RUSHWORTH, Edward (1755-1817), of Freshwater House and Faringford Hill, I.o.W.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820, ed. R. Thorne, 1986
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1780 - Apr. 1781
1784 - 1790
1790 - Dec. 1790
1796 - Mar. 1797

Family and Education

b. 17 Oct. 1755, 1st s. of Capt. John Rushworth, RN, of Portsea, Hants by Sarah née Mayne. educ. Winchester 1768-70; Trinity, Oxf. 1780. m. 27 Aug. 1780, Catherine, da. of Rev. Leonard (Troughear) Holmes (afterwards Baron Holmes), 8s. 5da. suc. fa. 1780.

Offices Held

Mayor, Yarmouth 1817.

Capt. Freshwater vols. 1798-9.

Biography

As a deacon at Newport, Rushworth married the patron’s daughter and sat for Yarmouth and Newport on his interest, surviving a petition against his return as being in holy orders (1784). He followed his patron’s political line. Although he was returned for Yarmouth in 1790 and in 1796 for both boroughs, in each case he vacated soon afterwards to accommodate his father-in-law’s guests. There is no evidence of any parliamentary activity, except that on 6 Dec. 1796 he took a month’s leave for private business. He died 15 Oct. 1817, ‘much esteemed for the independence of his character and for his intellectual endowments. He was a gentleman of pure and virtuous principles, steadily and zealously attached to the establishment in Church and State, and eminently distinguished for a sense of duty in every relation of life.’

Gent. Mag. (1818), i. 282.

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: R. G. Thorne

Notes