Charles Selwyn (1689 - 9 June 1749) of

West Sheen Richmond is a town in south-west London,The London Government Act 1963 (c.33) (as amended) categorises the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames as an Outer London borough. Although it is on both sides of the River Thames, the Boundary Commiss ...

Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area. ...

, was an English 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 1722 and 1747. Selwyn was a younger son of Lt.-Gen. William Selwyn, MP, of Matson,

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

and his wife Albinia Bettenson, daughter of Richard Bettenson of Scadbury, Kent. His father died in 1702 while

Governor of Jamaica This is a list of viceroys in Jamaica from its initial occupation by Spain in 1509, to its independence from the United Kingdom in 1962. For a list of viceroys after independence, see Governor-General of Jamaica. For context, see History of Jamai ...

. Selwyn was commissioned into the Army as a young child in 1692, rising to the rank of Major. He was then appointed gentleman usher to the Princess of Wales in 1714 and became equerry to the Queen in 1727 on the accession of King George II. Selwyn was returned unopposed by the government as

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 ...

(MP) for

Mitchell Mitchell may refer to: People *Mitchell (surname) *Mitchell (given name) Places Australia * Mitchell, Australian Capital Territory, a light-industrial estate * Mitchell, New South Wales, a suburb of Bathurst * Mitchell, Northern Territo ...

at the 1722 general election. At the 1727 general election, he was involved in a double return at

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

but was seated on 16 February 1728. He voted with the Administration on almost all occasions. He did not stand in

1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Province of Georgia, Georgia in North America ...

but was elected

Mayor of Gloucester In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

for 1736. At the

1741 general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

, his elder brother John Selwyn put him up for Ludgershall. After his return, his behavior in parliament was often troublesome and insulting and he was described in derogatory terms by

Horace Walpole Horatio Walpole (), 4th Earl of Orford (24 September 1717 – 2 March 1797), better known as Horace Walpole, was an English writer, art historian, man of letters, antiquarian, and Whigs (British political party), Whig politician. He had Strawb ...

and others. His brother did not put him forward at the 1747 general election. Selwyn married twice; firstly Mary Cook, the widow of William Houblon and secondly Anna Maria Geddes, the daughter of Thomas Hyde and widow of John Geddes. He died on 9 June 1749, having no children by either wife.

References

1689 births 1749 deaths Politicians from Surrey British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1741–1747 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for constituencies in Cornwall {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub