Roger Tuckfield (c. 1685–1739), of Raddon Court, Devon, was a British landowner and Whig 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. ...

for 27 years between 1708 and 1739.

Early life

Tuckfield was the eldest son of Roger Tuckfield of Raddon Court, Devon, and his wife Margaret Davie, daughter of William Davie, barrister, of Dura, Devon. He succeeded his father to Raddon Court on his death in 1687. He matriculated at

Exeter College, Oxford Exeter College (in full: The Rector and Scholars of Exeter College in the University of Oxford) is one of the Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England and the fourth-oldest college of the un ...

on 8 August 1700, aged 15. In 1702 his guardian,

Sir William Davie, 4th Baronet Sir William Davie, 4th Baronet (1662–1707) of Creedy in the parish of Sandford, near Crediton in Devon, inherited the Davie baronetcy and the Davie estates from his elder brother Sir John Davie, 3rd Baronet (1660–1692), MP for Saltash 1679� ...

, purchased the manor of Ashburton for him. Davie, a Whig and a patron of local Dissenters, died in 1707 before conveying it to Tuckfield, and so Tuckfield had to obtain an Act of Parliament early in 1708 to vest this and other estates in himself.

Career

Tuckfield was elected

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 Ashburton at a hard-fought by-election on 21 January 1708, and again at the subsequent

1708 general election Seventeen or 17 may refer to: *17 (number), the natural number following 16 and preceding 18 * one of the years 17 BC, AD 17, 1917, 2017 Literature Magazines * ''Seventeen'' (American magazine), an American magazine * ''Seventeen'' (Japanese m ...

. Like his uncle, he was noted as a Whig, and voted in favour of naturalizing the Palatines in 1709, and for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. He was returned in

1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin b ...

, but was unseated on petition on 17 March 1711. He regained his seat at the 1713 general election and voted on 18 March 1714 against the motion leading to the expulsion of Richard Steele. He was returned unopposed for Ashburton at the general election of 1715 as a Whig and voted for the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Acts in 1719. He was returned unopposed again in

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), as ...

and was elected in contests in

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

and

1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Province of Georgia, Georgia in North America ...

. Over these years he kept a low profile and there are no recorded votes by him.

Death and legacy

Tuckfield died unmarried on 26 March 1739. He left Ashburton to his sister Margaret, the wife of John Harris, on whose death in 1754 it was inherited by her daughter, by her first husband,

Margaret Rolle, 15th Baroness Clinton Margaret Rolle, 15th Baroness Clinton ''suo jure'' (17 January 1709 – 13 January 1781), was a wealthy aristocratic Devonshire heiress, known both for eccentricity and her extramarital affairs. By her first husband Robert, 1st Baron Walpole ...

, the wife of

Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford Robert Walpole, 2nd Earl of Orford, KB (1701 – 31 March 1751), was a British peer and politician, styled Lord Walpole from 1723 to 1745. Origins He was the eldest son of Sir Robert Walpole (1676–1745), the King's First Minister, now re ...

. Raddon went to his cousin

John Tuckfield John Tuckfield ( fl. 1550) of the City of Exeter, Devon, was a merchant, Alderman of Exeter, and member of the Company of Merchant Adventurers of Exeter who was Sheriff of Exeter in 1547 and Mayor of Exeter in 1549–1550. Marriage He married ...

References

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tuckfield, Roger 1680s births 1739 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Ashburton British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741