Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth (pronounced "Boscowen") ( ; ca. 1680 – 25 October 1734), was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, 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 ...

for Cornish constituencies from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage.

Origins

Boscawen was the eldest son of

Edward Boscawen Admiral of the Blue Edward Boscawen, Privy Council (United Kingdom), PC (19 August 171110 January 1761) was a Royal Navy officer and politician. He is known principally for his various naval commands during the 18th century and the engagements ...

(1628–1685), MP and merchant, by his wife Jael Godolphin, daughter of Sir Francis Godolphin (d. 1667). The Boscawens are an ancient Cornish family. His grandfather Hugh Boscawen (fl. 1620) of Tregothnan was thirteenth in descent from a certain Henry de Boscawen. He derived a huge income from his copper mines at

Chacewater Chacewater () is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, UK. It is situated approximately east of Redruth. The hamlets of Carnhot, Cox Hill, Creegbrawse, Hale Mills, Jolly's Bottom, Salem, Saveock, Scorrier, Todpool, Twelve ...

and

Gwennap Gwennap () is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is about five miles (8 km) southeast of Redruth. Hamlets of Burncoose, Comford, Coombe, Gwennap, Coombe, Crofthandy, Cusgarne, Fernsplatt, Frogpool, Hick's M ...

where he was the principal landowner. The Chacewater mine, now known as Wheal Busy, was located in what was known at the time as "the richest square mile on Earth". During its life, it produced over 100,000 tons of copper ore and 27,000 tons of arsenic. His uncles Hugh Boscawen (1625–1701) and Charles Boscawen (1627–1689) were also MPs in Cornwall.

Early life

He matriculated as

fellow-commoner A commoner is a student at certain universities in the British Isles who historically pays for his own tuition and commons, typically contrasted with scholars and exhibitioners, who were given financial emoluments towards their fees. Cambridge ...

King's College, Cambridge King's College, formally The King's College of Our Lady and Saint Nicholas in Cambridge, is a List of colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college lies beside the River Cam and faces ...

, in 1697. In 1701 he inherited

Tregothnan Tregothnan is a country house and estate near the village of St Michael Penkivel, southeast of Truro, Cornwall, England, which has for many centuries been a possession of the Boscawens. Geography Location Tregothnan is located on a hill overl ...

from his uncle, Hugh Boscawen.

Career

Boscawen had absolute control of the parliamentary representation of the boroughs of

Tregony Tregony (), sometimes in the past Tregoney, is a village and former civil parishes in England, civil parish, now in the parish of Tregony with Cuby, in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village there is a post o ...

and

Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...

, and he exercised considerable influence on the elections for Penryn. He was elected Member of Parliament for Tregony from 1702 to 1705, for the county of Cornwall from 1705 to 1710, for Truro from 1710 to 1713, and for Penryn from 1713 until June 1720. In 1720 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Boscawen and

Viscount Falmouth Viscount Falmouth is a title that has been created twice, first in the Peerage of England, and then in the Peerage of Great Britain. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1674 for George FitzRoy, an illegitimate son of King Ch ...

, having been for some time discontented at the delay in his advancement to that position. Both before and after the accession of

George I George I or 1 may refer to: People * Patriarch George I of Alexandria (fl. 621–631) * George I of Constantinople (d. 686) * George of Beltan (d. 790) * George I of Abkhazia (ruled 872/3–878/9) * George I of Georgia (d. 1027) * Yuri Dolgoruk ...

he spent large sums of money in support of Whig principles, and was rewarded on his party's triumph by many valuable offices. Boscawen was a groom of the bedchamber to

Prince George of Denmark Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland (; 2 April 165328 October 1708), was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708. ...

, steward of the

duchy of Cornwall A duchy, also called a dukedom, is a country, territory, fief, or domain ruled by a duke or duchess, a ruler hierarchically second to the king or queen in Western European tradition. There once existed an important difference between "sovereign ...

and

Lord Warden of the Stannaries The Lord Warden of the Stannaries (from for Tin, Tin, Sn) used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, England, UK, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the British monarchy, monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the ...

in 1708,

Comptroller of the Household The Comptroller of the Household is an ancient position in the British royal household, nominally the second-ranking member of the Lord Steward's department after the Treasurer of the Household. The Comptroller was an ''ex officio'' member of ...

from 1714 to 1720, and joint

Vice-Treasurer of Ireland The Lord High Treasurer of Ireland was the head of the Exchequer of Ireland, and chief financial officer of the Kingdom of Ireland. The designation ''High'' was added in 1695. After the Acts of Union 1800 created the United Kingdom of Great Brita ...

from 1717 until a few months before his death.

Marriage and children

Boscawen married on 23 April 1700 in Henry VII's Chapel,

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, Charlotte Godfrey elder daughter and coheir of Colonel Charles Godfrey, master of the jewel office and his wife Arabella Churchill. Charlotte died on 22 March 1754, and was also buried at Penkivel. She had wanted to become a lady of the bedchamber to the wife of King George II, and tried to bribe Lady Sundon ( Charlotte Clayton Sundon) into obtaining the post for her. Their children included: *Anne (1703/4–1749), second daughter who married

Sir Cecil Bishopp, 6th Baronet Sir Cecil Bishopp, 6th Baronet (30 October 1700 – 15 June 1778), later Bisshopp, was a British politician. He succeeded to the title of 6th Baronet Bishopp, of Parham, co. Sussex on 25 October 1725. He was Member of Parliament for Penr ...

. Her children included:

Cecil Bisshopp, 12th Baron Zouche Cecil Bisshopp, 12th Baron Zouche, Fellow of the Royal Society, FRS (29 December 1752 – 11 November 1828) was a Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament for New Shoreham (UK Parliament constituency), New Shoreham who afterw ...

, Harriett Lady Dunce, Anne wife of Hon. Robert Brudenell whose son was 6th Earl of Cardigan; Charlotte Lady Maynard, Frances Lady Warren Maid of honour to Queen Charlotte 1761–4, Catherine Countess of Liverpool, Baroness Hawkesbury among others. *

Hugh Boscawen, 2nd Viscount Falmouth General Hugh Boscawen, 2nd Viscount Falmouth (20 March 1707 – 4 February 1782), styled The Honourable Hugh Boscawen between 1720 and 1734, was a British soldier and politician. Boscawen was the eldest son of Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth ...

(1707–1782), eldest son *

(1711–1761), MP, PC, Admiral, 3rd son. * George Boscawen (1712–1775), MP, 4th son *

John Boscawen John Spencer Boscawen (born December 1956) is a former New Zealand politician. He is a member of the ACT New Zealand Party and served as a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives from 2008 to 2011. Boscawen briefly served as deputy ...

(1714–1767), MP, 5th son. **William Augustus Spencer Boscawen, MP (7 January 1750 – 1828). Son of John, and his wife Thomasine, who died before William's baptism at St James's Church, Piccadilly, on 30 January 1750.

Death and burial

Boscawen died suddenly at Trefusis, in Cornwall, aged 54, and was buried at

St Michael Penkivel St Michael Penkivel (), sometimes spelt ''St Michael Penkevil'', is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is in the valley of the River Fal about three miles (5 km) southeast of Truro. The population at the 2 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Falmouth, Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount 1680s births 1734 deaths Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Deputy lieutenants of Cornwall Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Members of the Privy Council of Great Britain Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Boscawen, Hugh Viscounts in the Peerage of Great Britain Ambassadors of Great Britain to Poland

Hugh Hugh is the English-language variant of the masculine given name , itself the Old French variant of '' Hugo (name)">Hugo'', a short form of Continental Germanic Germanic name">given names beginning in the element "mind, spirit" (Old English ). ...

Boscawen, Hugh Boscawen, Hugh Alumni of King's College, Cambridge Peers created by George II