Sir John Colman Rashleigh, 1st Baronet (23 November 1772 – 4 August 1847) was the first of the Rashleigh

baronets A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 1 ...

and known as a leading figure among the gentry in the parliamentary reform movement.

Early life

John Colman was born on 23 November 1772 into the prominent Cornwall

Rashleigh family Rashleigh is a surname of a prominent family from Cornwall and Devon in south western Britain, which originated in the 14th century or before at the estate of Rashleigh, Wembworthy, Rashleigh in the parish of Wembworthy, Devon. The principal bra ...

and was 17th in direct descent from

Edward I Edward I (17/18 June 1239 – 7 July 1307), also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots (Latin: Malleus Scotorum), was King of England from 1272 to 1307. Concurrently, he was Lord of Ireland, and from 125 ...

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the form of government used by the United Kingdom by which a hereditary monarch reigns as the head of state, with their powers Constitutional monarchy, regula ...

. He was the eldest son of John Rashleigh (1742–1803) and the former Katherine Battie (d. 1800), and had three brothers and three sisters. His family lived at Penquite House, a two storey, five bay house near

Golant Golant () is a village in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is on the west bank of the River Fowey and in the civil parish of St Sampson. Golant is about north of Fowey and east of St Austell. Golant church is dedicated to St ...

that was designed by

George Wightwick George Wightwick (26 August 1802 – 9 July 1872) was a British architect based in Plymouth, and possibly the first architectural journalist. In addition to his architectural practice, he developed his skills and the market for architectural ...

. His paternal grandparents were Jonathan Rashleigh (a son of Jonathan Rashleigh) and Mary (

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 ...

Clayton) Rashleigh (a daughter of

Sir William Clayton, 1st Baronet Sir William Clayton, 1st Baronet (died 1744) of Marden Park, Surrey and later Harleyford, was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1744. Clayton was the eldest surviving son of William Clayton of Hambleden, Buck ...

). His uncle, Philip Rashleigh died without issue, so his cousin, William Rashleigh, MP for Fowey, inherited the Rashleigh family estates, including

Menabilly Menabilly (, meaning ''hill-slope of pebbles'') is a historic estate on the south coast of Cornwall, England, situated within the parish of Tywardreath on the Gribben peninsula about west of Fowey. It has been the seat of the Rashleigh fami ...

. His maternal grandfather was Dr.

William Battie William Battie (sometimes spelt Batty;) 1 September 1704 – 13 June 1776) was an English physician who published, in 1758, ''A Treatise on Madness'', a highly influential book on the use of institutionalisation and shock therapy as methods of ...

, president of the

Royal College of Physicians The Royal College of Physicians of London, commonly referred to simply as the Royal College of Physicians (RCP), is a British professional membership body dedicated to improving the practice of medicine, chiefly through the accreditation of ph ...

Career

Rashleigh, who was referred to as a radical, was active in pro-Catholic politics for many years, and was known as a leading figure among the gentry in the parliamentary reform movement. in 1820, he wrote an open letter to

Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...

George Canning George Canning (; 11 April 17708 August 1827) was a British Tory statesman. He held various senior cabinet positions under numerous prime ministers, including two important terms as foreign secretary, finally becoming Prime Minister of the U ...

regarding Canning's "laboured and volunteer attack on the Friends of Parliamentary Reform." After Rashleigh had been awarded his baronetcy, he "acknowledged that the peers had a 'valuable' constitutional role to play, as a 'patrician barrier' between the pretensions of the crown and 'popular passions and caprice', but they were now opposed to both and had forgotten that their privileges were 'a trust for the benefit of the people'." He was High Sheriff of

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

in 1813. On 30 September 1831, he was created Rashleigh

Baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

of Prideaux, by Lord Grey's

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

Personal life

On 24 May 1808, he married Harriet Williams, a daughter of banker and politician

Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Architecture * Train %26 Williams#Robert Edmund Williams, Robert Edmund Williams (1874–1960), Canadian-American architect * Robert Williams (architect) (1848–1918), Welsh architect a ...

, Esq. of Bridehead in

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

MP. Her brother was

, MP for Dorchester. Before her death on 7 July 1831, they were the parents of four children: * Battie Rashleigh (1811–1822), who died young. * Jane Rashleigh (b. 1809) * Harriet Anne Rashleigh (b. 1812) * Sir Colman Rashleigh, 2nd Baronet (1819–1896), who married Mary Anne Kendall (1823–1893), the only daughter of Nicholas Kendall of Pelyn. On 17 October 1833, he married, secondly, Martha Gould. She was the youngest daughter of John Gould MD of

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 ...

. They had no children together. Sir John died on 4 August 1847 and was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son, Colman. The Dowager Lady Rashleigh died 9 June 1879, aged 98, and left her estate to her nephew John Nutcombe Gould (father of James Nutcombe Gould) and his wife Katherine (née Grant) Gould (a daughter of Maj. Gen. James Grant).

References

External links

Settlement on the marriage of Sir John Colman Rashleigh of Prideaux, co. Cornwall and Martha Gould of Kilmarth co. Cornwall, spinster, of a messuage called Spencers in the parish of Cookham.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rashleigh, Colman 1772 births 1847 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom John Colman High sheriffs of Cornwall