STANWIX, John (1693-1766), of Carlisle, Cumb.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, ed. L. Namier, J. Brooke., 1964
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1741 - 26 Jan. 1742
1746 - 1761
1761 - Oct. 1766

Family and Education

bap. 19 Mar. 1693,1 s. of Rev. John Roos, rector of Widmerpool, Notts. by Matilda, da. of Thomas Stanwix.  m. (1) Ann Holmes (d. 17 Mar. 17542), 1s. 1da.; (2) 20 Apr. 1763,3 a da. of Marmaduke Sowle of Dublin. suc. to estates of his uncle Thomas Stanwix, M.P., and took name of Stanwix 1725.

Offices Held

Ensign 1706, lt. 1706; capt. 28 Ft. 1722; maj. 10 Marines 1741; lt.-col. 71 Ft. 1745; half pay 1749; gov. Carlisle 1752- d.; dep. q.m.g. 1754-6; col. 1756; col. comm. 60 Ft. 1756-61; brig.-gen. (America) 1757; maj.-gen. 1759; col. 49 Ft. 1761-4; lt.-gov. I.o.W. 1763- d.; col. 8 Ft. 1764- d.

Biography

Stanwix was connected with the Lowthers and had a strong personal interest at Carlisle: he was governor of the garrison, an alderman, and mayor in 1763. He was returned in 1754 without a contest. From 1754 to 1760 he served with his regiment in America. In 1761 he stood again for Carlisle, when Sir James Lowther tried to carry both Members, but withdrew on the second day of the poll. He was returned by Lowther for his pocket borough, Appleby.

Stanwix had been lieutenant-colonel of the regiment of foot raised by the Duke of Rutland during the ‘45’; in 1754 Dupplin classed him as of the Rutland group, and in 1761 Newcastle sent him the whip via Rutland. In Bute’s list he was marked ‘Lowther’, ‘Government’, and ‘Army’, and he was classed by Henry Fox in December 1762 as a supporter of the peace preliminaries. Following his patron Lowther, he supported the Grenville Administration, but did not vote against the repeal of the Stamp Act.

On 29 Oct. 1766, ‘having passed the whole summer in reviewing the troops in Ireland’,4 he embarked with his wife and daughter at Dublin for Holyhead. The ship was lost without survivors. His son died in America in 1756.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: John Brooke

Notes

  • 1. ‘Pedigree of the family of Stanwix’, Portland mss.
  • 2. Gent. Mag. 1754, p. 142.
  • 3. Ibid. 1763, p. 201.
  • 4. Ibid. 1767, p. 164.