Robert Byng (1703–1740) was a British Navy official and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1728 to 1739. He served as Governor of Barbados for a short time before he died there. Byng was baptised on 27 November 1703, the third son of George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington and his wife Margaret Master. He married Elizabeth Forward, daughter of Jonathan Forward, contractor of transports, on 19 December 1734. Byng became cashier of the navy in 1726 and was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

on the Admiralty interest at a by-election on 1 March 1728. He voted with the Government in all recorded divisions. In 1732 he was promoted to Commissioner of the Navy and held the post until 1739. He was returned unopposed for Plymouth 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 ...

. He spoke against a place bill on 22 April 1735. In May 1739, he was appointed Governor of Barbados and resigned his seat in Parliament. Byng died in Barbados on 6 October 1740 and was buried there on the 7th. He left three sons and his eldest son, George Byng later of Wrotham Park, was the father of John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford. Byng was the brother of Hon. John Byng and Hon. Pattee Byng.

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1703 births 1740 deaths Governors of Barbados Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Plymouth Younger sons of viscounts British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 Robert {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub