Family and Education

s. of Joseph Carr, merchant, of Newcastle; nephew of Sir Ralph Carr, M.P., merchant, and of William Carr, M.P., both of Newcastle.

Offices Held

Mayor of Newcastle 1724 and 1737.

Biography

Admitted to the Newcastle companies of Merchant Adventurers in December 1721 and Hostmen in March 1722, Carr was returned as a Whig for Newcastle in that year. Shortly before the election in 1727 he applied to the Duke of Newcastle on behalf of a prominent local Whig who had killed a Tory in a brawl:

I have undertaken to solicit in favour of this man at the request of several hundred of the better sort of people, who are electors of Members of Parliament in this place and well affected to his Majesty and government. The Jacobites and non-jurors have made a party affair of it and would with utmost satisfaction see me defeated in this attempt. And I beg leave to assure your Lordship that a more obliging thing could not happen to the friends of the government in this place in general than favour for the prisoner. I earnestly beg your Lordship to ask his Majesty’s pardon for him which I am willing to hope your Lordship will procure, and send before the day of our election in this place ... where I am candidate in opposition to a party who espouse a man [Sir William Blackett] who if he succeeds will never vote as I have had the pleasure to do in the last Parliament.

Though the pardon was granted,1 Carr was heavily defeated but he was returned on petition 18 months later, after Blackett’s death, in circumstances described by George Liddell:

Mr. Carr had no opposition ... so that by disqualifying 605 he had a majority of 23. I think there was scarce anybody believed the witnesses.2

He stood unsuccessfully in 1734 and again in 1741. He died 16 May 1742.

Ref Volumes: 1715-1754

Author: Eveline Cruickshanks

Notes

• 1. SP Dom. 36/3, ff. 11, 59-60.
• 2. E. Hughes, N. Country Life in 18th Cent. 279.