William Egerton (1684–1732) was a British Army officer and 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. T ...

almost continuously from 1706 to 1732.

Early life

Egerton was the fourth son of John Egerton, 3rd Earl of Bridgwater and his wife Jane Paulet, daughter of

Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton Charles Paulet, 1st Duke of Bolton (c. 1630 – 27 February 1699), was an English nobleman, the son of John Paulet, 5th Marquess of Winchester, and his first wife, Jane Savage. Career Paulet succeeded his father as the sixth Marquess of ...

. He travelled abroad in Germany and then joined the army. He was a captain in the

6th Foot The Royal Warwickshire Regiment, previously titled the 6th Regiment of Foot, was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. The regiment saw service in many conflicts and wars, including the Second Boer Wa ...

in 1704 and was captain and lieutenant in the 1st Foot Guards from 1705.

Career

Egerton 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 o ...

(MP) for Buckinghamshire at a by-election on 27 February 1706. 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 as Whig 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 inter ...

. He was initially inactive in the House as he was serving with the army in Flanders, but voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. He was returned again at the 1710 British general election and voted for the motion of ‘

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 ...

’ and against the French commerce bill on 18 June 1713. At the 1713 British general election he was returned in a contest and on voted against the expulsion of Richard Steele on 18 March 1714. Egerton was said to have spoken insultingly about the Duke of Ormond, and in April 1714 he was told by Secretary at War, Francis Gwyn, that the Queen ‘had no further service for him’ and was to be given 1,000 guineas for his company. He was then unseated on petition on 20 April 1714. After the Hanoverian succession Egerton was made

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

of his own infantry regiment, later known as the

36th Regiment of Foot The 36th (Herefordshire) Regiment of Foot was an infantry regiment of the British Army, raised in 1701. Under the Childers Reforms it amalgamated with the 29th (Worcestershire) Regiment of Foot to form the Worcestershire Regiment in 1881. Its ...

. He was returned unopposed as MP for Brackley at the 1715 general election. In 1719 he was made Colonel of another Regiment, later known as the 20th Regiment of Foot. He was returned unopposed again for Brackley in

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel ''Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), a ...

and

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

. He voted with the government on all known occasions.

Death and legacy

Egerton died on 15 July 1732. He had married Anna Maria Saunders, the daughter of Admiral Sir George Saunders, Commissioner of the Navy, and had three daughters. His daughter Jane married Thomas Revell MP of Fetcham Park.

References

, - 1684 births 1732 deaths Royal Warwickshire Fusiliers officers Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies 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 Grenadier Guards officers Younger sons of earls {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub