Lord Sidney Beauclerk (27 February 170323 November 1744) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

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. ...

from 1733 to 1744. He acquired a reputation as a fortune hunter.

Early life

Beauclerk was the fifth son of the 1st Duke of St Albans and his wife Lady Diana de Vere, daughter and heiress of Aubrey de Vere, 20th and last

Earl of Oxford Earl of Oxford is a dormant title in the Peerage of England, first created for Aubrey de Vere by the Empress Matilda in 1141. His family was to hold the title for more than five and a half centuries, until the death of the 20th Earl in 1703. ...

. He was a grandson of King Charles II and

Nell Gwyn Eleanor Gwyn (2 February 1650 – 14 November 1687; also spelled ''Gwynn'', ''Gwynne'') was a celebrity figure of the Restoration period. Praised by Samuel Pepys for her comic performances as one of the first actresses on the English stage ...

. In 1718 he was 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 ...

. He matriculated at

Trinity College, Oxford (That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody) , named_for = The Holy Trinity , established = , sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge , president = Dame Hilary Boulding , location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH , coordinates ...

in 1721 and was awarded MA in 1727 and DCL in 1733. He sought fortunes by paying court to elderly ladies and he was described in 1727 as 'Nell Gwyn in person, with the sex altered'. On 9 December 1736, he married Mary Norris, daughter and heiress of Thomas Norris, MP of Speke, Lancashire. His fortune-hunting eventually brought dividend in 1737 when he was bequeathed the

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

estates of

Richard Topham Richard Topham (1671–1730) was an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for from 1698 to 1713. He is known also as a collector. Life He was son of John Topham, acting as serjeant-at-arms of the House of Commons from 1678 until ...

located in and around

Old Windsor Old Windsor is a large village and civil parish, in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It is bounded by the River Thames to the east and the Windsor Great Park to the west. Etymology The name originates from old ...

Career

Beauclerk stood unsuccessfully for Parliament in a contest at Marlow at a by-election in 1732 on the interest of

Edmund Waller Edmund Waller, FRS (3 March 1606 – 21 October 1687) was an English poet and politician who was Member of Parliament for various constituencies between 1624 and 1687, and one of the longest serving members of the English House of Commons. So ...

. He was returned 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 ...

for

at a by-election on 16 May 1733,joining his brother

Lord Vere Beauclerk Admiral (Royal Navy), Admiral Vere Beauclerk, 1st Baron Vere (14 July 1699 – 21 October 1781), known as Lord Vere Beauclerk until 1750, was a Royal Navy officer, United Kingdom, British peerage, peer and politician who sat in the British Hou ...

. He was returned unopposed at the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's incr ...

. In March 1739, he presented to Parliament the Georgia Society's petition for a grant, and he was elected at his own request to the common council of the Society. He was active until 1740, when his attendance fell off. He was sworn of the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in 1740, and was appointed Vice-Chamberlain of the Household later that year, being returned again at the consequential by-election. He was returned again at Windsor at the

1741 British general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

, but lost his place at Court on the fall of Walpole in 1742.

Death and legacy

Beauclerk died on 23 November 1744, leaving an only son,

Topham Beauclerk Topham Beauclerk ( ; 22 December 1739 – 11 March 1780) was a celebrated wit and a friend of Dr Johnson and Horace Walpole. Life Topham Beauclerk was born on 22 December 1739, the only son of Lord Sidney Beauclerk and a great-grandson of King ...

who was a friend of

Samuel Johnson Samuel Johnson (18 September 1709 – 13 December 1784), often called Dr Johnson, was an English writer who made lasting contributions as a poet, playwright, essayist, moralist, critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer. The ''Oxford ...

. He married Diana, Viscountess Bolingbroke and St John (''née'' Spencer) and lived at

Speke Hall Speke Hall is a wood-framed wattle-and-daub Tudor manor house in Speke, Liverpool, England. It is one of the finest surviving examples of its kind. It is owned by the National Trust and is a Grade I listed building. History Construction of t ...

. They have many surviving descendants among whom are the present Marquises de Valero de Urría.

References

External links

* ''The House of Nell Gwyn: Fortunes of the Beauclerk Family'',

Donald Adamson Donald Adamson (born 30 March 1939), is a British literary scholar, author and historian. Books which he has written include ''Blaise Pascal: Mathematician, Physicist, and Thinker about God'' and '' The Curriers' Company: A Modern History''. H ...

(William Kimber, Ldn 1974)
''Cobbett's Parliamentary History of England''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beauclerk, Sidney, Lord 1703 births 1744 deaths Sidney Younger sons of dukes People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford People from Old Windsor People from Windsor, Berkshire Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms