Maurice Ashley (14 April 1675 – 21 October 1726), of Bedford Row, Westminster, was an English Whig politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

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 ...

between 1695 and 1713.

Family

Ashley was born in 1675, the third son of Lord Ashley, MP, who succeeded as

Earl of Shaftesbury Earl of Shaftesbury is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1672 for Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 1st Baron Ashley, a prominent politician in the Cabal then dominating the policies of King Charles II. He had already succeeded his f ...

in 1683. Maurice Ashley attended

Winchester College Winchester College is a public school (fee-charging independent day and boarding school) in Winchester, Hampshire, England. It was founded by William of Wykeham in 1382 and has existed in its present location ever since. It is the oldest of the ...

from circa 1682 to 1689 but after seven years had little to show for his time there. His brother suggested he should spend some time at Utrecht under the guidance of a private tutor which did effect some improvement.

Political career

Although still a

minor Minor may refer to: * Minor (law), a person under the age of certain legal activities. ** A person who has not reached the age of majority * Academic minor, a secondary field of study in undergraduate education Music theory *Minor chord ** Barb ...

, Ashley was returned unopposed 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 Weymouth and Melcombe Regis on his father's interest at the 1695 general election. He did not seek re-election at the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' sup ...

. After his father's death, his brother the 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury settled on him an estate of £1,000 a year. Ashley was returned again as MP for Weymouth for Melcombe Regis, at the January 1701 general election. The next election took place later that year in November/December, when he was elected for two seats, Weymouth and Melcombe Regis and

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...

. On 20 January 1702 he chose to sit for Wiltshire, but a few months later was defeated at the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Britis ...

. Ashley and his brother were on bad terms by this time, mainly on account of Ashley's election expenses. At the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of " Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pr ...

Ashley was returned successfully as a Whig MP for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis. He voted for the Court candidate as Speaker on 25 October 1705 but was otherwise an inactive Member. Ashley and his brother continued on bad terms, particularly as Ashley's hot temperament, was becoming an embarrassment and a threat to Shaftesbury's political aspirations. He was re-elected as a Whig at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

and supported the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709 and voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. He was returned again at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

. and voted for the motion of ‘

No Peace Without Spain No Peace Without Spain was a popular British political slogan of the early eighteenth century. It referred to the ongoing War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) in which Britain was a leading participant. It implied that no peace treaty cou ...

’ on 7 December 1711 and against the French commerce bill on 18 June 1713. He stood down at the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had led a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig Junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, b ...

. Ashley married Catherine Popple, daughter of the merchant William Popple in 1709. She died without issue in 1721. He died in 1726 and was buried at

Purton Purton is a large village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, about northwest of the centre of Swindon. The parish includes the village of Purton Stoke and the hamlets of Bentham, Hayes Knoll, Purton Common, Restrop, The Fox and Widham. Th ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ashley, Maurice 1675 births 1726 deaths English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Wiltshire