Peter Bathurst (3 May 16871748), of Greatworth, Northamptonshire and Clarendon Park, near Salisbury, Wiltshire, was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

between 1711 and 1741. Bathurst was the second son of Sir Benjamin Bathurst, MP, of Paulerspury, Northamptonshire and his wife Frances Apsley, daughter of Sir Allen Apsley, MP of Apsley, Sussex. As a child he was a companion to the Duke of Gloucester, with his brother Benjamin, at the court of Princess Anne. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

in about 1700, and matriculated at

Trinity College, Oxford Trinity College (full name: The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity in the University of Oxford, of the foundation of Sir Thomas Pope (Knight)) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in E ...

in 1703. His father left him lands in Lincolnshire. He married Leonora-Maria How, daughter of Charles How of Greatworth, Northamptonshire in 1709 and acquired part of his father-in-law's estate. His wife died in January 1720, and he married as his second wife Lady Selina Shirley, daughter of

Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers PC (20 October 1650 – 25 December 1717)—known as Sir Robert Shirley, 7th Baronet, from 1669 to 1677 and Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, from 1677 to 1711—was an English peer and courtier. ...

on 24 October 1720. He also acquired at some stage the Clarendon Park estate near Wilton which he made his main residence. Bathurst was returned on petition as Tory Member of Parliament for Wilton on 17 March 1711 following 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. ...

. He was a member of the October Club, and was listed as a ‘worthy patriot’ who was involved in detecting the mismanagements of the previous Whig administration. After standing unsuccessfully for

Salisbury Salisbury ( , ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers River Avon, Hampshire, Avon, River Nadder, Nadder and River Bourne, Wi ...

at the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Tha ...

, Bathurst was returned as Tory MP for

Cirencester Cirencester ( , ; see #Pronunciation, below for more variations) is a market town and civil parish in the Cotswold District of Gloucestershire, England. Cirencester lies on the River Churn, a tributary of the River Thames. It is the List of ...

on the family interest at the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...

. He followed his brother, Allen, Lord Bathurst, in Parliament, and voted regularly against the Government in all recorded divisions. At the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of Great Britain, 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 Scot ...

, when Cirencester was not available, he changed seats and was returned as MP for

. He again voted against the Government, except when he was one of the Tories who withdrew on the motion for Walpole's dismissal in 1741. His only recorded speech was in 1736, against a bill to prevent clandestine marriages. He did not stand 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 ...

and was defeated at Salisbury at the

1747 British general election The 1747 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th 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 Hen ...

. Bathurst died on 6 May 1748 and was buried at Laverstock where he has a fulsome monumental inscription. He was described as ‘a lover of letters and liberal knowledge, affectionate and affable to a numerous family’. He had two daughters by his first wife and five sons and ten daughters by his second wife. His eldest son,

Peter Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

succeeded to Clarendon but it eventually passed to the descendants of his eldest daughter, Selina.

References

Members of Parliament for Cirencester British MPs 1710–1713 1687 births 1748 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford Members of Parliament for Wilton Members of Parliament for Salisbury

British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub