Family and Education

b. c.1644, 2nd s. of John Farington† of Chichester by Anne, da. of John May of Lavant, Suss.  m. (1) lic. 28 Feb. 1671, aged 27, Elizabeth, da. of William Marlott of Itchingfield, Suss., 3s. d.v.p.; (2) lic. 24 May 1687, Elizabeth (d. c.1739), da. and h. of John Peachey of Eartham, Suss., s.p.  cr. Bt. 17 Dec. 1697.1

Offices Held

Sheriff, Suss. 1696–7.

Biography

Some four generations of Faringtons had lived in Chichester, which both Farington and his father had represented under Charles II. Described during the Restoration period as a ‘fanatic’ in religion, Farington had been a supporter of Monmouth in 1683 and was arrested on Monmouth’s invasion 1685. He may have been a Whig ‘collaborator’ in 1687–8, which would possibly explain his defeats at Chichester in 1690 and 1695, even though on the latter occasion he enjoyed the support of a local magnate, the Earl of Tankerville. Farington did eventually succeed: having married his eldest son to the daughter of local Tory Sir Thomas Miller* in 1697, he stood successfully in the 1698 election with Miller’s son, John. Queried as a Court supporter in a comparative list of the old and new Parliaments of about September 1698, he in fact voted for the disbanding bill on 18 Jan. 1699, although in the next session an analysis of the House of early 1700 listed him in the Junto interest. It is not known whether he stood in the first general election of 1701, but he was certainly defeated in the second.2

Farington returned to Parliament for Chichester in 1708 after a local agreement had been made between the parties, in which Farington had been involved on the Whig side, to avoid future contests. He was marked as a Tory in a list of 1708 with the returns added, though possibly in error due to his absence from the Commons for some years, but his political position may in general have become less clear for he was classed as both supporting and opposing the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in different lists from 1710. Otherwise he was not particularly active inthe House. He was given leave for one month on 16 Dec. 1709. The 1707 agreement having broken down, Farington was obliged to contest Chichester in 1710 and did so successfully. Although classified as a Tory in the ‘Hanover list’, if he had temporarily flirted with Toryism Farington had by this time returned to his earlier politics, voting for the Whig candidates in the county election, and for the motion of ‘No Peace without Spain’ on 7 Dec. 1711. He was given leave of absence on 18 Mar. 1712 for the recovery of his health. On 18 June 1713 he voted against the French commerce bill. He was defeated at Chichester in 1713 but was returned in 1715 when he was classed as a Whig in a comparative analysis of the 1713 and 1715 Parliaments. Thereafter he voted consistently with the Whigs until his death on 7 Aug. 1719.3

Ref Volumes: 1690-1715

Author: Paula Watson

Notes

• 1. Vis. Suss. (Harl. Soc. lxxxix), 44; J. Comber, Suss. Gens. Horsham, 220; PCC 7, 183 Browning.
• 2. Dorm. and Extinct Baronetcies, 192.
• 3. East Suss. RO, Danny MS 2188, Suss. poll 1710.