ORD, Robert (1700-78), of Newbiggin, Northumb.

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

1734 - 1741
1741 - Sept. 1755

Family and Education

b. 1700, 9th s. of John Ord, solicitor, of Newcastle-upon-Tyne by his 2nd w. Anne, da. of Michael Hutchinson of Lofthouse, nr. Leeds.  educ. L. Inn 1718, called 1724.  m. Oct. 1727, Mary, da. of Sir John Darnell, 1s. 5da.

Offices Held

Sec. to chancellor of the Exchequer Feb. 1742-Dec. 1743; dep. cofferer of the Household Dec. 1743-Dec. 1744; chief baron of the Exchequer [S] 1755-75.

Biography

Ord was a close friend of Henry, 4th Earl of Carlisle, and sat on his interest at Morpeth. In September 1755, with the support of Carlisle and Hardwicke, he was appointed chief baron of the Exchequer in Scotland, which vacated his seat in the House. Ord’s Scottish appointment seems to have borne out Lord Granville’s prediction that he would do ‘great service there, in the political as well as judicial affairs’.1 At the outset he promised Newcastle, who seems to have had some qualms at appointing an Englishman, that he would reside in Scotland and attend assiduously to his duties; and Boswell testifies to the successful performance of this promise:2

This respectable English judge will be long remembered in Scotland, where he built an elegant house, and lived in it magnificently. His own ample fortune, with the addition of his salary, enabled him to be splendidly hospitable ... [He] was on good terms with us all, in a narrow country filled with jarring interests and keen parties.

Ord died 12 Feb. 1778.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: J. B. Owen

Notes

  • 1. HMC Carlisle, 209.
  • 2. Johnson, v. 28.