James Fox-Lane (August 1756 – 7 April 1821), known as James Fox until 1773, was an English landed gentleman, who represented Horsham in Parliament for six years. He was the oldest son of Sackville Fox of

East Horsley East Horsley is a village and civil parish in Surrey, England, 21 miles southwest of London, on the A246 between Leatherhead and Guildford. Horsley and Effingham Junction railway stations are on the New Guildford line to London Waterloo. ...

, Surrey, and his wife Ann Holloway. His father died in 1760 and left him his estate in Surrey, worth about £1,300 per year. Educated at Marylebone School, he was admitted to Christ's College, Cambridge in 1771 and studied there until 1774. On 22 February 1773, he inherited the

Bramham Park Bramham Park is a Grade I listed 18th-century country house in Bramham, between Leeds and Wetherby, in West Yorkshire, England. The house, constructed of magnesian limestone ashlar with stone slate roofs in a classical style, is built to a li ...

, Yorkshire estate of his paternal uncle

George Fox-Lane, 1st Baron Bingley George Fox-Lane, 1st Baron Bingley ( circa 1697 – 22 February 1773) was a British peer and Tory politician. Born George Fox, he was the first son and heir of Henry Fox and his second wife, Hon. Frances Lane, the daughter of George Lane, 1st ...

, and subsequently took the name of Fox-Lane. Through extravagance as a youth he became indebted to the moneylender

Robert Mackreth Sir Robert Mackreth (?1725–1819), of Ewhurst, Hampshire, was an English club owner, money lender, speculator and politician. He was a Member (MP) of the Parliament of England for Castle Rising from 1774 to 1784, and for Ashburton from 1784 to ...

. Mackreth bought Fox-Lane's Surrey estate very shortly after James came of age in 1777 and resold it for a handsome profit. He attempted to buy the Yorkshire estate as well, but the sale was cancelled by the

Court of Chancery The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over all matters of equ ...

. Fox-Lane subsequently retained John Scott as counsel and sued Mackreth, alleging that Mackreth had defrauded him, and that the transactions had begun while Fox-Lane was still a minor. His suit was successful, and he was awarded the purchase money of the Surrey estate with interest and costs, totaling about £20,000. Mackreth appealed, but the verdict was upheld by the Lord Chancellor and, in 1791, the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. On 23 July 1789, Fox-Lane married Hon. Marcia Lucy Pitt (1756–1822), the daughter of

George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers George Pitt, 1st Baron Rivers (1 May 1721 – 7 May 1803) was an English diplomat and politician. Background and education He was born in Geneva, the eldest son of George Pitt of Stratfieldsaye (today rendered Stratfield Saye), Hampshire, an ...

. They had four sons and one daughter: * George Lane-Fox (1793–1848) *William Augustus Pitt Lane-Fox (d. 11 February 1832), Grenadier Guards, married Lady Caroline Douglas, sister of

George Douglas, 17th Earl of Morton George Sholto Douglas, 17th Earl of Morton (23 December 1789 – 31 March 1858), known as George Douglas until 1827, was a Scottish Tory politician. Douglas was the son of the Hon. John Douglas, second son of James Douglas, 14th Earl of Morton. Hi ...

, and had issue, including

Augustus Pitt Rivers Lieutenant-general (United Kingdom), Lieutenant General Augustus Henry Lane Fox Pitt Rivers (14 April 18274 May 1900) was an English officer in the British Army, ethnologist, and archaeologist. He was noted for innovations in archaeological met ...

Sackville Lane-Fox Sackville Walter Lane-Fox (24 March 1797 – 18 August 1874), was a British Conservative Party politician. Background Lane-Fox was the son of James Fox-Lane, of Bramham Park, West Yorkshire, by the Honourable Mary Lucy, daughter of George Pit ...

(1797–1874) *Rev. Thomas Henry Lane-Fox (d. 22 November 1861), vicar of Sturminster Newton *Marcia Bridget Lane-Fox (d. 10 June 1826), married Sir Edward Vavasour, 1st Baronet on 5 August 1815 On 5 May 1790, Fox-Lane was commissioned a lieutenant in the Dorsetshire Militia, of which his father-in-law was colonel. Although he had joined

Brooks's Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world. History In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...

Club, famously a society of Whigs, Fox-Lane had little interest in politics. Frances, the Dowager Viscountess of Irvine, was one of his Yorkshire neighbours, and in the 1796 election, returned him for one of the seats she controlled at Horsham. No known speech or vote on his part survives, and he did not stand at the 1802 election. He died on 7 April 1821, his health having declined for some time, and left an estate worth £120,000.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox-Lane, James 1756 births 1821 deaths Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1801–1802 British Militia officers

James James is a common English language surname and given name: *James (name), the typically masculine first name James * James (surname), various people with the last name James James or James City may also refer to: People * King James (disambiguati ...

People from Surrey (before 1889)