Jonathan Rashleigh (19 January 1693 – 24 November 1764) of Menabilly, Cornwall, was a British landowner and

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

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 37 years from 1727 to 1764.

Early life

Rashleigh was born on 19 January 1693 at Menabilly, near

Fowey Fowey ( ; , meaning ''beech trees'') is a port town and civil parishes in England, civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, ...

in Cornwall. He was the fourth and youngest son of Jonathan Rashleigh (1642–1702), MP by his second wife, Sarah (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Carew) Rashleigh. His sister, Sarah Rashleigh was married to the Rev. Carolus Pole, brother of Sir William Pole. His maternal grandfather was

Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet Sir John Carew, 3rd Baronet (6 November 1635 – 1 August 1692) of Antony House, Antony, Cornwall, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons variously between 1660 and 1692. Origins Carew was the thi ...

, M.P., of Antony, Cornwall.

Career

Rashleigh was appointed Recorder of Fowey in 1714. At the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...

he was returned unopposed on the family interest as Tory Member of Parliament (MP) for

. He was returned again unopposed at the general elections of 1734,

1741 Events January–March * January 13 ** Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. ** Conventicle Act of 1741 is introduced in Denmark-Norway. *February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain ...

, 1747, 1754 and

1761 Events January–March * January 14 – Third Battle of Panipat: In India, the armies of the Durrani Empire from Afghanistan, led by Ahmad Shah Durrani and his coalition decisively defeat the Maratha Confederacy, killing over 1 ...

. He is not recorded as ever speaking and never held an office or pension.

Inheritance and estates

He was heir to his brother Philip Rashleigh, a supporter of the Jacobite pretender who died in 1736 without issue, and his half first-cousin Sir Coventry Carew, 6th Baronet of Antony, who died 1748, from whom he co-inherited with his great-nephew

Reginald Pole Carew Reginald Pole Carew (28 July 1753 – 3 January 1835) was a British politician. He was born the son of Reginald Pole and Anne Buller of Stoke Damerel, Plymouth, Devon. He was educated at Winchester College and University College, Oxford and en ...

, several manors in Cornwall, including East Antony, Manely Durnford, Langunnet, Little Deviock, Sheviock, Nancolleth, Pensignance, Penventon, Helsett, Drewsteignton and Notter. After the death of Lady Carew in 1762 he inherited further properties, namely Roserrow in

St Minver St Minver () is the name of an ecclesiastical parish, a civil parish and a village in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The civil parish of St Minver is in Bodmin Registration District and is nominally divided into St Minver Highlands (t ...

and Davidstow, Tregollen in St Minver and Davidstow, Trelander in St Minver and Davidstow, Grays in St Minver and Davidstow, Rosebenault in St Minver and Davidstow, Newham stream works and St Veep woods.

Personal life

On 11 June 1728, Rashleigh was married to Mary Clayton, daughter of Sir William Clayton, 1st Baronet. He and his wife had nine sons and four daughters, including: * Philip Rashleigh (1729–1811), who married his first cousin, Jane Pole (1720–1795), only daughter of the Rev. Carolus Pole (third son of Sir John Pole of Shute). * William Rashleigh (1733–), who died unmarried. * Mary Rashleigh (1737–1806), who married William Stackhouse. * Rachel Rashleigh (1739–1829), who married John Gould MD. * Rev. Jonathan Rashleigh (1740–1806), married Catherine Stackhouse, daughter of Rev. William Stackhouse of Trehane, whose descendants continued the Menabilly line. * John Rashleigh of Penquite (1742–1803), who married Katherine Battie, daughter and co-heir of William Battie, Esq. M.D. Rashleigh died on 24 November 1764 and the estates passed to his eldest son

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male name derived from the Macedonian Old Koine language, Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominen ...

. Upon Philip's death in 1811, as he had no issue, the family estates passed to Rashleigh's grandson William Rashleigh (the eldest son of his third son), MP for Fowey and Sheriff of Cornwall.

Descendants

Through his fourth son, John Rashleigh, he was a grandfather of Sir John Colman Rashleigh, 1st Baronet of Prideaux, Cornwall, and great-grandfather of Sir Colman Rashleigh, 2nd Baronet, MP for East Cornwall.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rashleigh, Jonathan 1693 births 1764 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Fowey British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 Tory members of the Parliament of Great Britain