Edward Rushworth (17 October 1755 – 15 October 1817) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

clergyman on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...

, and a token politician. Rushworth was the oldest son of

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

Captain John Rushworth of Portsea in Hampshire. Educated at

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

and at

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

, he became a

deacon A deacon is a member of the diaconate, an office in Christian churches that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions. Major Christian churches, such as the Catholic Churc ...

at Yarmouth on the Isle of Wight. In 1780 he married Catherine Holmes, daughter Reverend Leonard Holmes (later the 1st Baron Holmes). His father-in-law was the patron of both the

parliamentary borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

s on the island. He was a

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 the two boroughs on the Isle of Wight for several periods between 1780 and 1797. He was MP for Yarmouth from 1781 to 1781, for Newport from 1784 to 1790, for Yarmouth in 1790, and for Yarmouth again from 1796 to 1797. He appears to have held the seats only as a placeholder, and did not take part in any parliamentary proceedings.

References

1755 births 1817 deaths People from Yarmouth, Isle of Wight 18th-century Anglican deacons People educated at Winchester College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Members of Parliament for the Isle of Wight British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 18th-century Church of England clergy {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub