John Bligh, 3rd Earl of Darnley (1 October 1719 – 31 July 1781), styled '' The Hon. John Bligh'' between 1721 and 1747,

lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or are ...

of the Manor of Cobham, Kent, was a British parliamentarian.

Background

Bligh was the son of

John Bligh, 1st Earl of Darnley John Bligh, 1st Earl of Darnley (28 December 1687 – 12 September 1728), was an Irish peer of the realm, peer born of an English family. Early life He was the son of Elizabeth (née Napier) Bligh and Thomas Bligh (1654–1710), Thomas Bligh (16 ...

and Lady Theodosia Hyde, later Baroness Clifton (in her own right). He was born in 1719, near Gravesend, Kent, and at the age of eight was sent to

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

. He matriculated at Merton College on 13 May 1735 and was created MA on 13 July 1738.

Political career

Bligh served 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

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

from 1741 to 1747 and for

Athboy Athboy () is a small agricultural town located in County Meath. The town is located on the ''Yellow Ford River'', in wooded country near the County Westmeath border. Local Clubs are Clann Na nGael and Athboy Celtic. History In medieval time ...

in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fran ...

from 1739 to 1747.

Family

Lord Darnley married Mary Stoyte on 11 September 1766. They had seven children: * John Bligh, 4th Earl of Darnley (30 June 1767 – 17 March 1831) *General Hon. Edward Bligh (19 September 1769 – 2 November 1840) *Lady Mary Bligh (d. 4 March 1796), married Sir Lawrence Palk, 2nd Baronet on 7 August 1789, without issue *Lady Theodosia Bligh (February 1771 – 21 January 1840), married

Thomas Cherburgh Bligh Thomas Cherburgh Bligh ( – 17 September 1830) was an Anglo-Irish Whig politician who served in the Irish House of Commons and the Parliament of Great Britain. Early life He was the eldest son of the Very Rev. Robert Bligh, Dean of Elphin, and ...

, her second cousin once removed, and had issue *Lady Sarah Bligh (10 February 1772 – April 1797) *Lady Catherine Bligh (1775 – 11 February 1812), married Charles Vane, 3rd Marquess of Londonderry in 1804 and had issue *Colonel Hon. William Bligh (25 September 1775 – 8 August 1845), married Lady Sophia Stewart, daughter of

John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway John Stewart, 7th Earl of Galloway, (13 March 1736 – 13 November 1806), styled Viscount Garlies from 1747 until 1773, was a British peer who became the 7th Earl of Galloway in 1773 and served as a Member of Parliament from 1761 to 1773. Early ...

, and had one daughter Sophia who married Henry William Parnell in 1835 whose father

Henry Parnell, 1st Baron Congleton Henry Brooke Parnell, 1st Baron Congleton PC (3 July 1776 – 8 June 1842), known as Sir Henry Parnell, Bt, from 1812 to 1841, was an Irish writer and Whig politician. He was a member of the Whig administrations headed by Lord Grey and Lord ...

was a great-uncle of

Charles Stewart Parnell Charles Stewart Parnell (27 June 1846 – 6 October 1891) was an Irish nationalist politician who served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1875 to 1891, also acting as Leader of the Home Rule League from 1880 to 1882 and then Leader of the ...

External links

Portrait of Lord Darnley by Nathaniel Dauce Holland at www.thepeerage.com

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Darnley, John Bligh, 3rd Earl 1719 births 1781 deaths John 03 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1741–1747 Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Meath constituencies Irish MPs 1727–1760 Alumni of Merton College, Oxford John 03 Barons Clifton