Philip Pusey

This article is about the agriculturalist and M.P. For the Aramaic scholar, see Philip E. Pusey.
Philip Pusey
Member of Parliament for Berkshire
In office
1835-1852
Member of Parliament for Cashel
In office
1831-1832
Member of Parliament for Chippenham
In office
1830-1831
Member of Parliament for Rye
In office
1830
Personal details
Born(1799-06-25)25 June 1799
Died9 July 1855(1855-07-09) (aged 56)
Political partyTory
Spouse
Emily Herbert
​
(m. 1822)​
Parent
RelativesEdward Pusey (brother)

Philip Pusey (25 June 1799 – 9 July 1855) was a reforming agriculturalist, a Tory Member of Parliament (MP) and a friend and follower of Sir Robert Peel.

Life

Pusey stood for election in Rye at a by-election in 1830 and was originally declared elected,[1][2] but following an election petition he was unseated by an order of the House of Commons[1] on 17 May 1830.[citation needed]

He did not contest Rye at the 1830 general election, when he was elected as a Member for Chippenham.[3] He did not contest Chippenham at the 1831 election, and stood instead in Rye. After riots in the town hall, Pusey agreed to withdraw from the election in return for a guarantee from General De Lacy Evans to protect the peace of the town; Evans won the seat.[1]

Pusey was then returned at an uncontested by-election[4] in July 1831 for the borough of Cashel in Ireland,[5] and held that seat until the 1832 general election, when he stood unsuccessfully in Berkshire.[6] He was elected without a contest[6] for Berkshire at the 1835 general election,[7] and held the seat until he retired from the House of Commons at the 1852 general election.[6]

He was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Berkshire in January 1831,[8] and was nominated as High Sheriff of Berkshire in November 1833[9] and again in November 1834.[10]

Succeeding to the Manor of Pusey in Berkshire in 1828, he built a reputation as a progressive and practical farmer. Disraeli called him "one of the most distinguished country gentlemen who ever sat in the House of Commons".[11] His most notable contribution to farming was the development of a system of using lush water-meadows to support large flocks of ewes and early-maturing lambs. He was an early advocate of the use of earthenware drainpipes for field drainage.[12]

He was one of the founders of the Royal Agricultural Society, and was chairman of the agricultural implement section of the Great Exhibition of 1851. He was a fellow of the Royal Society, a writer on varied topics in the Journal of the Royal Agricultural Society and the translator of the hymn Lord of our Life and God of our Salvation.[13]

Family

The eldest son of Philip Bouverie-Pusey, Pusey was the elder brother of the churchman Edward Bouverie Pusey. He married Lady Emily Herbert, daughter of Henry Herbert, 2nd Earl of Carnarvon, in 1822.

References

  1. ^ a b c Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844–1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 348. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
  2. ^ "No. 18661". The London Gazette. 5 March 1830. p. 461.
  3. ^ "No. 18720". The London Gazette. 24 August 1830. p. 1808.
  4. ^ Brian M. Walker, ed. (1978). Parliamentary election results in Ireland 1801–1922. Dublin: Royal Irish Academy. p. 202. ISBN 0-901714-12-7.
  5. ^ "No. 18828". The London Gazette. 26 July 1831. p. 1505.
  6. ^ a b c Craig, F. W. S. (1989) [1977]. British parliamentary election results 1832–1885 (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 353. ISBN 0-900178-26-4.
  7. ^ "No. 19232". The London Gazette. 23 January 1835. p. 120.
  8. ^ "No. 18814". The London Gazette. 17 June 1831. p. 1193.
  9. ^ "No. 19102". The London Gazette. 15 November 1833. p. 2099.
  10. ^ "No. 19210". The London Gazette. 14 November 1834. p. 2017.
  11. ^ Victoria County History of Berkshire: Pusey, british-history.ac.uk. Accessed 20 January 2023.
  12. ^ Caird, J. (1852) English agriculture in 1850–51 pp. 107–113, cited in the Dictionary of National Biography
  13. ^ "Lord of Our Life and God of Our Salvation". Hymnary.org. Retrieved 26 February 2023.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Rye
1830
With: Richard Arkwright 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Chippenham
1830 – 1831
With: Joseph Neeld 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Cashel
1831 – 1832 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Berkshire
1835 – 1852
With: Robert Palmer 1832–59
John Walter 1832–37
Viscount Barrington 1837–57 		Succeeded by