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PULTENEY, WILLIAM, 1ST EARL OF BATH, son of Col. William Pulteney, Misterton, Leics., and his first wife Mary Floyd; nephew of John Pulteney (qv); b. 22 Mar 1684; adm.; Christ Church, Oxford, matr. 31 Oct 1700; Grand Tour (Italy) 1704-5; MP Hedon 1705-34, Middlesex 1734 – 14 Jul 1742; Secretary at War 25 Sep 1714 – 11 Apr 1717; one of the committee of secrecy concerning the peace negotiations Apr 1715; Privy Councillor 16 Jul 1716; one of the “three grand allies”; declined peerage in lieu of office 1721; Cofferer of the Household 28 May 1723 – Apr 1725, dismissed after quarrel with Walpole; alled himself with Bolingbroke and wrote for The Craftsman; joined Wyndham and became a “patriot”; author of pamphlet On the State of the National Debt, 1727; quarrelled with John Hervey, Lord Hervey (qv), with whom he fought a duel in Green Park 25 Jan 1731; leader of the parliamentary opposition to Walpole; struck off the Privy Council 1 Jul 1731; refused to form a ministry on Walpole’s downfall, but entered Lord Wilmington’s Cabinet without office and was readm. to Privy Council 20 Feb 1742; created Earl of Bath 14 Jul 1742; his acceptance of a peerage diminished his political significance; lampooned by Sir Charles Hanbury Williams in a series of odes; endeavoured to form an administration at George II’s request, and accepte post of First Lord of the Treasury 10 Feb 1746, but his short-lived ministry only lasted two days, and he never held political office again; Lord Lieut., Yorkshire East Riding 7 Dec 1721 – 15 Jul 1728, Shropshire from 13 Jul 1761; a brilliant parliamentary orator and great debater; a scholar and a versatile and witty writer; gave £50 towards the New Dormitory; m. 27 Dec 1714 Anna Maria, dau. of John Gumley MP, Isleworth, Middlesex, Commissary-Gen. to the Army; d. 7 Jul 1764. Buried Islip Chapel, Westminster Abbey. DNB.

ROSE, GEORGE, second son of Rev. David Rose, Lethnot, Forfarshire, nonjuring clergyman, and his second wife Margaret, dau. of Donald Rose, Westerclunie [check county]; b. 17 Jun 1744; at school under Markham (Diaries and Correspondence of the Right Hon. George Rose, 1860, i, 8-9); entered Royal Navy; served as midshipman in expedition to St. Malo 1758 and in West Indies, twice wounded in action; left navy 1762; Clerk in Record Office of Exchequer; Deputy Chamberlain, Exchequer 20 May 1774 – Feb 1783; Surveyor of Green Wax Moneys 21 Jul 1775; superintended the printing of the Journals and Rolls of the House of Lords; Secretary to the Treasury Jul 1782 – Apr 1783, Dec 1783 – Mar 1801; Clerk of the Pleas, Court of Exchequer Jan 1784 – Feb 1797; MP Launceston 1784 – Jun 1788, Lymington 1 Jul 1788-90, Christchurch from 1790; Clerk of the Parliaments, House of Lords, from Jun 1788; Privy Councillor 13 Jan 1802; Vice-Pres., Board of Trade, and Joint Paymaster-Gen., 7 Jul 1804 – Feb 1806; Vice-Pres., Board of Trade, and Treasurer of the Navy 15 Apr 1807-12; Treasurer of the Navy from 1812; Trustee, British Museum, from 1804; an intimate friend and political follower of William Pitt; of considerable financial ability; author, The Proposed System of Trade with Ireland Explained, 1785, and other publications chiefly on financial subjects; his Diaries and Correspondence were published in 1860; m. 7 Jul 1769 Theodora, dau. of Maj. John Duer, Antigua, West Indies, and Fulham, Middlesex; d. 13 Jan 1818. DNB.

