Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth

Not to be confused with Hugh Boscawen.

Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth ( /bɒsˈkoʊ.ən/ bos-koh-ən; ca. 1680 – 25 October 1734) was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for Cornish constituencies from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage.

Life

Boscawen was the eldest son of Edward Boscawen, merchant and Member of Parliament, and his wife Jael Godolphin, daughter of Sir Francis Godolphin. His uncles Hugh and Charles were also MPs in Cornwall. He matriculated as fellow-commoner at King's College, Cambridge in 1697.

Boscawen had absolute control of the parliamentary representation of the boroughs of Tregony and Truro, and he exercised considerable influence on the elections for Penryn. He was elected Member of Parliament for Tregony from 1702 to 1705, for the county of Cornwall from 1705 to 1710, for Truro from 1710 to 1713, and for Penryn from 1713 until June 1720. In 1720 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Boscawen and Viscount Falmouth, having been for some time discontented at the delay in his advancement to that position. Both before and after the accession of George I he spent large sums of money in support of Whig principles, and was rewarded on his party's triumph by many valuable offices.

Boscawen was a groom of the bedchamber to Prince George of Denmark, steward of the duchy of Cornwall and Lord Warden of the Stannaries in 1708, Comptroller of the Household from 1714 to 1720, and joint vice-treasurer of Ireland from 1717 until a few months before his death.

Boscawen died suddenly at Trefusis, in Cornwall, aged 54, and was buried at St Michael Penkivel.

Boscawen married on 23 April 1700 in Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, Charlotte Godfrey elder daughter and coheir of Colonel Charles Godfrey, master of the jewel office and his wife Arabella Churchill. Charlotte died on 22 March 1754, and was also buried at Penkivel. She had wanted to become a lady of the bedchamber to the wife of George II, and tried to bribe Lady Sundon (Charlotte Clayton) into obtaining the post for her.

See also

• A. A. Hanham, ‘Boscawen, Hugh, first Viscount Falmouth (c.1680–1734)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 27 Aug 2007.

References

Parliament of England
Preceded by Francis Robartes Hugh Fortescue	Member of Parliament for Tregony 1702–1705 With: Joseph Sawle	Succeeded by John Trevanion Sir Philip Meadowes
Preceded by Henry Vincent Sir Philip Meadowes	Member of Parliament for Truro 1705 With: Henry Vincent	Succeeded by Henry Vincent Peregrine Bertie
Preceded by James Buller Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bt	Member of Parliament for Cornwall 1705–1707 With: Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bt	Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain
Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Parliament of England	Member of Parliament for Cornwall 1707–1710 With: Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bt 1707–1708 James Buller 1708–1710	Succeeded by George Granville John Trevanion
Preceded by Henry Vincent Robert Furnese	Member of Parliament for Truro 1710–1713 With: Henry Vincent	Succeeded by Thomas Hare William Collier
Preceded by Samuel Trefusis Alexander Pendarves	Member of Parliament for Penryn 1713–1720 With: Alexander Pendarves 1713–1714 Samuel Trefusis 1714–1720	Succeeded by Samuel Trefusis Viscount Rialton
Political offices
Preceded by Viscount Rialton	Lord Warden of the Stannaries 1708–1734	Succeeded by Richard Edgcumbe
Preceded by Sir John Stonhouse, Bt	Comptroller of the Household 1714–1720	Succeeded by Paul Methuen
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation	Viscount Falmouth 1720–1734	Succeeded by Hugh Boscawen