Isaac Martin Rebow (28 November 1731 – 3 October 1781) was a British landowner and politician who sat in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
between 1755 and 1781.
Early life
Rebow was born on 28 November 1731, the son of
Isaac Lemyng Rebow, MP and his wife Mary Martin, daughter of Captain
Matthew Martin, MP. He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
from 1745 to 1748 and was admitted at
Trinity College, Cambridge
Trinity College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any college at either Cambridge ...
on 8 December 1748. He was awarded BA in 1753.
He succeeded his father in 1735, inheriting Wivenhoe Park near Colchester, and in 1759 commissioned Thomas Reynolds to build a house there.
Career
In the
1754 general election Rebow stood for Parliament at
Colchester
Colchester ( ) is a city in Essex, in the East of England. It had a population of 122,000 in 2011. The demonym is Colcestrian.
Colchester occupies the site of Camulodunum, the first major city in Roman Britain and its first capital. Colches ...
and was defeated by a narrow margin.
[ However the poll was conducted in a scandalous manner and Rebow was seated as ]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 ...
on petition in 1755. The main local issue was the loss of the Borough's charter and the campaign to regain it. The displaced member Charles Gray was chastened by the experience but in the 1761 general election
The 1761 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Sco ...
they agreed to cooperate and were returned unopposed. They managed to obtain a new charter in 1763 in the same form as the previous one and in it Rebow was named as Recorder of Colchester. He held the post until his death. Rebow and Gray oversaw almost twenty years of compromise and in a contest at Colchester in the 1768 general election they saw off a third candidate, Rebow topping the poll.
Family life
Rebow married his cousin Mary Martin, daughter of Thomas Martin of Alresford Hall, Essex at St Margaret's Westminster on 27 August 1772. He had previously been in a relationship with another cousin Sophia Christianna de Hopman with whom he had had an illegitimate child but he continued to support her after his marriage.[
]
Later life
Rebow and Gray were both returned unopposed in the 1774 general election but by July 1780 Rebow was in a very poor state of health and it was uncertain whether he would stand for parliament again. Nevertheless, he was returned again for Colchester in 1780
Events
January–March
* January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet.
* February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...
after a contest. Though active locally, Rebow was inactive in Parliament and the King wrote in 1781 with regard to some changes made at Colchester that ”Rebow was so bad an attender and so doubtful in his conduct that the change seems advantageous.” [
Rebow died on 3 October 1781 and was buried at St Mary's, Colchester, leaving 3 daughters.][ Wivenhoe Park passed to his daughter Mary Hester, who married General Francis Slater, who then took the surname Rebow.
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reebow, Isaac Martin
1731 births
1781 deaths
People educated at Eton College
Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
British MPs 1754–1761
British MPs 1761–1768
British MPs 1768–1774
British MPs 1774–1780
British MPs 1780–1784
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies