PEACH HUNGERFORD, John (1719-1809), of Dingley Hall, Northants., nr. Market Harborough, Leics.

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

12 Jan. 1775 - 1790

Family and Education

b. 1719, o.s. of John Hungerford of Combe Bassett, Wilts. by St. John, da. and coh. of Sir John Topp, 2nd Bt., of Tormarton, Glos.; she m. (2) Thomas Peach of Dingley Hall. unm.  suc. fa. c.1723; step-fa. 1770 and took name of Peach before Hungerford.1

Offices Held

Biography

In 1775 Hungerford stood as an independent against William Pochin, the Rutland candidate, and was returned after a fierce and expensive contest. In Parliament he followed his own individual line; and voted with the Opposition over Wilkes, 22 Feb. 1775, the civil list debts, 16 Apr. 1777, and America, 2 Feb. 1778. Robinson marked him as ‘contra, present, friend’ over the contractors bill, 12 Feb. 1779; he again voted with the Opposition for an account of pensions, 21 Feb. 1780, and on Dunning’s motion, 6 Apr., but with Administration on the motion against prorogation, 24 Apr. Robinson, in his pre-electoral survey of July, noted that Hungerford was ‘most generally with except upon very popular questions’, and marked him as ‘hopeful’.

At the general election of 1780, and again in 1784, he was returned unopposed for Leicestershire on a compromise between the two county interests. He voted with Administration on Lowther’s motion against the war, 12 Dec. 1781, and on both Conway’s motions against the war, 22 and 27 Feb. 1782, but with Opposition on Cavendish’s censure motion, 8 Mar., and Rous’s no confidence motion, 15 Mar. He voted against Shelburne’s peace preliminaries, 18 Feb. 1783; did not vote on parliamentary reform, or on Fox’s East India bill, but in January 1784 was classed by Robinson as ‘very hopeful’ and in both Stockdale’s list of 19 Mar. and Adam’s of May 1784 as an Administration supporter. He voted for Pitt’s parliamentary reform proposals, 18 Apr. 1785, and supported him during the Regency crisis. There is no record of his having spoken in the House. He did not stand in 1790.

Hungerford died 3 June 1809.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: I. R. Christie

Notes

  • 1. Sir R. C. Hoare, Hungerfordiana, 28.