Sir Henry Watkin Dashwood, 3rd Baronet (30 August 1745 – 10 June 1828) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1775 and 1795.

Early life

Dashwood was the eldest surviving son of

Sir James Dashwood, 2nd Baronet Sir James Dashwood, 2nd Baronet (1715–1779) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1740 to 1768. Early life He was the son of Robert Dashwood, and his grandfather from whom he inherited the baronetcy was Sir Robert D ...

of Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire and his wife Elizabeth Spencer, daughter of Edward Spencer of Rendlesham, Suffolk. He matriculated at

Brasenose College, Oxford Brasenose College (BNC) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It began as Brasenose Hall in the 13th century, before being founded as a college in 1509. The library and chapel were added in the mi ...

in 1763 and undertook a Grand Tour in 1768. He was extremely extravagant and in 1775 his father had to pay off his debts amounting to £25,000.

Political career

In 1774 Dashwood contested

Wigtown Burghs Wigtown Burghs, also known as Wigton Burghs,. was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800 and of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1885. It was represent ...

on the interest of his brother-in-law John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway. With each candidate receiving only two of the four votes, Dashwood's opponent was initially declared the winner, but on petition the result was reversed and Dashwood was returned as Member of Parliament. He voted in support of Lord North in the 1770s. In 1779, Dashwood succeeded to the baronetcy on the death of his father on 10 November. He married Helen Mary Graham, daughter of John Graham of Kinross on 17 July 1780. Helen's uncles were MP's William and

Robert Mayne Robert Mayne (1724–1782) was a British merchant, banker and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1774 to 1782. Mayne was the fifth son of William Mayne of Powis Logie, Clackmannanshire and his second wife Helen Galbraith, daughter o ...

and in 1780 he decided to stand at Canterbury which had been a Mayne seat. Dashwood was unsuccessful at Canterbury and equally unsuccessful in obtaining a lucrative government office. In 1783 he was appointed Gentleman of the Privy Chamber an honorary appointment. After he came into his inheritance Dashwood sold most of the family estate to pay further debts. Dashwood was a friend of the

Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an Engl ...

and was returned unopposed on the Duke's interest at the

pocket borough A rotten or pocket borough, also known as a nomination borough or proprietorial borough, was a parliamentary borough or constituency in England, Great Britain, or the United Kingdom before the Reform Act 1832, which had a very small electorat ...

of Woodstock at the 1784 He was returned unopposed at each election until 1820. Dashwood tried to persuade William Pitt the Younger to give him a peerage several times in 1794, as he was a loyal supporter of the government. Unhappily for Dashwood no preferment was forthcoming.

Later life and legacy

Dashwood died on 10 June 1828. He and his wife had four sons and two daughters, including: *Anna Maria, married

John Loftus, 2nd Marquess of Ely John Loftus, 2nd Marquess of Ely KP (15 February 1770 – 26 September 1845), styled The Honourable John Loftus from 1785 to 1794 and Viscount Loftus from 1794 to 1806, was a British peer in both the Irish and British peerages. Life He was the ...

*Sir George Dashwood, 4th Baronet (9 July 1829 – 7 December 1869), married Sarah Marianne Rowley. Their daughter, Susan Caroline Dashwood, married Charles George Cholmondeley, Viscount Malpas and became the mother of George Cholmondeley, 4th Marquess of Cholmondeley.G.E. Cokayne; with Vicary Gibbs, H.A. Doubleday, Geoffrey H. White, Duncan Warrand and Lord Howard de Walden, editors, The Complete Peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain and the United Kingdom, Extant, Extinct or Dormant, new ed., 13 volumes in 14 (1910-1959; reprint in 6 volumes, Gloucester, U.K.: Alan Sutton Publishing, 2000), volume III, page 206. * Georgiana Carolina, married Sir Jacob Astley, 6th Baronet

References

External links

JJHC Family History page for Sir Henry Watkin Dashwood
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dashwood, Henry 1745 births 1828 deaths Dashwood, Henry Watkin, 3rd Baronet Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Scottish constituencies British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1784–1790 British MPs 1790–1796 British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber