Family and Education

b. ?1740, 1st s. of Sir Thomas Farnaby, 2nd Bt., by Mary, da. of Rev. Montagu Lloyd. educ. prob. Eton 1747-54.  m. 12 Aug. 1762, Penelope, da. of John Radcliffe of Hitchin Priory, Herts. sis. and coh. of John Radcliffe, wid. of Richard Charlton, London merchant, s.p.  suc. fa. 24 Mar. 1760. Assumed add. name of Radcliffe 1784.

Offices Held

Biography

Farnaby was returned for East Grinstead on the interest of Lord George Sackville, whose politics he followed during this Parliament, voting against the repeal of the Stamp Act, 22 Feb. 1766, and against the higher land tax, 27 Feb. 1767. Newcastle, 2 Mar. 1767, classed him as a friend.

In 1768 Sackville, who claimed a dominant interest at Hythe, and Farnaby jointly contested the borough, but were defeated. In 1769 Farnaby was returned unopposed for Kent in place of John Frederick Sackville, now Duke of Dorset. He no longer followed Lord George’s political lead in Parliament; his only reported votes during this Parliament were with Administration—on Brass Crosby, 27 Mar. 1771, and Wilkes, 26 Apr. 1773, and he was listed as ‘pro, present’ in both Robinson’s surveys on the royal marriage bill, March 1772. Farnaby was classed as ‘pro’ by Robinson in 1774. At the general election that year, and again in 1780 and 1784, he contested Hythe, with ministerial support, and each time topped the poll. Farnaby consistently voted with the Administration till the fall of North, and opposed Shelburne’s peace preliminaries, 18 Feb. 1783. He did not vote on Fox’s East India bill, 27 Nov. 1783. Robinson, in his survey of December 1783, wrote that Farnaby was ‘very steady and always well inclined to support Government’: and Farnaby supported Pitt’s Administration. There is no record of his having spoken during his 25 years in the House before 1790.

He died in Oct. 1798 and was buried on the 20th.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: Mary M. Drummond

Notes