George Byng (1764–1847)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/58/George_Byng_%281764-1847%29_in_1820.jpg/220px-George_Byng_%281764-1847%29_in_1820.jpg)
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b3/Brayley%281820%29_p5.105_-_Wrotham_Park%2C_Middlesex.jpg/220px-Brayley%281820%29_p5.105_-_Wrotham_Park%2C_Middlesex.jpg)
George Byng DL JP (17 May 1764 – 10 January 1847), of Wrotham Park in Middlesex (now Hertfordshire), and of Wentworth House, 5, St James's Square, London,[2] was a British Whig politician.
Origins
[edit]He was the eldest son and heir of George Byng (1735-1789) (eldest son of Robert Byng (1703-1740), third son of Admiral George Byng, 1st Viscount Torrington (1663-1733)[3][4]) of Wrotham Park, by his wife Anne Conolly, a daughter of William Conolly (d.1754), of Stratton Hall, Staffordshire and of Castletown, co. Kildare,[5] a Member of Parliament. Anne's mother was Lady Anne Wentworth, a daughter of Thomas Wentworth, 1st Earl of Strafford (1672–1739). His younger brother was Field Marshal John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford (1772-1860),[4] elevated to the peerage in 1847 with the same territorial designation as the earldom of his maternal cousins, which earldom had become extinct in 1799.
Career
[edit]He was educated at Göttingen University from 1780[6] where he studied under Georg Christoph Lichtenberg. Byng was returned to Parliament for Middlesex in 1790, a seat he held until his death 57 years later.[7] During his early years he was an associate of Charles James Fox.[8] Between 1832 and 1847 he was Father of the House of Commons. He was offered a peerage in order to increase the Whig majority in the House of Lords prior to the 1832 Reform Act, but refused.[8] He was also a Deputy Lieutenant and Justice of the Peace for Middlesex.[9]
Marriage
[edit]In 1797 he married Harriet Montgomery, a daughter of Sir William Montgomerie, 1st Baronet, of Macbie Hill, Peebles,[2] but had no children.[8]
Death and succession
[edit]He died on 10 January 1847,[2] aged 82. His heir was his younger brother, Field Marshal John Byng, 1st Earl of Strafford (1772-1860), elevated to the peerage in the same year.
References
[edit]- ^ "The Building". 5 St James's Square. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ a b c "BYNG, George (1764-1847), of Wrotham Park and 5 St. James's Square, Mdx". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ MPs for Twickenham and Middlesex: Bankers and Politicians Archived 14 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine. The Twickenham Museum (2003-11-07). Retrieved on 2010-12-30.
- ^ a b John Burke Genealogical and heraldic history of the commoners of Great Britain and Ireland enjoying territorial possessions or high official rank: but uninvested with heritable honours, Colburn, 1836, p. 14
- ^ "CONOLLY, William (d.1754), of Stratton Hall, Staffs. and Castletown, co. Kildare". The History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
- ^ 22. September 1780, stud. math., Anglus
- ^ "THE HOUSE OF COMMONS CONSTITUENCIES BEGINNING WITH "M"". leighrayment.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ a b c Wrotham Park and its History Archived 27 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Londonopenhouse
- ^ "Biographies of Honorary (Unpaid) Lunacy Commissioners 1828–1912. Francis Thornhill Baring MA MP". Archived from the original on 4 August 2008. Retrieved 28 May 2009.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link), A Middlesex University resource
External links
[edit]- 1764 births
- 1847 deaths
- Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
- Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies
- UK MPs 1801–1802
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