Family and Education

b. 11 Jan. 1732, 1st s. of Henry Chaytor of Croft Hall, Darlington, Yorks. by Jane, da. and h. of Matthew Smales of Gilling, Yorks. educ. Appleby; Magdalene, Camb. 1750; L. Inn 1753; I. Temple 1755, called 1756. m. Jane Lee of Appleby, 3s. 5da. His bro. Rev. Henry Chaytor, prebendary of Durham m. 1765, Anne, sis. of John Robinson. suc. fa. 9 Feb. 1774.

Offices Held

Bencher, I. Temple 1792, reader 1798, treasurer 1799; mayor, Appleby 1768, 1789, recorder 1793.

Biography

In 1774 Chaytor was returned for Penryn as a Government candidate. In 1780 he was defeated at Penryn but returned for Hedon. In the House he was a regular Government supporter, closely cooperating with Robinson ‘whom’, wrote the Public Ledger in 1779, ‘he assists in counting the House upon late days, and for that purpose usually sits near the Bar’. There is no record of his having spoken in debate. He remained connected with Robinson after Robinson had left office; did not vote on Shelburne’s peace preliminaries, 18 Feb. 1783, but voted for Fox’s East India bill, 27 Nov. Robinson, in a list compiled in the second week of December 1783, counted Chaytor as ‘pro’, and noted against Hedon: ‘Mr. Chaytor is well liked there and very likely will be elected again.’ And a few days later, about securing also the second seat at Hedon:

This to be attended to by sending to Mr. Chaytor in due time and having the proper manager up to town at the moment after the change [of Government].

But on 30 Mar. 1784 George Rose wrote to Robinson that Darell, the second Government candidate, was ‘safe at Hedon, though he had no assistance from Chaytor’.1

In the Parliament of 1784 Chaytor steadily adhered to Pitt. He did not stand in 1790, but on 3 May, shortly before the general election, wrote to Pitt asking for an Irish peerage;2 he claimed to have given all the help he could to Pitt’s friends in co. Durham and Kent.

Chaytor died 15 May 1819.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: I. R. Christie

Notes

• 1. Laprade, 73, 112, 120.
• 2. Chatham ms 122.