Ralph Jenison ( – 15 May 1758) of Elswick Hall near Newcastle, Northumberland and

Walworth Castle Walworth Castle is an 11th-century castle, situated at Walworth, near Darlington, County Durham, England. It is a Grade 1 listed building. It was completed around 1600, probably by Thomas Holt for Thomas Jenison. It stands on the site of a form ...

, county Durham. was a British 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. ...

between 1724 and 1758

Early life

Jenison was baptized at

Heighington, County Durham Heighington ( ) is a village in the borough of Darlington and ceremonial county of County Durham, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 2,395. It is situated between Darlington and Shildon, near Newton Aycliffe. One ...

, on 23 December 1696. From a family of Newcastle merchants, he was the eldest surviving son of Ralph Jenison of Elswick and Walworth, and his wife Elizabeth Heron (daughter of Sir Cuthbert Heron, 1st Baronet of Chipchase, Northumberland). He succeeded his father in 1704, and his grandfather Robert Jenison, in 1714. Jenison was

High Sheriff of Northumberland This is a list of the High Sheriffs of the English county of Northumberland. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries ...

in 1716 and became a freeman of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1718. He was admitted at

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

in March 1719.

Career

Jenison stood for parliament in a very expensive contest at a by-election at

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

on 20 February 1723. He was initially unsuccessful, but he petitioned and was seated 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 ...

on 16 April 1724. At the 1727 general election he was returned unopposed. He usually supported the Government, but voted for the repeal of the Septennial Act in 1734. He was re-elected MP for Northumberland in another expensive contest at the 1734 general election. He was politically connected with

Charles Bennet, 2nd Earl of Tankerville Charles Bennet, 2nd Earl of Tankerville, KT (21 December 1697 – 14 March 1753), styled Lord Ossulston between 1714 and 1722, was a British peer and politician. Background Tankerville was the son of Charles Bennet, 1st Earl of Tankerville, an ...

and succeeded him as

Master of the Buckhounds The Master of the Buckhounds (or Master of the Hounds) was an officer in the Master of the Horse's department of the British Royal Household. The holder was also His/Her Majesty's Representative at Ascot. The role was to oversee a hunting pack; a ...

in 1737. Jenison did not stand at the 1741 general election, probably for financial reasons. He had to sell Elswick Hall in 1742 and he gave up the mastership of the buckhounds in 1744. He received a pension of £1,200 as compensation but he recovered the post in 1746. He acted as agent to Lord Ossulston, Tankerville's son, at a by-election for Northumberland in February 1748 and this may have been rewarded by his return as MP for Newport (Isle of Wight) at a by-election on 20 June 1749, when Tankerville's brother-in-law, Lord Portsmouth, was governor of the island. At the 1754 general election Jenison was returned unopposed for Newport but incurred high expenses which may have been paid from secret service money. In 1757 he lost his post of as Master of the Buckhounds again and was offered a secret service pension in compensation, which was finally settled at £1,800.

Personal life

On 10 December 1751, Jenison married Susan Allan, daughter of Thomas Allan of the Flatts, county Durham. He died on 15 May 1758 and was buried at Heighington. He left no issue as an only son predeceased him.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jenison, Ralph 1696 births 1758 deaths High Sheriffs of Northumberland Members of Parliament for Newport (Isle of Wight) British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761