George Mainwaring (bapt. 10 December 1642 - 14 August 1695) was an English

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 ...

and a member of a distinguished family line from

Cheshire Cheshire ( ) is a ceremonial and historic county in North West England, bordered by Wales to the west, Merseyside and Greater Manchester to the north, Derbyshire to the east, and Staffordshire and Shropshire to the south. Cheshire's county t ...

. George Mainwaring was the third surviving son of Randle Mainwaring and his wife, Elizabeth (née Hawes), both of whom were based in London. He father, who was by profession a

mercer Mercer may refer to: Business * Mercer (car), a defunct American automobile manufacturer (1909–1925) * Mercer (consulting firm), a large human resources consulting firm headquartered in New York City * Mercer (occupation), a merchant or trader, ...

, had been a significant figure among the radicals at the time of the

English Civil War The English Civil War (1642–1651) was a series of civil wars and political machinations between Parliamentarians (" Roundheads") and Royalists led by Charles I ("Cavaliers"), mainly over the manner of England's governance and issues of re ...

, commanding a regiment but never becoming particularly prosperous. George was baptised on 10 December 1642 and became a merchant in

Chester Chester is a cathedral city and the county town of Cheshire, England. It is located on the River Dee, close to the English–Welsh border. With a population of 79,645 in 2011,"2011 Census results: People and Population Profile: Chester Loca ...

. On 25 April 1672, he married Elizabeth Bradshaw, daughter of a wealthy

alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...

of Chester, having become a councilman in the previous year. Mainwaring continued as a councilman until 1676, and served as sheriff in 1672-73. He was an alderman for eight years from 1676 and mayor in 1681-82, as well as being a lieutenant in the militia by that time. He became a contentious figure around the time of a visit by the

Duke of Monmouth Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ranked ...

, which occurred during his mayoralty and saw him accused of encouraging riots and trying to obstruct those who wished to take action against dissenters. As a consequence, his position as alderman ended in 1684 when he was specifically excluded from membership of Chester's corporation upon its adoption of a new charter. His position as alderman was reinstated in 1688 and continued until his death on 14 August 1695, when he was buried at

Holy Trinity Church, Chester The Guildhall, formerly Holy Trinity Church, is a redundant church in Watergate in the city of Chester, Cheshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II listed building. The church close ...

. He held Whig sympathies and collaborated with

Roger Whitley Roger Whitley (1618 – 17 July 1697) was a royalist officer in the English Civil War, attaining the rank of Major General (2nd in command of their forces in the battle for the Isle of Anglesey) and was closely involved throughout the 1650s in pla ...

, with whom he was elected to the Convention Parliament of 1689. The two men were not re-elected later in that year. The next descendant of Mainwaring to be elected to parliament was Townshend Mainwaring in the 19th century.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mainwaring, George 1695 deaths Mayors of Chester English MPs 1689–1690 English merchants 1642 births