James Lowther MP (bef. 1736 - 1802)

Born before 5 Aug 1736 in Westmorland, England [uncertain]

Ancestors

Died 24 May 1802 after age 65 in Lowther Hall, Westmorland, England

Biography

James Lowther MP is Notable.

James Lowther, eldest surviving son of Robert Lowther of Maulds Meaburn in Westmorland, formerly Governor of Barbados, and his wife, Katherine Pennington, was born on 5 August 1736 according to most sources. ^{[1][2] [3] [4]} However there is a baptismal record at Crosby Ravensworth in Westmorland giving the 5th of August as his baptismal date^[5] which suggests that he might have been born days, or even weeks, earlier.

His father died in 1745 and, while still a child James inherited estates in Cumberland and Barbados.^[3] In 1751 he inherited estates and the baronetcy of his second cousin, Sir Henry, 3rd Viscount Lonsdale. ^[3] It was thus as Sir James Lowther Bart. that he went up to Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1752.^[3]Apparently he did not graduate.^[4] Then, on 15 April 1756, Sir William, 3rd Baronet Lowther of Marske, died childless. ^[6] Sir William had inherited the enormous fortune of Sir James 4th Baronet Lowther of Whitehaven, entailed to James should William die childless. ^[7]Aged 20 James was in control of a fortune estimated at £2,000,000^[3]and was considered to be the richest commoner in England.^[1]

As a teenager James had already evinced a desire to control Parliamentary representation in his home county having contested with Lord Tufton the control of Appleby ^[3] in breach of an agreement reached between Sackville Tufton and the 3rd Viscount Lonsdale for their lives under which no attempt would be made by either to upset the balance of power in Appleby. Each of them would put up one member. ^[8] By the time James made his move both parties to the agreement were dead. His candidates were defeated at the election but James challenged the result in the Commons only backing down when the King, George II, suggested compromise. ^[1]At the cost of some £50,000 he had made himself master of Cockermouth.^[3]

James was himself returned to Parliament for the first time in 1757 as member for Cumberland. ^[3]By 1861 he controlled 8 Parliamentary seats.^[1] It was situations such as this that led eventually to the Reform Act of 1832, abolishing "rotten boroughs" (those with too few electors to justify a Parliamentary seat) and "pocket boroughs" (those in the control of powerful patrons). ^[9]

In 1755 Henry Fox had tried to broker a marriage between James and Lady Elizabeth Spencer, daughter of the Duke of Marlborough which came to nothing. On 7 September 1761 James married Lady Mary Stuart, daughter of John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute and his wife, Mary Wortley-Montagu. They had no children. ^[3][4][2] The marriage was not happy and after about 15 years James and Mary separated.^[1] With the seats James controlled he had high expectations of obtaining whatever he wanted which expectation only increased when his father-in-law became Prime Minister on 26 May 1672. ^[10] In 1781 he was responsible for the return of the young William Pitt as member for Appleby.^[11]However James was personally unpopular, his motives and methods always in question, and on 24 May 1784 he was created Earl of Lonsdale removing him from the House of Commons. Later, realising that he had no personal heir he sought and obtained the Viscountcy of Lowther in 1797 with a special remainder to his cousin, Sir William Lowther.^[3]

Apart from women and politics he took an interest in manufacturing, introducing the use of steam engines in his collieries and establishing a manufactory for carpets and stockings in the town of Whitehaven.^[4] He was not an easy master, exacting all he could from his tenants and workforce and evincing a reluctance to pay his bills. He never paid his solicitor, John Wordsworth, who had worked for him from 1763 until Wordsworth's death in 1783.^[12]

James died 24 May 1802 ^[3] at Lowther Hall. ^[4]16,000 guineas in bags were found after he died. ^[4] He was buried at Lowther ^[1]and probate was granted on 13 June 1802.^[13]

Research notes

James had many mistresses and one in particular upset him so much by her death that he refused to let her be buried. When her corpse began to putrefy it was placed in a glass coffin shut in a cupboard. She was eventually buried in Paddington cemetery.^[12] Note that the story is unsourced on Wikipedia and is questionable.

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5} Oxford Dictionary of National Biography Lowther, James, earl of Lonsdale (1736–1802) J. V. Beckett
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1} Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900, Volume 34 Lowther, James by George Fisher Russell Barker‎
3. ↑ ^{3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10} History of Parliament online: LOWTHER, Sir James, 5th Bt. (1736-1802), of Lowther, nr. Penrith, Westmld
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5} Venn Cambridge Alumni: Lowther, Sir James Bart
5. ↑ Baptismal record Crosby Ravensworth (5 August 1736 James Lowther son of Robert Lowther) Viewed at Ancestry. Text only
6. ↑ History of Parliament online: LOWTHER, Sir William, 3rd Bt. (c.1727-56), of Marske, Yorks. and Holker, Lancs
7. ↑ History of Parliament online: LOWTHER, Sir James, 4th Bt. (c.1673-1755), of Whitehaven, Cumb
8. ↑ History of Parliament online: TUFTON, Sackville (1688-1753), of Newbottle, Northants
9. ↑ Wikipedia: Reform Act 1832
10. ↑ Wikipedia: John Stuart, 3rd Earl of Bute
11. ↑ History of Parliament online: PITT, Hon. William (1759-1806)
12. ↑ ^{12.0 12.1} Wikipedia: James Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale
13. ↑ The Will of the right Honourable James Earl of Lonsdale 1802

See also:

• Centre for the Study of the Legacies of British Slavery: James Lowther 1st Earl of Lonsdale