Charles Ambler (1721 – 28 February 1794) was an English

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...

and politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

between 1769 and 1790.

Early life

Ambler was the second son of Humphry Ambler (~1681–1745) barrister of Stubbings Park

Maidenhead Maidenhead is a market town in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in the county of Berkshire, England, on the southwestern bank of the River Thames. It had an estimated population of 70,374 and forms part of the border with southern Bu ...

Mary M. Drummond ''The History of Parliament 1754–1790,'' 1964, The History of Parliament Trust and Bream's Buildings Chancery Lane, and his wife Ann, daughter of Charles Bream (~1662–1713) timber merchant of Bridewell and Bream's Buildings. Charles's crippled (by a fall when aged eight) epileptic elder brother, Humphry, died of a consumption unmarried in 1752. The Ambler mansion house at Stubbings was built by Humphry Ambler on the site of a small portion of forest acquired with his stepfather Richard Bassett of White Waltham and harvested for shipbuilders.

Family

Charles Ambler married Ann Paxton (1719–1789) second daughter of Nicholas Paxton, solicitor to the treasury under Walpole, 10 May 1746 in the chapel at

Somerset House Somerset House is a large Neoclassical complex situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The Georgian era quadrangle was built on the site of a Tudor palace ("O ...

in a nonconformist service, the Ambler family having strong presbyterian connections. Ann and Charles Ambler lived at 3 Queen Square and at Stubbings House. No children survived them, two sons died as schoolboys at Harrow. A small part of her family correspondence is preserved in the Special Collections Department of the University of Birmingham. He died on 28 February 1794 at his house Stubbings near Maidenhead and was buried nearby at Bisham beside his wife. He was for many years Steward and keeper of the royal manors of Cookham and Bray succeeding his father. His estate was inherited by his sister's son, Elisha Biscoe (1753–1829), who at first leased Stubbings to

Lord Dorchester Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester (3 September 1724 – 10 November 1808), known between 1776 and 1786 as Sir Guy Carleton, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and administrator. He twice served as Governor of the Province of Quebec, from 1768 to 177 ...

then sold it to him shortly before Dorchester's death in 1808. Biscoe also sold his own father's house at Spring Grove to

Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James C ...

in 1808 after Banks had leased it almost 30 years. Biscoe then built Holton Park in Oxfordshire now

Wheatley Park School Wheatley Park School (WPS) is a co-educational state secondary school of approximately 1,150 pupils situated in Holton, Oxfordshire, England about east of Oxford. The school has been an academy since May 2014. The school is most notable for ...

Career at the bar

Charles Ambler was educated at Eton from 1732 and admitted to the Middle Temple 29 July 1736. He was called to the bar in 1742. Entered at Lincoln's Inn 26 July 1757 he was made a bencher in 1758 and King's Counsel 6 May 1761.

House of Commons

In 1769 Ambler and Thoroton were put forward by Lord Granby for the Bramber constituency and though defeated they were returned on petition. He did not stand at the following election but in 1775 he was returned for Newtown and provided steady support to

North North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating Direction (geometry), direction or geography. Etymology T ...

acquiring the name " Tully Ambler, an ironical title which he does not owe to his abilities". From 1780 he served the

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

interest for Saltash, Devon until 1790 when he did not stand again.

Political appointments

He succeeded his wife's kin

Sir William Blackstone Sir William Blackstone (10 July 1723 – 14 February 1780) was an English jurist, judge and Tory politician of the eighteenth century. He is most noted for writing the '' Commentaries on the Laws of England''. Born into a middle-class family ...

as solicitor-general to

Queen Charlotte Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz (Sophia Charlotte; 19 May 1744 – 17 November 1818) was Queen of Great Britain and of Ireland as the wife of King George III from their marriage on 8 September 1761 until the union of the two kingdoms ...

1771–1782 and then her attorney-general 1782–1794

Law reports

In 1790 he published Reports on Cases in Chancery, 1737–83. A revised edition published by Blunt in 1828 has been said to have removed some defects.

References

External links

portrait of Mrs Humphry Ambler (d. 1722), mother of Charles, by Kneller

portrait of Humphry Ambler (1681–1745) of Stubbings Park attrib. Knapton
hutch {{DEFAULTSORT:Ambler, Charles 1721 births 1794 deaths English Presbyterians People educated at Eton College Members of the Middle Temple Members of Lincoln's Inn English legal writers English legal professionals Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Saltash Writers from London People from Bisham British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 Members of Parliament for the Isle of Wight English barristers