RUSSELL, JOHN, 1ST EARL RUSSELL, third son of John Russell, 6th Duke of Bedford (qv), and his first wife; b. 18 Aug 1792; adm. 23 Sep 1803 (G); fag to his brother Lord Tavistock; kept a diary while at the School, including a list of the School for Oct 1803; left Bartholomewtide 1804; Edinburgh Univ. 1809-12; MP Tavistock 4 May 1813 – Mar 1817, 1818-20, Huntingdonshire 1820-6, Bandon Bridge 19 Dec 1826-30, Tavistock 24 Nov 1830-1, Devon 1831-2, South Devon 1832 – Apr 1835, Stroud 29 May 1835-41, City of London 1841- 30 Jul 1861; made his first speech in favour of parliamentary reform 14 Dec 1819; successfully moved repeal of the Test and Corporation Acts 26 Feb 1828; Privy Councillor 22 Nov 1830; Paymaster-Gen. of the Forces 13 Dec 1830 – Nov 1834, also member of Cabinet Jun 1831 – Nov 1834; moved first reading of Reform Bill 31 Mar 1831; introduced Reform Bill for second time 24 Jun 1831, and for third time 12 Dec 1831; advocated reform of the Irish Church 1833-4; leader of Whigs in House of Commons Apr 1835 onwards; Secretary of State for Home Affairs 18 Apr 1835 – Aug 1839; carried through the Municipal Corporations Bill, and diminished the number of offences liable to capital punishment; Secretary for War and the Colonies 30 Aug 1839 – Aug 1841; declared for total repeal of the Corn Laws in his Edinburgh Letter of 22 Nov 1845, and supported their repeal by Peel in 1846; Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury 6 Jul 1846 – Feb 1852; carried the bill for removing Jewish disabilities through the House of Commons 1848, and responsible for the Ecclesiastical Titles Bill of 1851; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in Aberdeen ministry Dec 1852 – Feb 1853, when he resigned but remained in Cabinet without office and continued to lead the House of Commons; Lord President of the Council 12 Jun 1854 – Jan 1855, resigning because of his dissatisfaction with the conduct of the Crimean War; Plenipotentiary to Vienna Congress 11 Feb 1855; Secretary of State for the Colonies 1 May – 13 Jul 1855; opposed Disraeli’s Reform Bill of 1859; Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs 18 Jun 1859 – Nov 1865; the Reform Bill introduced by him on 1 Mar 1860 was subsequently dropped; created Earl Russell 30 Jul 1861; KG 21 May 1862; Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury 6 Nov 1865 – 18 Jun 1866, resigning on defeat of his Government’s Reform Bill by the ‘Adullamites”; declined Cabinet office in Gladstone’s administration formed in Dec 1868; received freedom City of London 9 Jul 1831; LLD Edinburgh Univ. 8 Nov 1845; FRS 6 May 1847; Lord Rector, Aberdeen Univ., from 1863; GCMG 25 Mar 1869; Busby Trustee 2 Jun 1863; a sincere and able Whig with the courage of his opinions, and a store of constitutional and historical knowledge; although no orator, a skilful debater and creator of telling phrases; edited Letters of the Fourth Duke of Bedford, 1842-6; author, Essay on the English Constitution, and other works; m. 1st, 11 Apr 1835 Adelaide, widow of Thomas Lister, 2nd Baron Ribblesdale (qv), and half-sister of Thomas Henry Lister (qv); m. 2nd, 20 Jul 1841 Lady Frances Anna Maria Elliot, second dau. of Gilbert Elliot, 2nd Earl of Minto; d. 28 May 1878. DNB.

GERMAIN, GEORGE, 1ST VISCOUNT SACKVILLE, third son of Lionel Cranfield Sackville, 1st Duke of Dorset (qv); b. 26 Jan 1715/6; adm. Apr 1723; in school list 1731; Trinity Coll. Dublin, adm. nob. 3 Aug 1731; BA 1733; MA 1734; MP (I) Portarlington 1733-61; called to Irish bar 1734; Clerk of the Privy Council (I) from 1737; entered army as Capt., The Carabiniers 11 Jul 1737; Lieut. -Col., 28th Foot 19 Jul 1740; distinguished himself at battle of Fontenoy May 1745, at which he was wounded and taken prisoner; Col. in the Army 1 Jun 1745; Col., 20th Foot, 9 Apr 1746 – Nov 1749, 12th Dragoons, 1 Nov 1749 – Jan 1750, Carabineers 10 Jan 1750 – Apr 1757; Maj. -Gen., 22 Feb 1755; Col., 2nd Dragoon Guards 5 Apr 1757 – 10 Sep 1759; Lieut. -Gen. of the Ordnance 22 Dec 1757- Sep 1759; Lieut. -Gen., 27 Jan 1758; second-in-command, St. Malo expedition 1758; Commander-in-Chief, British Forces serving with allied army under Prince Ferdinand of Brunswick, 1758; disobeyed Prince Ferdinand’s orders to lead cavalry in pursuit of the French at the battle of Minden 1 Aug 1759, and dismissed the service 10 Sep 1759; a subsequent court-martial requested by him found him guilty of disobedience to orders and adjudged him “unfit to serve His Majesty in any military capacity whatever”, 5 Apr 1760; MP Dover 1741-61, Hythe 1761-8, East Grinstead 1768 - 11 Feb 1782; Chief Secretary for Ireland Dec 1750 - Apr 1755; Privy Councillor (I) 19 Jan 1751, struck off list 5 May 1760; Privy Councillor (GB) 27 Jan 1758, struck off list 25 Apr 1760, restored 20 Dec 1765; Joint Vice-Treasurer for Ireland 1765-6; assumed surname of Germain in lieu of Sackville by Act of Parliament 16 Feb 1770, having inherited Drayton estate in Northamptonshire from Lady Elizabeth Germain; fought a duel with Capt. George Johnstone MP in Hyde Park Dec 1770; Chief Commissioner of Trade and Foreign Plantations 10 Nov 1775 - Nov 1779; Secretary of State for the Colonies 10 Nov 1775 – 10 Feb 1782; created Viscount Sackville 11 Feb 1782; DL Sussex 1762; m. 3 Sep 1754 Diana, second dau. of John Sambrooke, and niece of Sir Jeffreys Sambrooke, Bart.; d. 26 Aug 1785. DNB.

SHIPPEN, WILLIAM, second son of Rev. William Shippen DD, Rector of Stockport, Lancs.; bapt. 30 Jul 1673; adm.; KS 1688; elected to Trinity Coll. Cambridge 1691, adm. pens. 26 Jun 1691, aged 18, scholar 8 Apr 1692, matr. 1691/2; BA 1694/5; adm. Middle Temple 23 Nov 1693, called to bar 19 May 1699; MP Bramber 29 Dec 1707 – 15 Jan 1709, 8 Dec 1710-3, Saltash 1713-5, Newton (Lancs. ) from 1715; wrote satirical verses against the Whigs 1708; a Commissioner of Public Accounts and for stating Army Debts 1711-4; a prominent member of the “October Club”; opposed the offer of a reward for the apprehension of the Pretender 1714; sent to the Tower for drawing attention to George I’s ignorance of “our language and constitution” 4 Dec 1718; became one of the recognised Jacobite leaders in the House of Commons; moved the reduction of the Civil List 1727; opposed Walpole’s excise scheme 1733; refused to vote for the removal of Walpole 1741; “Downright” Shippen was more remarkable for his courage and incorruptibility than for any superior eloquence or talent; a pioneer of constitutional opposition in the House of Commons; lic. to m. 17 Jul 1712 Frances, sister of Bertram Stote (qv); d. 1 May 1743. DNB.

TOOKE, JOHN HORNE, third son of John Horne, Newport Street, Westminster, poulterer, and Elizabeth --- (IGI); b. 25 Jun 1736; at school in 1744 (DNB); at Eton Coll. 1746-53; St. John’s Coll. Cambridge, adm. sizar 12 Jan 1753/4, matr. Mich. 1754, scholar; BA 1758; MA 1771; adm. Inner Temple 9 Nov 1756, left 9 Feb 1759; Usher at a school at Blackheath; ordained deacon (Canterbury) 23 Sep 1759, priest (Salisbury) 23 Nov 1760; Perpetual Curate of St. Lawrence, New Brentford, Middlesex 26 Sep 1760-73; author of pamphlet, The Petition of an Englishman, 1765, violently defending John Wilkes; supported Wilkes at Middlesex election 1768; fined £400 by Lord Mansfield for libelling George Onslow, but the verdict was set aside on appeal 17 Apr 1771; formedthe Society for supporting the Bill of Rights 1771; quarrelled with Wilkes and formed the Constitutional Society 1771; became unpopular and burnt in effigy by the mob Jul 1771; resigned living 1773; summoned to bar of House of Commons for a violent attack on the Speaker in the Public Advertiser 1774; fined and imprisoned for publishing in the newspapers an appeal for subscriptions for the American colonists 1778; wished to resume legal career, but was refused call to the bar 8 Jun 1779, on the ground that he was still in holy orders; joined Society for Constitutional Information 1780; assumed additional surname of Tooke at request of his friend William Tooke, Purley, Surrey; contested Westminster 1790 and 1796; tried for high treason before Chief Justice Eyre 5-22 Nov 1794, but acquitted; MP Old Sarum 14 Feb 1801-2; in consequence of his return, an Act was passed declaring clergymen ineligible for election in the future; a learned philologist and a staunch upholder of public justice and popular rights; author, Epea Pteroenta, or the Diversions of Purley, 1786-1805, and other works; d. 18 Mar 1812. DNB.

VANE, SIR HENRY, eldest son of Sir Henry Vane, Kt MP, Treasurer of the Household and Secretary of State, Hadlow, Kent, and Raby Castle, co. Durham, and Frances, dau. of Thomas Darcy, Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Essex; bapt. 26 May 1613; at schoool under Osbaldeston (Wood, Athenae Oxon., iii, 578); became a puritan at age of 15; Magdalen Hall, Oxford, adm. fellow commoner, aged 16, but did not matr., as he objected to taking the oath; went to New England to obtain freedom of worship 1635; Governor of Massachusetts 1636-7; became entangled in doctrinal controversies and returned to England; Joint Treasurer of the Navy Jan 1639- Dec 41; MP Hull 1640-53; knighted 23 Jun 1640; showed Pym his father's notes of Strafford's advice to Charles I at the Council meeting of 5 May 1640; one of the originators of the bill for the abolition of episcopacy 1641; one of the committee appointed to vindicate the privileges of Parliament on the arrest of the five members; a leader of the war party in the House of Commons; Treasurer of the Navy (for Parliament) Aug 1642 - Dec 1650; conducted the negotiations with the Scots 1643; the virtual leader of the House of Commons after Pym's death; proposed and carried the establishment of the Committee of both Kingdoms 1644; one of the Parliamentary Commissioners at Uxbridge 1645; rejected Charles I’s overtures in 1644 and 1646; a Commissioner to treat with the army at Wycombe 1647; distrusted by the Presbyterians and the Levellers; took no part in Charles I’s trial; member of Council of State 14 Feb 1649; active member of the government 1649-53; a Commissioner for settling Scottish affairs 1651; quarrelled with Cromwell over the expulsion of the Long Parliament 1653; retired to Lincolnshire and refused a seat in the Little Parliament; imprisoned at Carisbrooke Castle as a result of the publication of his book Healing Question, propounded and resolved, 1656; MP Whitchurch in Richard Cromwell’s Parliament; assisted in the abolition of the Protectorate; Commissioner of the Navy and manager of foreign affairs in the restored Long Parliament; unsuccessfully endeavoured to reconcile Parliament and the army; became distrusted by all parties; expelled from the House of Commons 9 Jan 1660; partially excluded from the Act of Indemnity; imprisoned in the Tower of London, and subsequently transported to the Scilly Isles; tried for high treason in Court of King’s Bench, and sentenced to death 11 Jun 1662; an able statesman of enormous industry, but although his devotion to the public service and his freedom from corruption were well known, his religious enthusiasm and his subtlety in speculative matters exposed to him to the charge of being a fanatic and an unscrupulous schemer; author, The Retired Man’s Meditations, 1655, and other works; m. 1 Jul 1640 Frances, dau. of Sir Christopher Wray, Bart., Barlings, Lincs.; executed on Tower Hill 14 Jun 1662. DNB.

