Family and Education

b. ?1722, o.s. of Richard Knollys by his 1st w. Elizabeth, da. and coh. of Humphrey Thayer, commr. of excise.  educ. St. John’s, Oxf. 29 July 1739, aged 17.  m. Apr. 1756. Mary, da. and h. of Sir Robert Kendall Cater of Kempston, Beds., s.p.  cr. Bt. 1 Apr. 1754.

Offices Held

Sheriff, Oxon. 1757-8.

Biography

Knollys was returned for Reading in 1761 after a contest. He was not sent Newcastle’s whip for the opening of the session, and in Bute’s list was classed as ‘Tory’—which was afterwards deleted, ‘Old Whig’ substituted, and the phrase ‘rather a Walpolian’ added in Bute’s hand. In the autumn of 1763, he was classed by Jenkinson as ‘doubtful’. He appears in no division list and there is no record of his having spoken in the House. In Townshend’s list of January 1767 and Newcastle’s of March he is marked as ‘absent’. He did not stand in 1768, and died 29 June 1772.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: John Brooke

Notes