Sir Walter Yonge, 3rd Baronet (1653 – 18 July 1731) of Escot in the parish of

Talaton Talaton is a village and a civil parish in the English county of Devon. It lies approximately 6 miles to the west of Honiton, 3 miles to the north of Ottery St Mary, 2 miles to the west of Feniton and 2 miles to the east of Whimple. The parish c ...

, Devon, was an English landowner and Whig 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 ...

and

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 65 ...

between 1679 and 1710. YongeArms

Early life

Yonge was baptized on 8 September 1653, the son and heir of

Sir Walter Yonge, 2nd Baronet Sir Walter Yonge, 2nd Baronet (c. 1625 – 21 November 1670) of Great House, Colyton, and of Mohuns Ottery, both in Devon, was a Member of Parliament for Honiton (1659), for Lyme Regis (1660) and for Dartmouth (1667–70). Origins Yonge ...

(c.1625–1670) of

Great House A great house is a large house or mansion with luxurious appointments and great retinues of indoor and outdoor staff. The term is used mainly historically, especially of properties at the turn of the 20th century, i.e., the late Victorian or ...

in the parish of Colyton, Devon and his wife Isabella Davie, daughter of

Sir John Davie, 1st Baronet Sir John Davie, 1st Baronet (1588–1654) of Creedy in the parish of Sandford, near Crediton, Devon, was a member of the Devonshire gentry and served as Member of Parliament for Tiverton in 1621-2 and as Sheriff of Devon (1629–1630). He was ...

, of Sandford, Devon. He matriculated at

Exeter College, Oxford (Let Exeter Flourish) , old_names = ''Stapeldon Hall'' , named_for = Walter de Stapledon, Bishop of Exeter , established = , sister_college = Emmanuel College, Cambridge , rector = Sir Richard Trainor ...

in 1670. He also succeeded his father in 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 ...

in 1670. In 1677, he married Gertrude Morice, the daughter of

Sir William Morice, 1st Baronet Sir William Morice, 1st Baronet (c. 1628 – 7 February 1690), of Werrington (then in Devon but now in Cornwall), was an English Member of Parliament. Origins Morice was the eldest son of Sir William Morice, a Member of Parliament who assi ...

of Werrington, Devon. In about 1680 he moved from his ancestral seat of Great House, Colyton, having built for himself

Escot House Escot in the parish of Talaton, near Ottery St Mary in Devon, is an historic estate. The present mansion house known as Escot House is a grade II listed building built in 1837 by Sir John Kennaway, 3rd Baronet to the design of Henry Roberts, ...

, a grand mansion in the parish of

in Devon, to the design of

Robert Hooke Robert Hooke FRS (; 18 July 16353 March 1703) was an English polymath active as a scientist, natural philosopher and architect, who is credited to be one of two scientists to discover microorganisms in 1665 using a compound microscope that ...

. His father had purchased the manor of Mohuns Ottery in the parish of Luppit, Devon, Lysons, Daniel & Lysons, Samuel, Magna Britannia, Vol.6, ''Devonshire'', London, 1822 and had started to build a new residence there, which the 3rd Baronet discontinued, preferring the situation of Escot.

Career

Yonge was returned as

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 ...

for

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 ...

from 1679 to 1689. In 1689 he was returned as MP for Ashburton. At the

1690 English general election The 1690 English general election occurred after the dissolution of the Convention Parliament summoned in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and saw the partisan feuds in that parliament continue in the constituencies. The Tories made signi ...

, he was returned for Honiton unopposed. He was a teller for the Whigs on several occasions and was a frequent speaker. He was also called upon to help draft many bills. In 1691, he married as his second wife, Gwen Williams, the daughter and coheiress of

Sir Robert Williams, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Williams, 2nd Baronet (ca. 1627–1678), was a politician in Wales. He was a Member of Parliament for Caernarvonshire, 1656–1658, and for Caernarvon Boroughs in 1659. He was one of the Williams-Bulkeley baronets; he became a baro ...

, of Penrhyn, Caernarvonshire. He was returned unopposed for Honiton again at the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act of 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ...

and signed the Association promptly. He voted to fix the price of guineas at 22 shillings on 26 March 1696 and spoke and voted for the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...

of Sir John Fenwick on 25 November 1696. At the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' sup ...

he was returned unopposed again for Honiton and continued to act as teller and speak for the Administration. He was returned unopposed at the first general election of 1701. In November 1701, he resigned as commissioner of customs so that he could retain his parliamentary seat in accordance with the new place clause and was returned in a contest in the second general election of 1701. He was again a frequent teller for the Whigs. At the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III. The new government dominated by the Tories gained ground in the election, with the Tory party winning ...

Yonge was returned unopposed again, but he became far less active in Parliament. He voted against the Tack on 28 November 1704. He was returned in a contest 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 ...

, and voted for the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705. He supported the Court with regard to the 'place clause' in the regency bill on 18 February 1706. He was a teller on several occasions. 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 in a contest as a Whig for Honiton. He was involved in the passage of several bills and acted as teller on several occasions. He voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. 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 Junt ...

he was involved in a double return at Honiton, and the elections committee decided against his return. He did not stand for Parliament again, but in 1714 he took up the post of Commissioner of Customs again which he held for the rest of his life.

Death and legacy

Yonge on 18 July 1731 and was buried at Colyton. He had a daughter by his first wife and a son and three daughters by his second wife. He was succeeded by his son

Sir William Yonge, 4th Baronet Sir William Yonge, 4th Baronet (c. 169310 August 1755), , of Escot House in the parish of Talaton in Devon, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons for 39 years from 1715 to 1754. Origins Yonge was the son and heir of Sir Wal ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yonge, Walter 1653 births 1731 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England Members of the Green Ribbon Club Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Honiton English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710