Henry Graham, of Levens (''ca.'' 1676 – 7 January 1706/1707), also spelt Grahme, was an

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 ...

gentleman, heir to a

Westmorland Westmorland (, formerly also spelt ''Westmoreland'';R. Wilkinson The British Isles, Sheet The British IslesVision of Britain/ref> is a historic county in North West England spanning the southern Lake District and the northern Dales. It had an ...

estate, and

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 ...

. Graham was the eldest of the three sons of

James Grahme James Grahme (his own spelling) or Graham (1649–1730) was an English army officer, courtier, politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons between 1685 and 1727. After the Glorious Revolution he was involved for ten years in J ...

or Graham of Levens (1649–1729), by his marriage to Dorothy Howard, daughter of William Howard and a granddaughter of

Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Berkshire (8 October 1587 – 16 July 1669) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1605 and 1622. He was created Earl of Berkshire in 1626. Life Howard was born in Saffron Walden, Essex, ...

(1587–1669). James Graham, who was a younger brother of

Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston Richard Graham, 1st Viscount Preston PC (24 September 1648 – 22 December 1695) was an English diplomat and politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1675 and 1689. He became a Jacobite conspirator, but his reputation ...

, became Keeper of the

Privy Purse The Privy Purse is the British Sovereign's private income, mostly from the Duchy of Lancaster. This amounted to £20.1 million in net income for the year to 31 March 2018. Overview The Duchy is a landed estate of approximately 46,000 acres (200 ...

King James II James VII and II (14 October 1633 16 September 1701) was King of England and King of Ireland as James II, and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II, on 6 February 1685. He was deposed in the Glorious Re ...

.Josceline Bagot, ''Colonel James Grahme of Levens: A Biographical Sketch of Jacobite Times compiled from contemporary letters and papers at Levens Hall'' (London & Kendal, 1886) pp. 2-5 He first stood for

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

in the summer of 1700, at a county of Westmorland by-election which did not take place because of the dissolution of parliament. A

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

, his campaign was dogged by allegations that he and his father were

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

s. However, in 1701 he was elected as a

knight of the shire Knight of the shire ( la, milites comitatus) was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistributio ...

for Westmorland and held this seat 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 ...

until his early death. Graham's Westmorland home was at

Levens Hall Levens Hall is a manor house in the Kent valley, near the village of Levens and south of Kendal in Cumbria, Northern England. History The first house on the site was a pele tower built by the Redman family in around 1350. Much of the prese ...

, a country house with a large estate four miles south of Kendal which his father had bought in 1689 for £24,000. However, although he was his father's heir, Graham inherited nothing from him. His father outlived him by more than twenty years and, indeed, outlived both of his brothers, so that in the end the property went to an heiress. On 23 May 1705, at

Knightsbridge Knightsbridge is a residential and retail district in central London, south of Hyde Park. It is identified in the London Plan as one of two international retail centres in London, alongside the West End. Toponymy Knightsbridge is an ancien ...

, Graham married

Lady Mary Tudor Lady Mary Tudor, Countess of Derwentwater (16 October 1673 – 5 November 1726) was an actress and natural daughter of King Charles II of England by his mistress, Mary "Moll" Davies, an actress and singer. Biography Early life and title M ...

, an illegitimate daughter of King Charles II by Moll Davies. This wedding came less than a week after the death of the bride's first husband,

Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater Edward Radclyffe, 2nd Earl of Derwentwater (1655 – 29 April 1705) was an English peer, styled Viscount Radclyffe from 1688 to 1695. He inherited the earldom from his father, Francis Radclyffe, 1st Earl of Derwentwater in 1697. His mother wa ...

, on 29 April.George Edward Cokayne, Vicary Gibbs, ''The complete peerage of England, Scotland, Ireland, Great Britain'', vol. 4, p. 225 It was later reported that the two had been living together before her husband's death. The marriage caused Graham great trouble, both with his family and with others. Before it, Graham had held an office in the household of Prince George of Denmark, the husband of Queen Anne, but as a result of the wedding he was dismissed from it. Graham died at

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, B ...

.Abel Boyer, ''The history of the reign of Queen Anne: digested into annals'', vol. 6 (A. Roper, 1708)
p. 379
"This Month died also Henry Graham, Esq; Knight of the Shire for the County of Westmorland."

Notes

External links

Biography at History of Parliament
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graham, Henry 1670s births 1707 deaths English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707