Hon. Simon Harcourt (9 October 1684 – 1 July 1720) was an English politician who sat in the

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

from 1710–15.

Biography

Harcourt was the eldest surviving son of

Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt Simon Harcourt, 1st Viscount Harcourt, PC (December 1661 – 29 July 1727) of Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire, was an English Tory politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1690 until 1710. He was raised to the peerage a ...

by his first wife, Rebecca Clarke, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Clarke, his father's chaplain. His mother and elder brother died when he was young and he became heir apparent to the

Viscountcy A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...

. He was subject to the high expectations of his father. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

in 1698 and 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 associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

in 1701 and matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

on 3 November 1702. In 1706, he travelled abroad in Italy, and that year attended

Padua University The University of Padua ( it, Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is an Italian university located in the city of Padua, region of Veneto, northern Italy. The University of Padua was founded in 1222 by a group of students and teachers from B ...

. In 1710, he was called to the bar. Harcourt was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

for Wallingford at the 1710 general election. He was abroad, probably for his health for most of the first half of 1713 and missed the campaign for the 1713 general election. His father had put him forward for

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

where he was awarded MA at Oxford in the previous year, Wallingford and Abingdon. He was only returned for Abingdon where he was unopposed. He was defeated at the 1715 general election. Harcourt remained in poor health and took the waters in Wales and abroad. He died in Paris on 1 July 1720, apparently from liver damage through drinking too much burgundy and champagne and was buried at Stanton Harcourt.

Family and issue

On 21 July 1709, Harcourt married Elizabeth Evelyn (died 1760), daughter of John Evelyn of Wootton, Surrey, and sister of his Eton schoolfriend, Sir John Evelyn, 1st Baronet. He left one surviving son and two surviving daughters. His son succeeded as 2nd Viscount in 1727 and in 1749 was created

Earl Harcourt Earl Harcourt, of Stanton Harcourt in the County of Oxford, was a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1749 for Simon Harcourt, 2nd Viscount Harcourt. He was made Viscount Nuneham at the same time, also in the Peerage of G ...

. One daughter, Martha, married

George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon George Venables-Vernon, 1st Baron Vernon (9 February 1709 – 2 August 1780), was a British politician. Vernon was the son of Henry Vernon, of Sudbury, Derbyshire, and his wife Anne, daughter and heiress of Thomas Pigott by his wife Mary, sister ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harcourt, Simon 1684 births 1720 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Heirs apparent who never acceded