Sir Robert Furnese, 2nd Baronet (1 August 1687 – 7 March 1733), of Waldershare, Kent, and Dover Street, Westminster, was an English Whig politician who sat in the
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England.
The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...
from 1708 to 1733.
Furnese was the son of
Sir Henry Furnese, 1st Baronet
Sir Henry Furnese, 1st Baronet (30 May 1658 – 30 November 1712), of Waldershare, Kent, and Dover Street, Westminster, was an English merchant and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1698 and 1712.
Furne ...
, and his first wife, Anne Brough, daughter of Robert Brough.Cokayne, George Edward (1906) Complete Baronetage '. Volume V. Exeter: W. Pollard & Co. . pp. 1–2. He was educated at
Eton College
Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...
in 1697, and spent some time in Germany and Austria as a young man.
Furnese was abroad at the time of the
1708 British general election
The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland.
The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...
, but shortly after his return from the Continent, he was returned unopposed as Whig
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
Truro
Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...
in a by-election on 16 December 1708. He voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. There was pressure for Furnese to stand for Thetford at the
1710 British general election
The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto.
...
, but he was appointed to the Commission of the Peace for Kent and returned in a contest as Whig MP for
New Romney
New Romney is a market town in Kent, England, on the edge of Romney Marsh, an area of flat, rich agricultural land reclaimed from the sea after the harbour began to silt up. New Romney, one of the original Cinque Ports, was once a sea port, w ...
. He voted for the "
No Peace Without Spain
No Peace Without Spain was a popular British political slogan of the early eighteenth century. It referred to the ongoing War of the Spanish Succession (1701–1714) in which Britain was a leading participant. It implied that no peace treaty cou ...
" motion on 7 December 1711.
On the death of his father on 30 November 1712, he succeeded 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 ...
and a large estate at
Waldershare
Waldershare is a village near Dover in Kent, England. In 1086, the village was in the hundred of Eastry in the ancient Lathe of Eastry.1713 British general election and voted against the expulsion of Richard Steele on 18 March 1714
At the
1715 British general election
The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...
, Furnese was returned in a contest as a Whig at New Romney on his own interest. He voted for the septennial bill, and in 1717 followed
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, (26 August 1676 – 18 March 1745; known between 1725 and 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole) was a British statesman and Whig politician who, as First Lord of the Treasury, Chancellor of the Exchequer, and Leader ...
into opposition. He voted against the Government on Lord Cadogan in June 1717 and opposed the
Peerage Bill
{{short description, Proposed British law of 1719
The Peerage Bill was a 1719 measure proposed by the British Whig government led by James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope and Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland which would have largely halted the ...
1727 British general election
The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...
, he was returned as MP for
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
while he was defeated at New Romney. After being awarded the New Romney seat on petition, he decided to remain as MP for Kent. From 1729, he voted against the Government.
Furnese was married three times. His first wife was his stepsister Anne Balam (1688-29 May 1713), the daughter of his father's second wife Matilda Vernon and her first husband Anthony Balam. They married on 1 October 1708 and had one daughter, Anne, who married the Hon. John St John, son of
Henry St John, 1st Viscount St John
Henry St John, 1st Viscount St John (baptized 17 October 1652 – died 8 April 1742), of Lydiard Tregoze, Wiltshire; Battersea, Surrey; and Berkeley Street, Westminster, Middlesex, was an English politician. In 1685 he was pardoned for a ...
. Anne, Lady Furnese, died on 29 May 1713 aged 25.
His second marriage on 8 July 1714 was to Arabella Watson, daughter of
Lewis Watson, 1st Earl of Rockingham
, issue-link =
, issue-pipe =
, full name =
, native_name =
, styles =
, other_titles = Marquess of Rockingham, Baron Rockingham Marquess of Rockingham, Baronet of Rockingham Castle
, noble fa ...
. She was the mother of Furnese's only son Henry and his second daughter Catherine, who married her first cousin
Lewis Watson, 2nd Earl of Rockingham
{{Infobox noble
, name = Lewis Watson
, title = Earl of Rockingham
, image =
, caption =
, alt =
, CoA =
, more = no
, succession =
, rei ...
. Arabella died on 5 September 1727.
He married thirdly, on 15 May 1729 at
Teddington
Teddington is a suburb in south-west London in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In 2021, Teddington was named as the best place to live in London by ''The Sunday Times''. Historically in Middlesex, Teddington is situated on a long m ...
,
Middlesex
Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...
, Lady Anne Shirley, daughter of
Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers
Robert Shirley, 1st Earl Ferrers PC (20 October 1650 – 25 December 1717)—known as Sir Robert Shirley, 7th Baronet, from 1669 to 1677 and Robert Shirley, 14th Baron Ferrers of Chartley, from 1677 to 1711—was an English peer and courtier.
Sh ...
. By his last wife, he left a daughter Selina who married Edward Dering. They had one other daughter who predeceased her father.Handley, Stuart (2004 "Furnese, Sir Henry, first baronet (1658–1712)" ''Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford University Press,
Furnese died on 7 March 1733 at
Waldershare
Waldershare is a village near Dover in Kent, England. In 1086, the village was in the hundred of Eastry in the ancient Lathe of Eastry.Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, and was succeeded by his son Henry. According to a contemporary, he died "by his own fault, for he had one of those colds hanging on him and he drank so hard that he was not sober for ten days before he was taken ill". He was buried at Waldershare on 14 March. His widow survived him by 46 years, dying in
Dover Street
Dover Street is a street in Mayfair, London. The street is notable for its Georgian architecture as well as the location of historic London clubs and hotels, which have been frequented by world leaders and historic figures in the arts. It also ...
,
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
, on 25 February 1779 aged 70. She was buried in
Grosvenor Chapel
Grosvenor Chapel is an Anglican church in what is now the City of Westminster, in England, built in the 1730s. It inspired many churches in New England. It is situated on South Audley Street in Mayfair.
History
The foundation stone of the Grosven ...
,
Westminster
Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster.
The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...
.
His only son, Sir Henry Furnese, 3rd Baronet, was born about 1716 and matriculated at
Christ Church, Oxford
Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...
, aged 16 in November 1732. He died unmarried and without issue aged 19 in Montpellier, France, in March 1735. The estate was shared, as co-heirs, by Sir Robert's three surviving daughters: Anne, Catherine (Countess of Rockingham) and Selina."Parishes: Waldershare" ''The History and Topographical Survey of the County of Kent'': Volume 10 (1800), pp. 50–61. Retrieved 17 November 2010. The title became extinct.
Romney Sedgwick
Richard Romney Sedgwick (29 May 1894 – 20 January 1972) was a British historian, civil servant and diplomat. He was the elder son of Professor Adam Sedgwick, 1854–1913, and Laura Helen Elizabeth Robinson. He married Mana St David Hodson, daugh ...