BOUGHEY, Sir John Fenton, 2nd Bt. (1784-1823), of Betley Court, Staffs.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820, ed. R. Thorne, 1986
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1820 - 27 June 1823

Family and Education

b. 1 May 1784, o.s. of Sir Thomas Fletcher, 1st Bt., of Betley Court by Anne, da. and h. of John Fenton of Newcastle-under-Lyme. educ. Christ Church, Oxf. 1803. m. 9 Feb. 1808, Henrietta Dorothy, da. of Sir John Chetwode*, 4th Bt., of Oakley, 11 ch. Took name of Boughey by royal lic. 16 May 1805 on inheriting estates of cos. George Boughey (d.1788) of Audley;1 suc. fa. as 2nd Bt. 14 July 1812.

Offices Held

Capt. commdt. Betley and Audley vols. 1803; lt.-col. N. Staffs militia 1810, lt.-col. commdt. 1813.

Biography

Boughey’s father led the opposition to the 1st Marquess of Stafford’s electoral dominance at Newcastle-under-Lyme from 1790, contesting the borough three times in three years. Boughey himself tried his fortune in 1807 and was narrowly defeated. In 1812 he was returned in second place, defeating the Canningite Wilbraham Bootle. He appeared on the Treasury list as their friend after the election. In 1815 he contrived to have his father-in-law returned as his colleague on a vacancy; they acted alike.

On 2 Mar. 1813 and again (after a leave of absence for assizes) on 24 May, Boughey voted against Catholic relief. He did so again in 1816 and 1817 and expected to commend himself to his constituents thereby. He is not known to have made any speeches in the House. He was in the minority against alteration of the Corn Laws, 10 Mar. 1815, against the civil list, 8 May, against the army estimates, 6 and 8 Mar., and in the majority against the property tax, 18 Mar. 1816. He then took leave for three weeks. He was in the government majority on the civil list on 24 May, but opposed the public revenue bill throughout June 1816. He was in the minority critical of Canning’s appointment to Lisbon, 6 May 1817, and on 20 May voted for Burdett’s motion for a committee on parliamentary reform. He was in the opposition majority against the ducal marriage grant, 15 Apr. 1818. For this he was commended to the Staffordshire Advertiser as ‘the truly independent Member for Newcastle’.2

In 1818 Boughey was defeated at the poll, when the Marquess of Stafford and his allies made a determined effort to regain both seats for Newcastle-under-Lyme. He secured his revenge in 1820, when he was encouraged to stand for the county and Lord Gower abandoned the field to him. He died 27 June 1823, aged 39, leaving 11 children.3

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: R. G. Thorne

Notes

  • 1. Until 1808 he was known as Boughey Fletcher, but subsequently styled himself Boughey only.
  • 2. Staffs. RO, Hatherton diary, 11 May 1818.
  • 3. Gent. Mag. (1823), ii. 375.