Sir John Villiers Shelley, 7th Baronet (18 March 1808 – 28 January 1867) was an English

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

landowner and politician. MaresfieldPark Sussex ByBenjaminDeanWyatt

Early life

He was born the eldest son of

Sir John Shelley, 6th Baronet Sir John Shelley, 6th Baronet (18 December 1771 – 28 March 1852) was an English landowner, Member of Parliament and amateur cricketer. Career He was the son of Sir John Shelley, 5th Baronet by Wilhelmina, the daughter of John Newnham of Mare ...

and the former Frances Winkley (1787–1873), a noted diarist and close friend of the

Duke of Wellington Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, (1 May 1769 – 14 September 1852) was an Anglo-Irish soldier and Tory statesman who was one of the leading military and political figures of 19th-century Britain, serving twice as prime minister of ...

. Among his younger siblings were brothers Frederic Shelley and

Adolphus Edward Shelley Adolphus Edward Shelley (1812 – May 29, 1854) was an early British colonial official and the first Auditor-General in British Hong Kong. Early life Shelley was the third son of Sir John Shelley, 6th Baronet in Michelgrove, Sussex, England. He m ...

, the first

Auditor-General A comptroller (pronounced either the same as ''controller'' or as ) is a management-level position responsible for supervising the quality of accounting and financial reporting of an organization. A financial comptroller is a senior-level executi ...

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

. Shelley was educated at

Charterhouse School (God having given, I gave) , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , president ...

Career

He joined the Royal Horse Guards in 1825 as an ensign and rose to lieutenant in 1828. He transferred as a lieutenant to the 20th Foot in 1830, went onto half-pay with the

60th Foot The King's Royal Rifle Corps was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army that was originally raised in British North America as the Royal American Regiment during the phase of the Seven Years' War in North America known in the United St ...

in 1831 and retired in 1832. He served as lieutenant-colonel of the 46th Middlesex Rifle Volunteers from 1861 to his death. He was elected at the 1830 general election as 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 Gatton in Surrey, then at the 1831 general election as an MP for

Great Grimsby Grimsby or Great Grimsby is a port town and the administrative centre of North East Lincolnshire, Lincolnshire, England. Grimsby adjoins the town of Cleethorpes directly to the south-east forming a conurbation. Grimsby is north-east of Linco ...

,Stooks Smith, page 202 but did not contest the seat at the 1832 general election. He did not stand again until he unsuccessfully contested the 1841 general election in

East Sussex East Sussex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England on the English Channel coast. It is bordered by Kent to the north and east, West Sussex to the west, and Surrey to the north-west. The largest settlement in East Su ...

. On the death of the 6th Baronet on 28 March 1852 he became the 7th Baronet Shelley of Michelgrove, inheriting

Maresfield Maresfield is a village and civil parish in the Wealden District of East Sussex, England. The village itself lies 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north from Uckfield; the nearby villages of Nutley and Fairwarp; and the smaller settlements of Du ...

Park in Sussex. Shelley returned to the Commons after a twenty-year absence when he was elected at the 1852 general election as a

(MP) for

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

, where he was re-elected in

1857 Events January–March * January 1 – The biggest Estonian newspaper, ''Postimees'', is established by Johann Voldemar Jannsen. * January 7 – The partly French-owned London General Omnibus Company begins operating. * Janua ...

and

1859 Events January–March * January 21 – José Mariano Salas (1797–1867) becomes Conservative interim President of Mexico. * January 24 ( O. S.) – Wallachia and Moldavia are united under Alexandru Ioan Cuza (Romania since 1866, final u ...

. He did not stand again in Westminster at the 1865 general election, when he contested

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

, but without success.Craig, page 61

Personal life

In 1832, Shelley married Louisa Knight, the daughter of Rev. Samuel Johnes Knight of

Henley Hall, Shropshire Henley Hall is a building of historical significance and is listed on the English Heritage Register. It was built in about 1610 by the Powys family and then substantially changed in 1772. Additions were again made in the late 19th century. It is ...

. They had an only daughter: * Blanche Henrietta Shelley (1835–1898), who married Hervey Charles Pechell, a brother to Adm.

Mark Robert Pechell Admiral Mark Robert Pechell (6 July 1830 – 9 July 1902) was a British Royal Navy officer who took part in the Baltic Expedition during the Crimean War 1854-55. Biography Pechell was the second son of the Rev. Horace Robert Pechell (1792-1882), ...

and son of the Rev. Horace Robert Pechell and Lady Caroline Mary Kerr (a daughter of Lord Mark Kerr and

Charlotte Kerr, 3rd Countess of Antrim Randal William MacDonnell, 1st Marquess of Antrim (4 November 1749 - 29 July 1791) KB was an Irish peer. Biography He was born on 4 November 1749, the only son and heir of Alexander MacDonnell, 5th Earl of Antrim by his second wife Anne, daug ...

), in 1874. He died of gout in 1867 and is buried in the graveyard of Maresfield church. Upon his death, the baronetcy passed to his younger brother Frederic, although he bequeathed Maresfield Hall to Blanche, who married Hervey Charles Pechell in 1874 and never took up residence. Pechell left the Maresfield Park estate to Count

Alexander Münster Count, later Prince, Alexander Otto Hugo Wladimir zu Münster (1 September 1858 – 12 October 1922) was a German aristocrat who was the owner of Maresfield Park estate, Maresfield, East Sussex. Early life and family Alexander Münster was born i ...

in 1899. Münster, who married Lady Muriel Hay (a daughter of

George Hay-Drummond, 12th Earl of Kinnoull George Hay-Drummond, 12th Earl of Kinnoull (16 July 1827 – 30 January 1897), styled as Viscount Dupplin until 1866, was a Scottish peer and cricketer. His titles were Earl of Kinnoull, Viscount Dupplin and Lord Hay of Kinfauns in the P ...

, had been living at Maresfield while Pechell and Blanche resided in Bellagio in Italy.

References

External links

*
Shelley genealogy
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelley, John 1808 births 1867 deaths People educated at Charterhouse School Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Great Grimsby UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 Members of the Metropolitan Board of Works Shelley baronets, of Michelgrove People from Maresfield