Robert Marsham, 1st Baron Romney

Robert Marsham, 1st Baron Romney
Robert Marsham, 1st Baron Romney
Member of Parliament for Maidstone
	In office; 1708–1716
Personal details
Born	17 September 1685
Died	28 November 1724 (aged 39)
Political party	Whig
Spouse	Elizabeth Shovell (m. 1708)
Children	2, including Robert
Parent	Robert Marsham (father);
Relatives	Charles Marsham (grandson); John Marsham (grandfather)
Education	St John's College, Oxford

Robert Marsham, 1st Baron Romney (17 September 1685 – 28 November 1724) of The Mote, Maidstone, known as Sir Robert Marsham, Bt between 1703 and 1716, was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1708 to 1716 when he was raised to the peerage as Baron Romney.

Early life

Marsham was the son of Sir Robert Marsham, 4th Baronet of Bushey Hall, Hertfordshire, and his wife Margaret Bosvile, daughter of Thomas Bosvile of Little Motte, Eynsford, Kent.^[1] His father was a former MP for Maidstone.^[2]^[3] Margaret, granddaughter of Sir Francis Wyatt, was heir to the Wyatt family seat and passed Boxley Manor to her son.^[4] He matriculated at St John's College, Oxford on 9 August 1701, aged 15^[5] and succeeded his father in the baronetcy on 26 July 1703.^[1]

Career

Marsham was appointed as J.P. by February 1707. He was returned in a contest as Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone at the 1708 British general election. He supported the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709, and voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. At the 1710 British general election he was returned again in a contest. He was one of the Members ordered to draft a bill to ascertain the tithe of hops and presented it on 10 May 1710, but it made no further progress. He continually opposed the Tory administration throughout the Parliament, voting against an amendment to the South Sea bill on 15 May 1711, and for the "No Peace Without Spain" motion on 7 December 1711. On 18 June 1713 he voted against the French commerce bill. He was returned again for Maidstone at the 1713 British general election. He was a member of the Hanover Club and voted against the expulsion of Richard Steele on 18 March 1714. When Queen Anne died, he was a signatory to the proclamation of her successor.^[6]

Marsham was returned again at the 1715 British general election. After a short while, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Romney, of Romney in the County of Kent, on 22 June 1716 and vacated his seat in the House of Commons to sit in the House of Lords. He was constituted Lieutenant-governor of Dover Castle in 1717.^[7] In 1723, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.^[8]

The family seat of the Marshams was Mote Park in Kent.^{[citation needed]}

Marriage and children

Romney married Elizabeth Shovell, daughter of Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell, at the Chapel Royal, Whitehall, on 19 August 1708. They had two children:^[9]

Hon Elizabeth Marsham (born 15 August 1711, died 25 September 1782). Married Jacob Bouverie, 1st Viscount Folkestone on 12 April 1741 and had issue.
Robert Marsham, 2nd Baron Romney (born 22 August 1712, died 16 November 1793). Married Priscilla, daughter and heiress of Charles Pym.^[10] The couple had at least five children:
- Charles Marsham, 1st Earl of Romney (28 September 1744 – 1 March 1811).
- Hon. Frances Marsham (b. 2 April 1755).^[11]
- Hon. Chauvel Marsham (b. 22 October 1757).^[12]
- Hon. Jacob Marsham (b. 1 March 1759).^[13]
- Hon. Charlotte Marsham (b. 12 November 1761).^[14]

Romney died on 28 November 1724, aged 39, and was buried in Crayford, Kent. He was succeeded in the barony by his only son, Robert.^[2]

Lady Romney married as her second husband John Carmichael, 3rd Earl of Hyndford and died in November 1750, aged 58.^[15]

References

^ ^a ^b Cokayne, George Edward, ed. (1903), Complete Baronetage volume 3 (1649-1664), vol. 3, Exeter: William Pollard and Co, retrieved 19 July 2019
^ ^a ^b John Burke A General and heraldic dictionary of the peerage and baronetage of the British Empire Volume 2 1832
^ John Preston Neale, Thomas Moule, Views of the seats of noblemen and gentlemen, in England, Wales Volume 2
^ "Allington & Boxley". Archived from the original on 30 November 2012. Retrieved 4 April 2012. Allington & Boxley: a compilation of original sources on Allington Castle and Boxley Abbey. Accessed 2012 April 03.
^ Foster, Joseph. "Mab-Marygold in Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714 pp. 956-982". British History Online. Retrieved 19 July 2019.
^ "MARSHAM, Sir Robert, 5th Bt. (1685-1724), of The Mote, Maidstone, Kent". History of Parliament Online (1690-1715). Retrieved 18 July 2019.
^ "MARSHAM, Sir Robert, 5th Bt. (1685-1724), of the Mote, Maidstone". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 26 January 2017.
^ "Fellow details". Royal Society. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
^ The Peerage.com, entry for 1st Lord Romney
^ "MARSHAM, Hon. Charles (1744-1811), of Maidstone, Kent". History of Parliament Online.
^ The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760. 29 April 1755.
^ The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760. 19 November 1757.
^ The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760. 26 March 1759.
^ The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James in the County of Middlesex Vol. V. 1761-1786. 11 December 1761.
^ thepeerage.com Robert Marsham, 1st Baron Romney

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Thomas Bliss Sir Thomas Culpeper, Bt	Member of Parliament for Maidstone 1708–1716 With: Sir Thomas Culpeper, Bt 1708–1713 Samuel Ongley 1713–1716	Succeeded by Barnham Rider Sir Thomas Culpeper, Bt
Baronetage of England
Preceded by Robert Marsham	Baronet (of Cuckston) 1703 – 1724	Succeeded by Robert Marsham
Peerage of Great Britain
New creation	Baron Romney 1716–1724	Succeeded by Robert Marsham