Hon. Charles Lawrence Dundas (18 July 1771 – 25 January 1810) was a British politician and Whig Member of Parliament 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. ...

. He represented Malton from 1798–1805 and

Richmond Richmond most often refers to: * Richmond, Virginia, the capital of Virginia, United States * Richmond, London, a part of London * Richmond, North Yorkshire, a town in England * Richmond, British Columbia, a city in Canada * Richmond, California, ...

from 1806 to his death.

Early life and education

Dundas was born in

St George Hanover Square St George Hanover Square was a civil parish created in 1724 in the Liberty of Westminster, Middlesex, which was later part of the metropolitan area of London, England. The creation of the parish accompanied the building of St George's, Hanove ...

, London, the third son of Thomas Dundas and Lady Charlotte Fitzwilliam. His grandfathers were

Sir Lawrence Dundas, 1st Baronet Sir Lawrence Dundas, 1st Baronet (c. 1710 – 21 September 1781) was a Scottish businessman, landowner and politician. Life He was the son of Thomas Dundas and Bethia Baillie. He made his first fortune as Commissary General: supplying goods to ...

and

William Fitzwilliam, 3rd Earl Fitzwilliam William FitzWilliam, 3rd Earl FitzWilliam (15 January 1719/20 – 10 August 1756) was a British peer, nobleman, and politician. He was the son of John Fitzwilliam, 2nd Earl Fitzwilliam by his wife Anne, daughter of John Stringer of Sutton cum Lo ...

. His father succeeded to the baronetcy in 1781 and in 1794 was raised to the peerage as

Baron Dundas Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knigh ...

. His eldest brother was

Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland Lawrence Dundas, 1st Earl of Zetland (10 April 1766 – 19 February 1839) was a Scottish MP who sat in the House of Commons from 1790 to 1820 when he was raised to the peerage. Early life Dundas was the son of Thomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dunda ...

(1766–1839), and Rear Admiral Hon.

George Heneage Lawrence Dundas George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd President ...

(1778–1834) and Sir

Robert Lawrence Dundas Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Lawrence Dundas (27 July 1780 – 23 November 1844) was a British Whig and military commander during the Peninsular War. He was a Member of Parliament in the House of Commons representing Malton from 1807 to 181 ...

(1780–1844) were his younger brothers. Dundas was educated at

Harrow School (The Faithful Dispensation of the Gifts of God) , established = (Royal Charter) , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent schoolBoarding school , religion = Church of E ...

and

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...

(B.A. 1792; M.A. 1795). He was admitted to

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in 1789 and called to the bar in 1795.

Career

In 1794, Dundas became private secretary to the

Duke of Portland Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

upon the recommendation of his own uncle

Earl Fitzwilliam Earl Fitzwilliam (or FitzWilliam) was a title in both the Peerage of Ireland and the Peerage of Great Britain held by the head of the Fitzwilliam family (later Wentworth-Fitzwilliam). History The Fitzwilliams acquired extensive holdings in the ...

. Following the resignation of

William Baldwin William Joseph Baldwin (born February 21, 1963), Note: While birthplace is routinely listed as Massapequa, that town has no hospital, and brother Alec Baldwin was born in nearby Amityville, which does. known also as Billy Baldwin,is an America ...

in 1798, Fitzwilliam successfully proposed Dundas to fill his seat for Malton. He adhered closely to his family's political stance on numerous occasions. A

Foxite Foxite was a late 18th-century British political label for Whig followers of Charles James Fox. Fox was the generally acknowledged leader of a faction of the Whigs from 1784 to his death in 1806. The group had developed from successive earlier ...

, he voted against the Union of Great Britain and Ireland in 1799 and 1800. In 1805, he resigned his seat to give way for the Irish Whig

Henry Grattan Henry Grattan (3 July 1746 – 4 June 1820) was an Irish politician and lawyer who campaigned for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century from Britain. He was a Member of the Irish Parliament (MP) from 1775 to 18 ...

, the well-known orator. The following year, he was returned for

in Yorkshire, succeeding his younger brother

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

, who took up naval command again.

Personal life

Dundas married Lady Caroline Beauclerk, daughter of

Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans Aubrey Beauclerk, 5th Duke of St Albans (3 June 1740 – 9 February 1802) was a British landowner, and a collector of antiquities and works of art. Early life Aubrey Beauclerk was born in 1740, the son of Admiral Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Ve ...

. They had two sons and three daughters:''England, Select Births and Christenings, 1538–1975''''London, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538–1812'' *Ann Dundas (22 January 1800 – ), died unmarried *

Frederick Dundas Frederick Dundas (14 June 1802 – 26 October 1872) was a British politician. Background Dundas was the son of the Hon. Charles Dundas, Member of Parliament for Malton, younger son of Thomas Dundas, 1st Baron Dundas. His mother was Lady Car ...

(14 June 1802 – 26 October 1872), MP for Orkney and Shetland, who married Grace, daughter of Sir Ralph St George Gore, 7th Baronet *William Laurence Dundas (1 October 1803 – June 1805), died in childhood *Catherine Elizabeth (17 January 1805 – 12 February 1876), who married Lt. Gen.

Freeman Murray General Freeman Murray CB (16 November 1804 – 14 April 1885) was a British Army officer who became General Officer Commanding Eastern District. Murray was born in France, the son of General John Murray and his second wife, Canadian Maria P ...

*Charlotte Amelia (17 April 1808 – 27 January 1881), who married Ralph Thomas Fawcett He grew ill and died while in office, aged 40.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dundas, Charles Lawrence 1771 births 1810 deaths Charles Lawrence People educated at Harrow School Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge Members of Lincoln's Inn British MPs 1796–1800 UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies Younger sons of barons Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies