Sir William Pole, 4th Baronet (1678 – 31 December 1741), of Colcombe Castle, near Colyton and Shute, near

Honiton Honiton ( or ) is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 11,822 (based on mid-year estimates for the two Honiton Ward ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

was an English landowner and Tory politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and British House of Commons between 1701 and 1734. Pole was the eldest son of Sir John Pole, 3rd Baronet, MP and Anne Morice, the daughter of Sir William Morice, MP. He matriculated at New College, Oxford on 7 July 1696, aged 18. He succeeded his father in 1708. Pole was returned unopposed as a Tory

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) for Newport on the Morice interest at the second general election of 1701. He supported, on 26 Feb. 1702, the motion vindicating the Commons’ proceedings in impeaching the Whig ministers. He was returned as MP for

Camelford Camelford ( kw, Reskammel) is a town and civil parish in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom, situated in the River Camel valley northwest of Bodmin Moor. The town is approximately ten miles (16 km) north of Bodmin and is governed ...

at a by-election on 17 January 1704 and became a very active member, frequently acting as a teller for the Tories. He voted for the Tack in 1704. At the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pre ...

, he retained his seat at Camelford and voted against the Court candidate for the Speaker on 25 October 1705. At 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 ...

he was returned unopposed again for Newport on the Morice interest. He was less active in the parliament and became a founder-member of the High Tory ‘Board of Brothers’. He voted against the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell. At the 1710 British general election he was returned as MP for

. He was appointed

Master of the Household The Master of the Household is the operational head (see Chief operating officer) of the "below stairs" elements of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom. The role has charge of the domestic staff, from the Royal Kitchens, the pages and foot ...

in 1712 but lost the resulting by-election on 22 July 1712. He was returned unopposed for Bossiney at the 1713 British general election. On the accession of George I in 1714 he lost his post in the Household. Pole was elected MP for

at a by-election on 17 March 1716 and was returned again in a contest at the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Th ...

when he was also returned for Newport. He was defeated at Honiton at 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 trig ...

but was seated on petition on 15 March 1731. He did not stand in 1734. He voted constitently against the administration. Pole married Elizabeth Warry, the daughter of Robert Warry of Shute, Devon, 'many years' before he made his will in 1733 in which he recommended and requested that his son never stand for Parliament. He died from ‘gout in his stomach’ on 31 December 1741. He was succeeded by his son, John, and also had a daughter.

References

1678 births 1741 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Devon Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for constituencies in Cornwall Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 Masters of the Household Baronets in the Baronetage of England Tory MPs (pre-1834) Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Honiton {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub