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 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 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 ...

in about 1700, and matriculated at Trinity College, Oxford 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 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 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 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 cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath. Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...

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 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 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 ...

, 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 Henr ...

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