Sir John Shelley 4th Baronet (5 March 1692 – 6 September 1771) of Mitchelgrove, Sussex, was a British 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. ...

between 1727 and 1747. Shelley was the eldest son of Sir John Shelley, 3rd Baronet and his second wife Mary Gage, daughter of Sir John Gage, 4th Baronet, of

Firle Firle (; Sussex dialect: ''Furrel'' ) is a village and civil parish in the Lewes district of East Sussex, England. Firle refers to an old-English/Anglo-Saxon word ''fierol'' meaning overgrown with oak. Although the original division of East ...

, Sussex. He succeeded his father to the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

on 25 April 1703. He was a Roman Catholic, who conformed to Anglicanism in 1716. He married Catherine Scawen, daughter of Sir Thomas Scawen of

Horton, Buckinghamshire Horton is a hamlet (place), hamlet in the parish of Ivinghoe, in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the civil parish of Slapton, Buckinghamshire, Slapton. The name ''Horton (disambiguation), Horton'' is a common one in England. It derives fro ...

on 21 May 1717. She died in September 1726 and he married as his second wife Margaret Pelham, daughter of

Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham Thomas Pelham, 1st Baron Pelham of Laughton Bt ( 1653 – 23 February 1712) was a moderate English Whig politician and Member of Parliament for several constituencies. He is best remembered as the father of two British prime ministers (Hen ...

MP of Laughton, on 16 March 1727. Her brother was

Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle Thomas Pelham-Holles, 1st Duke of Newcastle upon Tyne and 1st Duke of Newcastle-under-Lyne, (21 July 169317 November 1768) was a British Whig statesman who served as the 4th and 6th Prime Minister of Great Britain, his official life extende ...

Shelley 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

Arundel Arundel ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the Arun District of the South Downs, West Sussex, England. The much-conserved town has a medieval castle and Roman Catholic cathedral. Arundel has a museum and comes second behind much large ...

at the 1727 general election. He supported the Government consistently throughout his parliamentary career. He was returned unopposed for Arundel at the 1734 general election but lost the seat in

1741 Events January–March * January 13 – Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. * February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain, popularizes the term "the balance of power" in a spe ...

. His brother-in-law, the Duke of Newcastle brought him in as MP for

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

at a by-election on 6 December 1743. His wife sought an official post for her husband from her brother but nothing materialized. Questions were raised about his private life and he was dropped at the 1747 general election. Shelley died on 6 September 1771. He had two daughters by his first wife, and a son and two daughters by his second wife. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

. Henrietta, one of his daughters by his second wife Margaret, married

George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow George Onslow, 1st Earl of Onslow PC (13 September 1731 – 17 May 1814), known as Lord Onslow from 1776 until 1801, was a British peer and politician. Background He was the only son of Arthur Onslow, having no brothers but one sister, who died ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shelley, Sir John, 4th Baronet 1692 births 1771 deaths British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Shelley baronets, of Michelgrove