Courthorpe Clayton

Lt. Col. Courthorpe Clayton (c. 1706 – 22 March 1762) was an Anglo-Irish soldier, courtier and Member of Parliament for Mallow.^[1]

Family

He was the son of Laurence Clayton of Mallow and his second wife Anne, daughter of Sir Peter Courthorpe of Little Island. On 6 August 1745, he married Theodosia, daughter of Edward Buckworth; they had one daughter. Courthorpe lived at Annabella near Mallow in County Cork and at Shepherd's Bush in Middlesex.

Soldier

Commissioned as an Ensign in the Coldstream Guards in 1725, he transferred to the Royal Horse Guards as a Cornet in 1727 and became a Lieutenant in the 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards in 1731. In 1751 he was promoted to Major and in 1756 to Lieutenant-Colonel.

Courtier

In 1726 Courthorpe was appointed an

from 1732 to 1734 and 1757 to 1760. In January 1761 he was granted a pension of £500 a year.

Member of Parliament

He was elected to the

in 1754 but is not known to have ever spoken or voted.

References

• The
  History of Parliament, The House of Commons, 1754-1790: Members A-J, p. 218 (online version
  )