708 to 1710, and succeeded as the Earl of Harborough in 1732. Lady Dorothy and their son Philip are also buried at St Andrew's.

References

External links

SHERARD, Bennet (1649-1701), of Whissendine, Rutland
at the History of Parliament Online {{DEFAULTSORT:Sherard, Bennet 1649 births 1701 deaths Bennet English MPs 1685–1687 English MPs 1695–1698 Deputy Lieutenants of Rutland