Richard Wilson ( – 1815) was an Irish-born politician whose origins are obscure. He was

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 o ...

(MP) in the Parliament of Great Britain for Barnstaple from 1796 to 1802. He married Anne, daughter of Charles Townshend. They were divorced in 1798.

Lady Louisa Stuart Lady Louisa Stuart (12 August 1757 – 4 August 1851) was a British writer of the 18th and 19th centuries. Her long life spanned nearly ninety-four years. Early life Stuart was one of the six daughters of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute ...

wrote of his elopement with Anne Townshend that:

''...this Mr Wilson - whose name, when known, made nobody the wiser - was an Irishman, born to an inheritance of three hundred a year, but greatly in debt, of no profession, accounted a black-leg, and chiefly remarkable for having fought two or three duels... His conversation was bragging and his manner familiar and ''aisy'' like those of the Paddy in a farce. All his friends had ten thousand a year; he talked of his horses and carriages, his estate and his interest; and when he addressed you as a lady, you could not help drawing back for fear he should give you a kiss.''Lady Louisa Stuart, ''Memoire of Frances, Lady Douglas'', Edinburgh and London, Scottish Academic Press, 1985

He died, laden with debts, sometime in 1815. He had 3 sons, one of whom died in the West Indies, and 2 daughters.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Wilson, Richard 1750s births 1815 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Barnstaple British MPs 1796–1800 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Barnstaple UK MPs 1801–1802