LEIGHTON, Charlton (?1747-84), of Wattlesborough, Salop.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, ed. L. Namier, J. Brooke., 1964
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1774 - 8 May 1775
1780 - 9 Sept. 1784

Family and Education

b. ?1747, 1st s. of Sir Charlton Leighton, 3rd Bt., by Anna Maria, da. of Richard Mytton of Halston, nr. Shrewsbury.  educ. Shrewsbury; St. John’s, Camb. 17 Sept. 1763, aged 16. unm. His sis. m. 15 Sept. 1774, John Corbet.  suc. fa. 5 May 1780.

Offices Held

Biography

In 1774 Leighton contested Shrewsbury jointly with Lord Clive and was returned, but unseated on petition. In 1780 he was returned unopposed. He voted consistently with Opposition till the fall of North; voted for Shelburne’s peace preliminaries, 18 Feb. 1783, and was classed by Robinson, March 1783, as ‘country gentleman, Shelburne’. He seems to have been on friendly terms with Lord Carmarthen, and wrote to him, 24 Feb. 1783:1

[I] feel very anxious to know the result of your meeting at Lord Shelburne’s ... The first of your proposals, to unite with the Bedford party, would I have no doubt be practicable, but I do not conceive it would be effectual. The second proposal on the other hand, to join Mr. Fox would be effectual but is not now practicable ... That Parliament is too much at the disposal of Lord North is obvious, but it would be both a desperate and unpopular step to dissolve it ... I have ... one consolation amidst the present changes that Mr. Pitt retires with a character for ability that is only equalled by that for integrity.

He voted for parliamentary reform, 7 May 1783; against Fox’s East India bill, 27 Nov. 1783, and was classed by Robinson, Stockdale, and Adam alike as a follower of Pitt. He was again returned unopposed at the general election, and died 9 Sept. 1784.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: Mary M. Drummond

Notes

  • 1. Add. 38060, f. 23.