Timothy Caswall (c.1733–1802) was a British Army officer and 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 1761 and 1789.

Early life

Caswall was the son of George Caswall of London and Weybridge, son of Sir George Caswall an MP and banker. He joined the army in the

2nd Foot Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

(Coldstreams) and was Ensign in 1750 and lieutenant and captain in 1756. In 1758 at the

Battle of St. Cast The Battle of Saint-Cast was a military engagement during the Seven Years' War on the French coast between British naval and land expeditionary forces and French coastal defence forces. Fought on 11 September 1758, it was won by the French. Du ...

, he was wounded with both legs broken by a cannonball. After being taken prisoner, he was held at St Malo languishing in great pain for four months. He was then brought back to England at great expense, where his wound was healed.

Political career

Caswall applied for promotion in the army or a government post but obtained neither. In the

1761 general election The 1761 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons of the 12th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Sco ...

he was returned unopposed 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 of ...

for

Hertford Hertford ( ) is the county town of Hertfordshire, England, and is also a civil parish in the East Hertfordshire district of the county. The parish had a population of 26,783 at the 2011 census. The town grew around a ford on the River Lea, ne ...

on the interest of Nathaniel Brassey, his uncle. He continued to seek a salaried government post, but having sold his commission in the army in 1762, he disqualified himself in the King’s opinion. He married Mary Constantia Rolt on 28 January 1762, daughter and heir of Thomas Rolt of Sacombe Park. Mary's brother Captain Thomas Rolt (

1st Foot Guards "Shamed be whoever thinks ill of it." , colors = , colors_label = , march = Slow: " Scipio" , mascot = , equipment = , equipment ...

) the only son of Thomas Rolt, died at the battle at the

. In 1768 Caswall was made deputy paymaster of the forces and did not stand at the general election of 1768. In 1771 he was elected MP for

Brackley Brackley is a market town and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England, bordering Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, from Oxford and from Northampton. Historically a market town based on the wool and lace trade, it was built on the inters ...

in the interest of the Duke of Bridgwater. He was returned for Brackley again in

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, List of Ottoman Sultans, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and f ...

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...

and

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

. In September 1789 he vacated his seat in Parliament when he was appointed as a Commissioner of Excise.

Later life

Caswall died on 24 August 1802.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Caswall, Timothy 1802 deaths British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Year of birth uncertain