WHITWORTH, SIR CHARLES, eldest son of Francis Whitworth (qv); bapt. St. Andrew, Holborn 26 Jun 1721 (IGI); adm. (aged 8) Jun 1730; left 1738; adm. Lincoln’s Inn 1738 [check]; MP Minehead 1747-61, Bletchingley 1761-8, Minehead 1768-74, East Looe 14 Oct – Dec 1774, Saltash from 3 Jan 1775; Lieut. -Governor, Gravesend and Tilbury, from Aug 1758; Chairman, Committee of Ways and Means, House of Commons, from May 1768; knighted 19 Aug 1768; FSA 9 Nov 1758; author, A Collection of the Supplies and Ways and Means from the Revolution to the present Time, 1764, and other works; m. 29 May 1749 Martha, eldest dau. of Richard Shelley, Chairman, Board of Stamps; d. 22 Aug 1778. DNB.

WILLIAMS-WYNN, CHARLES WATKIN, brother of Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn, Bart. (adm. 1784, qv); b. 9 Oct 1775; adm. 23 Mar 1784; Christ Church, Oxford, matr. 24 Dec 1791, Canoneer Student 23 Dec 1791 – void 23 Jun 1805; BA 1795; MA 1798; DCL 1810; adm. Lincoln’s Inn 21 Apr 1795, called to bar 26 Nov 1798, Bencher 30 Jan 1835; MP Old Sarum 29 Jul 1797 – Mar 1799, Montgomeryshire from 14 Mar 1799 (“father” of the House of Commons from 1846); Under-Secretary, Home Office 19 Feb 1806 – Oct 1807; defeated by Manners-Sutton in contest for the Speakership 2 Jun 1817; he had entered politics as a member of the parliamentary group that followed his uncle Lord Grenville, and when the Grenvillites separated themselves from their Whig allies in 1818-9 he sought to form a third party in the House of Commons, but thereafter acted with the Tories, except for a brief period in 1830-1 when he held office in Earl Grey’s incoming Whig government; Privy Councillor 17 Jan 1822; President, Board of Control 8 Feb 1822 – Feb 1828; Secretary at War Nov 1830 – Apr 1831, also member Board of Control; Chancellor, Duchy of Lancaster 26 Dec 1834 – Apr 1835; member, Society of Dilettanti 1805; President, Royal Asiatic Society 1823-41; FRS 24 May 1827; FSA; while at school Wynn assisted Robert Southey (qv) and Grosvenor Charles Bedford (qv) in the production of The Flagellant Mar – Apr 1792; remained an intimate friend of Southey, to whom he made an allowance for some years; took a keen interest in the School, and offered an Indian Writership for competition among the boys in 1826 and 1829; Busby Trustee 15 Jun 1829; author, An Argument upon the Jurisdiction of the House of Commons to commit in Cases of Breach of Privilege, 1810; m. 9 Apr 1806 Mary, eldest dau. of Sir Foster Cunliffe, Bart.; d. 2 Sep 1850. DNB.

WILLIS, BROWNE, son of Thomas Willis, Bletchley, Bucks. , and Alice, eldest dau. of Robert Browne, Frampton, Dorset; b. 14 Sep 1682; at school under Knipe (Lipscomb, Buckinghamshire iv, 12); Christ Church, Oxford, matr. 23 Mar 1699/1700; MA 1720; DCL 1749; adm. Inner Temple 10 Feb 1699/1700; MP Buckingham 3 Dec1705-8; an industrious and learned antiquary; FSA 1718; author of published histories of various English and Welsh cathedrals, also of Notitia Parliamentaria, 1715, and other works; m. 1707 Katharine, only child of Daniel Eliot, Port Eliot, Cornwall; d. 5 Feb 1760. DNB.