William Clayton, 1st Baron Sundon (1671 – 29 April 1752) of Sundon Hall, Sundon, Bedfordshire was a

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Treasury official and politician who sat in the

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from 1716 to 1752.

Early life

Clayton was baptized on 9 November 1671, the eldest surviving son of William Clayton of

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and Ann Haske, the daughter of John Haske of Newmarket. He married Charlotte, the daughter of John Dyve, clerk of the Privy Council, before 1714. He was the youngest son of Sir Lewis Dyve.

Career

Clayton entered the Exchequer as clerk of receipts in 1688 and was deputy auditor of receipts by 1714. He was managing the Duke of Marlborough's estates during the Duke's exile and at the accession of George I, his wife was appointed woman of the bedchamber to the Princess of Wales on the recommendation of the Duchess of Marlborough. In 1715 the Prince and Princess, tried unsuccessfully to get Clayton made secretary to the Treasury under Walpole, but helped him to obtain a place as paymaster of the King's private pensions instead. Clayton purchased the estates of Sundon in 1716 and was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

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by Marlborough at a by-election on 2 July 1716. The Duke's son-in-law, Lord Sunderland, made him a Lord of the Treasury in 1718. but he was turned out of the post to make room for Walpole's friends on the reunion of the Whig party in 1720. Clayton was elected to the South Sea committee of the House of Commons, and spoke against Walpole's proposals for restoring public credit and discharging a civil list debt in January and July 1721. At the 1722 British general election was defeated at Woodstock but was returned in a contest for

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as the Duchess's nominee. Marlborough was dying at this time, and Clayton was one of his executors. In Parliament, Clayton spoke against the Government on a bill for taxing Roman Catholics in 1723, and on the dropping of bounties on wheat exports from Scotland in December 1724. Clayton was appointed auditor general to the Prince of Wales in 1725. In April 1727, he and Pulteney attacked Walpole's proposals for financing a budget deficit. On the accession of George II, with Clayton's connection to the Queen, through his wife, he was reappointed Lord of the Treasury. However he had fallen out with the Duchess of Marlborough through taking office under Walpole, and 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 as MP for

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. He spoke for the Government in the 1727 Parliament. He was returned unopposed again for Westminster at the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scot ...

but thereafter was primarily concerned with his constituency. He was raised to the

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on 2 June 1735 as Baron Sundon, of Ardagh in the County of Longford. At the

1741 British general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

he was returned after a fierce contest, but the partiality of the high bailiff, who prematurely closed the poll, caused a riot and Sundon had to be rescued by the guards. The election was declared void by the House of Commons, which was a serious blow to Walpole's Administration. Clayton's wife, who had suffered bouts of madness since the death of the Queen, died at this time. After the fall of Walpole, Clayton lost his post at the Treasury, but was given a government seat at Plympton Erle where he was returned at a by-election on 3 May 1742. At the

1747 British general election The 1747 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw Hen ...

, he was returned for

St Mawes St Mawes () is a village on the end of the Roseland Peninsula, in the eastern side of Falmouth, Cornwall, Falmouth harbour, on the south coast of Cornwall, England. The village, formerly two separate hamlets, lies on the east bank of the Carri ...

, another government seat.

Death and legacy

Clayton died on 29 April 1752. He had no children and the peerage became extinct upon his death. Sundon Hall was inherited by 4 nieces, who sold the property.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sundon, William Clayton, 1st Baron 1671 births 1752 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Barons in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by George II British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 Hereditary peers elected to the House of Commons Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for St Mawes Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Plympton Erle