Arms of Boscawen: Ermine, a rose gules barbed and seeded proper

Hugh Boscawen, 1st Viscount Falmouth PC (pronounced "Boscowen")[1] (/bɒsˈkoʊ.ən/ bos-KOH-ən;[2] ca. 1680 – 25 October 1734), was an English Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons for Cornish constituencies from 1702 until 1720 when he was raised to the peerage.[3]

Origins

Boscawen was the eldest son of Edward Boscawen (1628–1685), MP and merchant, by his wife Jael Godolphin, daughter of Sir Francis Godolphin (d. 1667). The Boscawens are an ancient Cornish family. His grandfather Hugh Boscawen (fl. 1620) of Tregothnan was thirteenth in descent from a certain Henry de Boscawen.[4] He derived a huge income from his copper mines at Chacewater and Gwennap where he was the principal landowner.[5] The Chacewater mine, now known as Wheal Busy, was located in what was known at the time as "the richest square mile on Earth". During its life, it produced over 100,000 tons of copper ore and 27,000 tons of arsenic.[6] His uncles Hugh Boscawen (1625–1701) and Charles Boscawen (1627–1689) were also MPs in Cornwall.

Early life

Tregothnan House, in 1880. Published in Morris, Rev. F. O. Picturesque Views of Seats of Noblemen & Gentlemen of Great Britain & Ireland, London, 1880

He matriculated as fellow-commoner at King's College, Cambridge, in 1697.[7] In 1701 he inherited Tregothnan from his uncle, Hugh Boscawen.[8]

Career

Boscawen had absolute control of the parliamentary representation of the boroughs of Tregony and Truro, and he exercised considerable influence on the elections for Penryn. He was elected Member of Parliament for Tregony from 1702 to 1705, for the county of Cornwall from 1705 to 1710, for Truro from 1710 to 1713, and for Penryn from 1713 until June 1720. In 1720 he was raised to the peerage as Baron Boscawen and Viscount Falmouth, having been for some time discontented at the delay in his advancement to that position. Both before and after the accession of George I he spent large sums of money in support of Whig principles, and was rewarded on his party's triumph by many valuable offices.

Boscawen was a groom of the bedchamber to Prince George of Denmark, steward of the duchy of Cornwall and Lord Warden of the Stannaries in 1708, Comptroller of the Household from 1714 to 1720, and joint Vice-Treasurer of Ireland from 1717 until a few months before his death.

Marriage and children

Boscawen married on 23 April 1700 in Henry VII's Chapel, Westminster Abbey, Charlotte Godfrey elder daughter and coheir of Colonel Charles Godfrey, master of the jewel office and his wife Arabella Churchill. Charlotte died on 22 March 1754, and was also buried at Penkivel. She had wanted to become a lady of the bedchamber to the wife of King George II, and tried to bribe Lady Sundon (Charlotte Clayton Sundon) into obtaining the post for her.[8] Their children included:

Death and burial

Boscawen died suddenly at Trefusis, in Cornwall, aged 54, and was buried at St Michael Penkivel.

See also

References

  1. ^ Debrett's Peerage, 1968
  2. ^ Miller, G. M. (1971). BBC Pronouncing Dictionary of British Names. Oxford University Press. p. 18.
  3. ^ Courtney, William Prideaux (1886). "Boscawen, Hugh" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 5. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  4. ^ Foster, Joseph (1882). Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage of the British Empire for 1882. Vol. 1. London. p. 273.((cite book)): CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  5. ^ Kain, Roger; Ravenhill, William, eds. (1999). Historical atlas of South-West England. University of Exeter Press. p. 293. ISBN 9780859894340.
  6. ^ "Wheal Busy (Chacewater Mine)". Cornwall in Focus. Archived from the original on 28 January 2010. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
  7. ^ "Boscawen, Hugh (BSCN697H)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  8. ^ a b Cruickshanks, Eveline (1970). "Boscawen, Hugh (c.1680-1734)". In Sedgwick, Romney (ed.). The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1715-1754. London: HMSO. ISBN 9780118800983.
  9. ^ The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760. 30 January 1749.
  10. ^ "BOSCAWEN, William Augustus Spencer (1750-1828), of Half Moon Street, Piccadilly, Mdx. | History of Parliament Online". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. Retrieved 7 August 2021.
Parliament of England Preceded byFrancis RobartesHugh Fortescue Member of Parliament for Tregony 1702–1705 With: Joseph Sawle Succeeded byJohn TrevanionSir Philip Meadowes Preceded byHenry VincentSir Philip Meadowes Member of Parliament for Truro 1705 With: Henry Vincent Succeeded byHenry VincentPeregrine Bertie Preceded byJames BullerSir Richard Vyvyan, Bt Member of Parliament for Cornwall 1705–1707 With: Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bt Succeeded byParliament of Great Britain Parliament of Great Britain Preceded byParliament of England Member of Parliament for Cornwall 1707–1710 With: Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bt 1707–1708James Buller 1708–1710 Succeeded byGeorge GranvilleJohn Trevanion Preceded byHenry VincentRobert Furnese Member of Parliament for Truro 1710–1713 With: Henry Vincent Succeeded byThomas HareWilliam Collier Preceded bySamuel TrefusisAlexander Pendarves Member of Parliament for Penryn 1713–1720 With: Alexander Pendarves 1713–1714Samuel Trefusis 1714–1720 Succeeded bySamuel TrefusisViscount Rialton Political offices Preceded byViscount Rialton Lord Warden of the Stannaries 1708–1734 Succeeded byRichard Edgcumbe Preceded bySir John Stonhouse, Bt Comptroller of the Household 1714–1720 Succeeded byPaul Methuen Peerage of Great Britain New creation Viscount Falmouth 1720–1734 Succeeded byHugh Boscawen
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