Edmund Lechmere Charlton (20 September 1789 – 17 April 1845) was a British politician, MP for Ludlow 1835–1837. Charlton was born on 20 September 1789, the son of

Nicholas Lechmere Charlton Nicholas Lechmere Charlton (18 December 1733 – 20 March 1807), known as Nicholas Lechmere until 1784, was a British politician, MP for Worcester in 1774. Lechmere was the son of Edmund Lechmere (1710–1805), and his first wife Elizabeth, daug ...

and his wife Susanna, daughter of Jesson Case. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1807 aged 18, graduating M.A. in 1810. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call 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 1829. Charlton considered standing in Ludlow in

1820 Events January–March *January 1 – Nominal beginning of the Trienio Liberal in Spain: A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament (March 7). *January 8 – General Maritime T ...

, as an independent radical, but was persuaded to withdraw. In

1826 Events January–March * January 15 – The French newspaper ''Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a weekly. * January 30 – The Menai Suspension Bridge, built by engineer Thomas Telford, is opened between the island o ...

he stood in Ludlow, promising to present a petition to determine the constituency franchise and boundaries. He was defeated, after 12 of his 15 votes were rejected; he appealed by petition. Edward Rogers , the constituency returning officer, was offended by Charlton's public criticism of the Ludlow town corporation. Rogers challenged Charlton to a duel near Bath, which ended without bloodshed on 9 October 1826. He was elected in Ludlow in

1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...

, serving in only one parliament. According to ''The History of Parliament'', "his politics veered between radicalism and Conservatism". Stanley Leighton considered Charlton an "eccentric character". In 1836, Charlton appeared in the Court of Chancery before Master in Chancery William Brougham as counsel to advocate a petition presented by himself and others, regarding the appointment of trustees to charities in Ludlow. He then sent a letter to Brougham, dated 24 October 1836. Lord Chancellor Cottenham considered the letter scandalous towards Brougham, and an improper attempt to influence his conduct. He ordered Charlton to attend the court to explain why he should not be committed to the Fleet Prison for contempt of court. Charlton did not attend on 22 November or 25 November, when the Lord Chancellor ordered his committal to the Fleet. Charlton evaded arrest until 3 February 1837, when he was taken to the Fleet. The Lord Chancellor ordered his release after three weeks.

References

External links

*
Parliamentary Archives, Records relating to Edmund Lechmere Charlton and the Ludlow Charities Case
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlton, Edmund Lechmere 1789 births 1845 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of Lincoln's Inn UK MPs 1835–1837