Crewe Offley (1682–1739) of

Wychnor Hall Wychnor Hall (or Wychnor Park, ) is Grade II Listed early 18th-century country house near Burton on Trent, Staffordshire, formerly owned by the Levett Family. The hall has been converted to a Country Club. History Wychnor takes its name from t ...

, Staffordshire, was a British landowner and Whig politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

between 1706 and 1734.

Early life

Offley was baptized on 14 November 1682, the second son of John Offley of Madeley, Staffordshire and his wife Anne Crewe, daughter of John Crewe of Crewe Hall, Cheshire. In 1698, he succeeded his mother to Wychnor, and in 1711 to some of the estates of his great-uncle Sir John Crewe of Utkinton. He married Margaret Lawrence, daughter of Sir Thomas Lawrence of Chelsea, Middlesex on 2 May 1710.

Career

Offley's family held a significant electoral interest in Cheshire. At the 1705 general election Offley's elder brother John Crewe Offley decided to stand for Cheshire allowing Offley to stand at

Newcastle-under-Lyme Newcastle-under-Lyme ( RP: , ) is a market town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Newcastle-under-Lyme in Staffordshire, England. The 2011 census population of the town was 75,082, whilst the wider borough had a population of 1 ...

on the family interest Although defeated at the polls, he was seated on petition on 27 February 1706, together with his Whig partner, John Lawton, after proving bribery and other illegal practices byt their Tory opponents. Before he took his seat he was listed on 18 February 1706 as a supporter of the Court over the ‘place clauses’ of the regency bill. At the

1708 general election Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

at Newcastle-under-Lyme the previous contest was repeated. Offley and his partner Lawton were defeated in the poll, and then seated on petition on 1 February 1709. He voted for the naturalization of the Palatines and for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. The Cheshire Whigs looked to him to present their address criticizing the doctor's conduct in July 1710. Probably in consequence, given the public support for Sacheverell, he decided not take part at the Newcastle election in 1710 He was appointed a

Gentleman of the privy chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...

in July 1714, shortly before Queen Anne's death, and retained the post for the rest of his life. Offley stood as a Whig again for Newcastle-under-Lyme at the 1715 general election, and was returned on petition for the third time on 2 June 1715. He voted for the septennial bill in 1716. He also voted against the government on the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Acts in 1719, but for them on the

Peerage Bill {{short description, Proposed British law of 1719 The Peerage Bill was a 1719 measure proposed by the British Whigs (British political party), Whig government led by James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope and Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland whic ...

. At the 1722 general election, he was returned instead as MP for

Bewdley Bewdley ( pronunciation) is a town and civil parish in the Wyre Forest District in Worcestershire, England on the banks of the River Severn. It is in the Severn Valley west of Kidderminster and southwest of Birmingham. It lies on the River Sev ...

Henry Herbert, 2nd Baron Herbert of Chirbury Henry Herbert, 2nd Baron Herbert of Chirbury (died 19 April 1738), of Ribbesford, Worcestershire, was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 until 1709 when he succeeded to the peerage as Baron Herbert of Chirbury. ...

. He was returned there again at the 1727 general election. He voted with the Administration until the 1734 general election, when he was defeated.

Death and legacy

Offley died on 28 June 1739 leaving two sons. His son John inherited Wychnor and sold it in 1765 to

John Levett John Levett (1721 — 1799) of Wychnor Park, Staffordshire, was an English landowner and investor, and a Tory politician. Biography John Levett was the son of Theophilus Levett (1693-1746), Lichfield attorney and town clerk, and his wife Mary ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Offley, Crewe 1682 births 1739 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Newcastle-under-Lyme British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 Members of the Parliament of England for Newcastle-under-Lyme English MPs 1705–1707