Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth
Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth PC (pronounced "Boscowen")[1] (/bɒsˈkoʊ.ən/ bos-KOH-ən;[2] ca. 1680 – 25 October 1734), was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for Cornish constituencies from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage.[3]
Origins
Boscawen was the eldest son of
Chacewater and Gwennap where he was the principal landowner.[5] The Chacewater mine, now known as Wheal Busy, was located in what was known at the time as "the richest square mile on Earth". During its life, it produced over 100,000 tons of copper ore and 27,000 tons of arsenic.[6] His uncles Hugh Boscawen (1625–1701) and Charles Boscawen
(1627–1689) were also MPs in Cornwall.
Early life
He matriculated as
fellow-commoner at King's College, Cambridge, in 1697.[7] In 1701 he inherited Tregothnan from his uncle, Hugh Boscawen.[8]
Career
Boscawen had absolute control of the parliamentary representation of the boroughs of
Member of Parliament for Tregony from 1702 to 1705, for the county of Cornwall from 1705 to 1710, for Truro from 1710 to 1713, and for Penryn from 1713 until June 1720. In 1720 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Boscawen and Viscount Falmouth, having been for some time discontented at the delay in his advancement to that position. Both before and after the accession of George I
he spent large sums of money in support of Whig principles, and was rewarded on his party's triumph by many valuable offices.
Boscawen was a groom of the bedchamber to
Vice-Treasurer of Ireland
from 1717 until a few months before his death.
Marriage and children
Boscawen married on 23 April 1700 in
Charlotte Clayton Sundon) into obtaining the post for her.[8]
Their children included:
- Anne (1703/4–1749), second daughter who married Sir Cecil Bishopp, 6th Baronet. Her children included: Cecil Bisshopp, 12th Baron Zouche, Harriett Lady Dunce, Anne wife of Hon. Robert Brudenell whose son was 6th Earl of Cardigan; Charlotte Lady Maynard, Frances Lady Warren Maid of honour to Queen Charlotte 1761–4, Catherine Countess of Liverpool, Baroness Hawkesbury among others.
- Hugh Boscawen, 2nd Viscount Falmouth (1707–1782), eldest son
- Edward Boscawen(1711–1761), MP, PC, Admiral, 3rd son.
- George Boscawen(1712–1775), MP, 4th son
- John Boscawen (1714–1767), MP, 5th son.
Death and burial
Boscawen died suddenly at
St Michael Penkivel
.
See also
- A. A. Hanham, 'Boscawen, Hugh, first Viscount Falmouth (c.1680–1734)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, accessed 27 Aug 2007.
References
- ^ Debrett's Peerage, 1968
- ^ Miller, G. M. (1971). BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names. Oxford University Press. p. 18.
- ^ Courtney, William Prideaux (1886). . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
- ^ Foster, Joseph (1882). Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of the British Empire for 1882. Vol. 1. London. p. 273.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - ISBN 9780859894340.
- ^ "Wheal Busy (Chacewater Mine)". Cornwall in Focus. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
- ^ "Boscawen, Hugh (BSCN697H)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
- ^ ISBN 9780118800983.
- ^ The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760. 30 January 1749.
- ^ "BOSCAWEN, William Augustus Spencer (1750-1828), of Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, Mdx. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 7 August 2021.