Sir Tristram Dillington, 5th Baronet ( 1678–1721) of

Knighton, Isle of Wight Knighton is a largely deserted hamlet near Newchurch on the Isle of Wight, about 2 miles NW of Sandown. The name should be pronounced as ''Kay-nighton'' to avoid confusion with the larger village of Niton, near Ventnor. Knighton is situated ...

was a

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

officer, landowner and 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 ...

between 1707 and 1721.

Early life

Dillington was the third son of

Sir Robert Dillington, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Dillington, 2nd Baronet (c. 1634 – 25 April 1687) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons at various times between 1659 and 1685. Dillington was the son of Robert Dillington of Mottisto ...

of Knighton and his second wife. Hannah Webb, daughter of William Webb of Throgmorton Street, London. He was half-brother of Sir Robert Dillington, 3rd Baronet. He was admitted at

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1694 but being a younger son, joined the army

Career

Dillington was an ensign in the

1st Foot Guards The Grenadier Guards (GREN GDS) is the most senior infantry regiment of the British Army, being at the top of the Infantry Order of Precedence. It can trace its lineage back to 1656 when Lord Wentworth's Regiment was raised in Bruges to protect ...

in 1701 and cornet in the

1st Dragoon Guards The 1st King's Dragoon Guards was an armoured cavalry and dragoon guard regiment in the British Army. The regiment was raised by Sir John Lanier in 1685 as the 2nd Queen's Regiment of Horse, named in honour of Queen Mary, consort of King James ...

in 1703 and was present at the

Battle of Blenheim The Battle of Blenheim (; ; ) fought on , was a major battle of the War of the Spanish Succession. The overwhelming Allied victory ensured the safety of Vienna from the Franco-Bavarian army, thus preventing the collapse of the reconstituted G ...

. He succeeded his brother Sir John Dillington, 4th Baronet in the

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 ...

on 5 March 1706. He also inherited

Knighton Gorges Manor Knighton Gorges Manor was one of the grandest manor houses on the Isle of Wight, located in the hamlet of Knighton, Isle of Wight, Knighton, near Newchurch, Isle of Wight, Newchurch. The Elizabethan architecture, Elizabethan-Tudor architecture ...

, which had belonged to his family since 1563. In 1707 he was a brevet captain in the Guards. Dillington was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Newport (Isle of Wight) at a by-election on 3 March 1707. Meanwhile, he became a Lieutenant-colonel in the 17th Foot in 1708. He was listed as a Whig before and after the 1708 general election when he was returned unopposed again as MP for Newport. In 1709 he was captain and Lieutenant colonel in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

. He voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. He did not stand for Parliament in

1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin ...

nor in

1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ...

. Dillington was appointed Governor of

Hurst Castle Hurst Castle is an artillery fort established by Henry VIII on the Hurst Spit in Hampshire, England, between 1541 and 1544. It formed part of the king's Device Forts coastal protection programme against invasion from France and the Holy Roma ...

in 1716. He became a 2nd Major in 1717. He was also returned unopposed by the Administration as MP for Newport at a by-election on 22 July 1717. He voted with the Government in all recorded divisions and died during that Parliament.

Death and legacy

Dillington died unmarried on 7 July 1721 aged 43. He left his sisters Mary and Hannah as heirs. Hannah died intestate and Mary died unmarried, leaving the estate in common between her nephew Maurice Bocland and her niece Jane wife of John Eyre.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dillington, Sir Tristram, 5th Baronet 1670s births 1721 deaths Grenadier Guards officers British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 Members of Parliament for the Isle of Wight Baronets in the Baronetage of England Coldstream Guards officers 1st King's Dragoon Guards officers Governors of Hurst Castle