Lord Robert Seymour (20 January 1748 – 23 November 1831) was a British politician who sat in the Irish House of Commons from 1771 to 1776 and in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

from 1771 to 1807. He was known as Hon. Robert Seymour-Conway until 1793, when his father was created a

marquess A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

; he then became Lord Robert Seymour-Conway, but dropped the surname of Conway after his father's death in 1794.

Biography

Seymour was the third son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford. Educated at

Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...

, he was commissioned an ensign in the

40th Regiment of Foot The 40th (the 2nd Somersetshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1717 in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 82nd Regiment of Foot (Prince of Wales's Volunteers) ...

in 1766, and became a

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

in the 2nd Regiment of Irish Horse the same year. In 1770, he became a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

8th Dragoons The 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1693. It saw service for three centuries including the First and Second World Wars. The regiment survived the immediate post-war reduction in forces, ...

. Seymour-Conway was returned for two Parliamentary seats in 1771:

Lisburn Lisburn (; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with ...

, in the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chamb ...

, and the family borough of Orford in the

. In 1773, he became a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the 3rd Irish Horse. Doucet de Surigny miniature

By his first marriage, on 15 June 1773 to Anne Delmé, daughter of MP Peter Delmé, Seymour-Conway had five children: *Elizabeth Seymour (1775 – 23 February 1848), married first William Griffith Davies (1762–1814), on 10 December 1805, married second Herbert Evans (d. 1843) on 2 May 1817 *Henry Seymour (c.1776 – 13 February 1843), married Hon. Emily Byng (d. 1824), daughter of

George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington George Byng, 4th Viscount Torrington (11 October 1740 – 14 December 1812) was an English peer. Origins He was the eldest son and heir of George Byng, 3rd Viscount Torrington (1701-1750) by his wife Elizabeth Daniel. Career He inherited the ...

, on 1 July 1800 *Frances Isabella Seymour (d. 3 June 1838), married

George FitzRoy, 2nd Baron Southampton Baron Southampton, of Southampton in the County of Southampton, is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1780 for the soldier and politician Charles FitzRoy. He was the third son of Lord Augustus FitzRoy, second son of Charle ...

*Anna Maria Seymour (22 September 1781 – ?) *Gertrude Hussey Carpenter Seymour (28 July 1784 – 3 January 1825), married

John Hensleigh Allen John Hensleigh Allen (29 August 1769 – 12 April 1843) was the Whig member of parliament for Pembroke elected at the 1818 United Kingdom general election until the 1826 United Kingdom general election. He was the son of John Bartlett Allen ( ...

on 12 November 1812 Seymour-Conway transferred into the

1st Foot Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

as a Captain-Lieutenant on 7 November 1775, and became captain of a company in the regiment on 30 January 1776. He gave up his seat at Lisburn that year, but continued to sit for Orford. He served as an aide-de-camp to Sir Henry Clinton in America from 1780 to 1781, but resigned his commission in 1782. Plas Taliaris Mansion

In Parliament, Seymour-Conway followed the rest of his family in supporting the North Ministry and the Fox-North Coalition, and opposing the ministry of Shelburne. In 1784, he turned over the Orford seat to his younger brother,

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

, having purchased a seat at Wootton Bassett from Henry St John, who managed it. In 1787, he bought the estate of Taliaris in Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire, which would become his principal seat. He left his Commons seat in 1790, the year that he and his brother Henry were granted, for life, the sinecures of joint prothonotary, clerk of the crown, filazer, and keeper of the declarations of the King's Bench in Ireland. By 1816, these offices brought an income of more than £10,000 a year. He returned to Parliament for Orford in 1794, and continued to hold the seat until 1807. He took some interest in agriculture, as in 1796, he invented a new one-horse cart. On 2 December 1803, he was appointed Lieutenant-Colonel Commandant of the 2nd Battalion, Carmarthenshire Volunteers. He resigned that command on 6 January 1808. After the death of his wife Anne, Seymour made a second marriage, on 2 May 1806, to Hon. Anderlechtia Clarissa Chetwynd (d. 1855), daughter of

William Chetwynd, 4th Viscount Chetwynd William Chetwynd, 4th Viscount Chetwynd of Bearhaven (25 November 1721 – 12 November 1791) was a British Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1747 to 1754. Early life Chetwynd was born on 25 November 1721 and was baptised on 2 ...

, but they had no children. During the 1807 election, Seymour was returned both for Orford and Carmarthenshire, choosing to sit for the latter, which he represented until 1820. On 1 July 1807, Seymour, who owned a house in

Portland Place Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London. Named after the Third Duke of Portland, the unusually wide street is home to BBC Broadcasting House, the Chinese and Polish embassies, the Royal Institute of British A ...

, was sworn a

Justice of the Peace A justice of the peace (JP) is a judicial officer of a lower or ''puisne'' court, elected or appointed by means of a commission ( letters patent) to keep the peace. In past centuries the term commissioner of the peace was often used with the sa ...

for

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

. He took an active role in civic affairs in London, and was for some time Director of the Poor for his parish of

St Marylebone Marylebone (usually , also , ) is a district in the West End of London, in the City of Westminster. Oxford Street, Europe's busiest shopping street, forms its southern boundary. An ancient parish and latterly a metropolitan borough, it merge ...

. This included a particular interest in the care and treatment of the insane, culminating in his appointment in 1827 to the commission superintending the building of

Hanwell Asylum St Bernard's Hospital, also known as Hanwell Insane Asylum and the Hanwell Pauper and Lunatic Asylum, was an asylum built for the pauper insane, opening as the First Middlesex County Asylum in 1831. Some of the original buildings are now part of ...

and as a Metropolitan Commissioner in Lunacy in 1828. However, he was now approaching the end of his life and played little active role as a Lunatic Commissioner. In 1829, Seymour funded the building of the north transept and a vicarage for Taliaris Chapel.

References

Links

Extracts from Lord Robert's diary for 1788
{{DEFAULTSORT:Seymour, Robert, Lord 1748 births 1831 deaths 5th Dragoon Guards officers 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars officers Seymour Conway, Robert Seymour Conway, Robert Seymour Conway, Robert Seymour Conway, Robert British MPs 1796–1800 Carabiniers (6th Dragoon Guards) officers Grenadier Guards officers Robert Seymour Seymour Conway, Robert Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Carmarthenshire constituencies People educated at Eton College South Lancashire Regiment officers Tory MPs (pre-1834) UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 Younger sons of marquesses Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Antrim constituencies Prothonotaries