Sir Robert Davers, 2nd Baronet ( – 1 October 1722) was a British

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 and landowner.

Early life in Barbados

Robert Davers was born in the English colony of

Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...

. He was the only surviving son of Sir Robert Davers, 1st Baronet and his wife Eleanor. His father was a

Royalist A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of gove ...

who emigrated to Barbados, a Royalist stronghold, and acquired ownership over a

slave plantation A slave plantation is an agricultural farm that uses enslaved people for labour. The practice was abolished in most places during the 19th century. Slavery Planters embraced the use of slaves mainly because indentured labor became expensive ...

.William Betham, ''The Baronetage of England'' (1803), p. 58. He owned 300 acres of land which was worked by 200 Black slaves. Davers was born in Barbados before coming to England between 1680 and 1682. He then returned to Barbados and took his seat in the Council there on 13 June 1682. On 30 November 1683 he was one of the Barons of the Court of Exchequer and of Pleas of Barbados. He inherited his father's

baronetcy 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 ...

in 1684 and was chosen to serve as

High Sheriff of Suffolk This is a list of Sheriffs and High Sheriffs of Suffolk. The Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown and is appointed annually (in March) by the Crown. The Sheriff was originally the principal law enforcement officer in the county a ...

for 1685, but did not take up the role. Davers also inherited his father's plantation and slaves, and repeatedly defended the

Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade or transatlantic slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of Slavery in Africa, enslaved African people to the Americas. European slave ships regularly used the triangular trade route and its Middle Pass ...

in England despite never engaging in the trade himself.

Political career

He moved back permanently to England in 1687. In 1688, his wife's uncle, Lord Dover selected Davers as the court candidate for

Bury St Edmunds Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as ''Bury,'' is a cathedral as well as market town and civil parish in the West Suffolk District, West Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St. Edmunds an ...

. Davers, however, rejected the offer to stand for election at this stage and it soon became apparent to the supporters of

James II of England James II and VII (14 October 1633 – 16 September 1701) was King of England and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland as James II and King of Scotland as James VII from the death of his elder brother, Charles II of England, Charles II, on 6 February 1 ...

that he would oppose repeal of the

Test Acts The Test Acts were a series of penal laws originating in Restoration England, passed by the Parliament of England, that served as a religious test for public office and imposed various civil disabilities on Catholics and nonconformist Protes ...

if elected. In 1689, Davers defeated

John Hervey John Hervey may refer to: *John Hervey (c.1353-c.1411), MP for Bedfordshire (UK Parliament constituency), Bedfordshire *John Hervey, 1st Earl of Bristol (1665–1751), Member of Parliament (MP) for Bury St Edmunds *John Hervey, 2nd Baron Hervey (16 ...

to be elected as the Member of Parliament for Bury St Edmunds on the Tory interest. In the following Convention Parliament, Davers voted with the Jacobite efforts to declare that throne was not vacant following the flight of James II to France. At parliament he was appointed to 35 committees. His only recorded speech was in opposition to increasing supplies for the English effort in the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War was a European great power conflict from 1688 to 1697 between Kingdom of France, France and the Grand Alliance (League of Augsburg), Grand Alliance. Although largely concentrated in Europe, fighting spread to colonial poss ...

. After 1690, he became a friend and political ally of Robert Harley and subsequently usually voted with the Tories. Between 1691 and 1714 he was a

Gentleman of the Privy Chamber A privy chamber was the private apartment of a royal residence in England. The Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber were noble-born servants to the Crown who would wait and attend on the King in private, as well as during various court activities, f ...

to William III and

Anne, Queen of Great Britain Anne (6 February 1665 – 1 August 1714) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England, List of Scottish monarchs, Scotland, and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 8 March 1702, and List of British monarchs, Queen of Great Britain and Irel ...

. Despite being a signatory of the

Association of 1696 The Association was an instrument created after the failed Jacobite assassination plot of 1696 to pledge loyalty to William III of England. Modelled by Lord Somers on the Elizabethan Bond of Association, it placed intense pressure on nonresistant T ...

, he was a member of the Tory October Club. In 1700 he was appointed a justice of the peace for Suffolk. He represented Bury for a second term from 1703 to 1705, after which he was elected MP for

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, holding that seat until his death in 1722. In 1721, his name was included on a list of leading politicians and likely Jacobite sympathisers sent to

James Francis Edward Stuart James Francis Edward Stuart (10 June 16881 January 1766), nicknamed the Old Pretender by Whigs (British political party), Whigs or the King over the Water by Jacobitism, Jacobites, was the House of Stuart claimant to the thrones of Ki ...

Personal life

Davers married Hon. Mary Jermyn, daughter and co-heiress of

Thomas Jermyn, 2nd Baron Jermyn Thomas Jermyn, 2nd Baron Jermyn (10 November 1633 – 1 April 1703) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons from 1679 until he inherited a peerage in 1684. Biography Jermyn was the son of Thomas ...

, on 2 February 1682. They had five sons and five daughters. By this marriage he acquired in 1703 one-fifth of the

Rushbrooke Hall Rushbrooke Hall was a British stately home in Rushbrooke, Suffolk. For several hundred years it was the family seat of the Jermyn family. It was demolished in 1961. History The original manor house on the moated site to the south of the village ...

estate, of which he purchased the other parts from his sister-in-law, Hon. Merolina Jermyn, the wife of

Sir Thomas Spring, 3rd Baronet Sir Thomas Spring, 3rd Baronet (c. 1672 – 2 April 1704) of Pakenham Hall in Pakenham, Suffolk, was an English baronet and landowner who served as High Sheriff of Suffolk in 1696. Career Spring was the eldest son of Sir William Spring, 2nd Ba ...

. He sold the estate of Rougham between 1705 and 1710 to his son in law, Clement Corrance and made Rushbrooke the family's principle seat. Lady Davers died ten days after her husband in 1722. Davers was succeeded as baronet by his son, Robert.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davers, Robert 1650s births 1722 deaths British planters Baronets in the Baronetage of England English justices of the peace English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British slave owners Gentlemen of the Privy Chamber Politicians from Bury St Edmunds Tory MPs (pre-1834) Tory members of the Parliament of Great Britain British proslavery activists