Charles Wither (24 July 1684 – 1731) ), of
Oakley Hall, Hampshire, was an English landowner and Whig 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. ...
briefly in 1708 and from 1727 to 1731.
Early life
Wither was the eldest son of Charles Wither of Oakley Hall, Hampshire and his wife Dorothy Smith, daughter of
Sir William Smith, 1st Baronet of Redcliff, Buckinghamshire. The family had been seated at Oakley Hall since 1626 and since then had acquired further estates in the neighbourhood, to which Wither succeeded on the death of his father in 1697.
[ He matriculated at ]Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the f ...
on 7 May 1700, aged 15,
Career
In 1707, Wither investigated the possibility of standing for Stockbridge at the next general election and secured local Whig support. He was appointed High Sheriff of Hampshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire. This title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959.
List of High Sheriffs
*1070–1096: Hugh de Port "Domesday Book Online"
*1105: Henry de Port (son of Hugh)
*1129: W ...
in November 1707, but gave up the office soon after. He stood for Parliament at Whitchurch in a contested by-election on 17 January 1708, and was seated as a Whig 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 ...
on petition on 17 February 1708. He did not stand at the 1708 British general election
The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland.
The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...
.[
Wither was appointed surveyor-general of woods and forests in 1720, holding the position for the rest of his life. At the 1722 British general election, he stood unsuccessfully for ]Shaftesbury
Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is situated on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hilltop settlement in Dorset, being built about above sea level on a ...
. He was returned as a government supporter for Christchurch
Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...
at the 1727 British general election
The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...
, He supported the Administration and voted with them on the Hessians in 1730.
Death and legacy
Wither died on 20 November 1731, and was buried at Deane. He left three surviving daughters, a son and daughter having predeceased him. His wife Frances died in 1752, followed a day later by her eldest daughter Dorothy. Their second daughter Henrietta Maria.married Edmund Bramston and succeeded to Oakley Hall. They were the parents of Wither Bramston who rebuilt the Hall. Charles Wither's third daughter Ann married her cousin William Beech whereby Oakley Hall came into the Beech family in 1832.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wither, Charles
1684 births
1731 deaths
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1727–1734