Arms of Cheyne, Viscount Newhaven: Chequy or and azure, a fesse gules, fretty argent

William Cheyne, 2nd Viscount Newhaven (14 July 1657 – 26 May 1728) was an English Tory politician and peer who sat in the House of Commons of England from 1681 until 1707 when as a viscount in the Peerage of Scotland he was required to sit in the House of Lords.

Life

Cheyne was the son of Charles Cheyne, 1st Viscount Newhaven, and his wife Lady Jane Cavendish, daughter of the first Duke of Newcastle .[1] He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford, on 14 July 1671 aged 14.[2]

In 1681, Cheyne was elected Member of Parliament for Amersham and sat until 1687.[3] He was elected MP for Appleby in 1689 and sat until 1695.[4] In 1696 he was elected MP for Buckinghamshire and held the seat until 1701.[5] In that time he was three times also elected for Amersham, but chose to sit for Buckinghamshire. He succeeded to the title and the estates at Chelsea on the death of his father in 1698.

He was re-elected MP for Buckinghamshire in 1702 and sat until 1705. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire for six months in 1702 until opposed by the Whigs. He was also given the sinecure of Clerk of the Pipe in 1703 which he was able to keep until 1706 in spite of pressure from the Whigs. He was then elected MP for Amersham and sat until 1707 when under the Acts of Union 1707, having a Scottish peerage, he was required to sit in the House of Lords. He nevertheless retained an interest in politics and in 1711 regained his position as Clerk of the Pipe for life and in 1712 was made Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire for the second time, losing the lieutenancy on the succession of King George I in 1714.

In 1712, he sold the estates in Chelsea to Sir Hans Sloane. Cheyne Walk was named after him.[6][7]

After he died, without heir, in 1728 he was buried in Drayton Beauchamp in Buckinghamshire.[8] He was the last of the Cheyne family after whom Chenies in Buckinghamshire is named.

References

  1. ^ Basil Duke Henning The House of Commons, 1660-1690
  2. ^ 'Alumni Oxonienses, 1500-1714: Chaffey-Chivers', Alumni Oxonienses 1500-1714: Abannan-Kyte (1891), pp. 255–273. Date accessed: 6 April 2011
  3. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 1)
  4. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "A" (part 2)
  5. ^ Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "B" (part 6)
  6. ^ The Gentleman's magazine, Volume 108
  7. ^ Henderson, Thomas Finlayson (1887). "Cheyne, Charles" . In Stephen, Leslie (ed.). Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 10. London: Smith, Elder & Co.
  8. ^ St Mary's History
Parliament of England Preceded bySir William DrakeSir Roger Hill Member of Parliament for Amersham 1681–1687 With: Sir William Drake Succeeded bySir William DrakeEdmund Waller Preceded byPhilip MusgraveRichard Lowther Member of Parliament for Appleby 1689–1695 With: Richard Lowther 1689–1690Lord Clifford 1690–1694Sir John Walter, Bt 1694–1695 Succeeded bySir William Twysden, BtSir Christopher Musgrave, Bt Preceded byHon. Thomas WhartonSir Richard Atkins, Bt Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire 1696–1701 With: Sir Richard Atkins, Bt 1696Henry Neale 1696–1698Hon. Goodwin Wharton 1698–1701 Succeeded byHon. Goodwin WhartonRobert Dormer Preceded byEdmund WallerMontagu Drake Member of Parliament for Amersham 1698–1699 With: Sir John Garrard, Bt Succeeded bySir John Garrard, BtJohn Drake Preceded bySir John Garrard, BtJohn Drake Member of Parliament for Amersham 1701 With: Sir Samuel Garrard, Bt 1701John Drake 1701 Succeeded byJohn DrakeSir Samuel Garrard, Bt Preceded byJohn DrakeSir Samuel Garrard, Bt Member of Parliament for Amersham 1701–1702 With: John Drake Succeeded byJohn DrakeSir Samuel Garrard, Bt Preceded byHon. Goodwin WhartonRobert Dormer Member of Parliament for Buckinghamshire 1702–1705 With: Hon. Goodwin Wharton 1702–1704Sir Richard Temple, Bt 1704–1705 Succeeded bySir Richard Temple, BtRobert Dormer Preceded byJohn DrakeSir Samuel Garrard, Bt Member of Parliament for Amersham 1705–1707 With: Sir Samuel Garrard, Bt Succeeded bySir Samuel Garrard, BtJohn Drake Honorary titles Preceded byThe Marquess of Wharton Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire 1702 Succeeded byThe Earl of Bridgewater Preceded byThe Duke of Kent Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire 1712–1714 Succeeded byThe Earl of Bridgewater Peerage of Scotland Preceded byCharles Cheyne Viscount Newhaven 1698–1728 Extinct