Hugh Willoughby, 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham
Encyclopedia
Hugh, 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham (1713 – 17 January 1765) was an English nobleman
and hereditary peer
of the House of Lords
. He was born in 1713, the eldest son of Charles Willoughby, 14th Baron Willoughby of Parham
and Hester, daughter of Henry Davenport of Little Lever
and Darcy Lever
, near Bolton
. Hugh Willoughby's father died on 12 June 1715, aged 34, and the infant Hugh Willoughby became the 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham. He could not take his seat in the House of Lords until he reached the age of 21.
or Rivington
in Lancashire around 1 February 1713. After his father's death Hugh Willoughby was placed under the joint guardianship of his mother and Reverend John Walker, the Presbyterian minister of Horwich chapel of ease. His mother, Hester Willoughby married James Walton of Wigan in 1717, soon after the death of her first husband, and under the terms of his will, forfeited joint guardianship.
In 1717, Hugh Willoughby attended Rivington Grammar School
and later Taunton Dissenters' Academy in Somerset where he met a lifelong friend, Israel Mauduit, the political pamphleteer. In 1732, at the age of 18, Hugh Willoughby received the freedom of Dumfries in Scotland.
, descendant of Sir Ambrose Willoughby, and the case was referred to the Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Sir Philip York
(later Lord Hardwicke) championed Hugh Willoughby's cause. As Henry Willoughby awaited his hearing, Hugh Willoughby travelled in Europe and his absence prevented the case being heard. However on his return the case from Henry Willoughby was still not attended to by Hugh Willoughby or the Attorney General.
Hugh Willoughby gained a writ of summons to the House of Lords and took his seat on 1 February 1734 on attaining age of majority, despite a caveat
: his rival's petition was read to the house.
in 1752 and President of the Society of Antiquaries
in 1754. Other positions included Vice-President of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, Trustee for the British Museum
and a Commissioner on the Board of Longitude
. From 1758 until 1762 he was governor at Rivington Grammar School and was a trustee of Blackrod
Grammar School from 1736 although he did not attend meetings. He aided the foundation of the Warrington Academy
.
Hugh Willoughby chaired a committee of the House of Lords a year after taking his seat. Philip Yorke wrote that Willoughby was "eminently useful in the dispatch of the ordinary business" of the Lords, and "had a thorough and accurate knowledge
of the forms and usage of Parliament". He played a significant role in committee work between 1739–40. In 1758, with twenty years' continuous experience, he took over the position of Chairman of Committees of the House of Lords on a temporary basis following the illness of the 8th Earl of Warwick
. By 12 November 1759, he was the permanent Chairman of Committees, a position he held until his death. During his lifetime he had served 58 times as Chair of Committees and served on 227 select committees.
Peerage
The Peerage is a legal system of largely hereditary titles in the United Kingdom, which constitute the ranks of British nobility and is part of the British honours system...
and hereditary peer
Hereditary peer
Hereditary peers form part of the Peerage in the United Kingdom. There are over seven hundred peers who hold titles that may be inherited. Formerly, most of them were entitled to sit in the House of Lords, but since the House of Lords Act 1999 only ninety-two are permitted to do so...
of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He was born in 1713, the eldest son of Charles Willoughby, 14th Baron Willoughby of Parham
Charles Willoughby, 14th Baron Willoughby of Parham
Charles Willoughby, 14th Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English peer of the House of Lords. He married Hester Davenport, daughter of Henry Davenport of Darcy Lever, near Bolton. He had a son Hugh and two daughters, Helena who married Baxter Roscoe of Anglezarke and Elizabeth who married John...
and Hester, daughter of Henry Davenport of Little Lever
Little Lever
Little Lever is a large village within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. Historically a part of Lancashire, it is southeast of Bolton, west of Radcliffe, and west-southwest of Bury....
and Darcy Lever
Darcy Lever
Darcy Lever is a township within the Metropoliton Borough of Bolton in Greater Manchester, England. Historically part of Lancashire, the village lies on the B6209 , between Bolton and Little Lever...
, near Bolton
Bolton
Bolton is a town in Greater Manchester, in the North West of England. Close to the West Pennine Moors, it is north west of the city of Manchester. Bolton is surrounded by several smaller towns and villages which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, of which Bolton is the...
. Hugh Willoughby's father died on 12 June 1715, aged 34, and the infant Hugh Willoughby became the 15th Baron Willoughby of Parham. He could not take his seat in the House of Lords until he reached the age of 21.
Life
Hugh Willoughby was probably born in either HorwichHorwich
Horwich is a town and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is southeast of Chorley, northwest of Bolton and northwest from the city of Manchester. It lies at the southern edge of the West Pennine Moors with the M61 motorway close to the...
or Rivington
Rivington
Rivington is a small village and civil parish of the Borough of Chorley, Lancashire, England, occupying . It is about southeast of Chorley and about northwest of Bolton. Rivington is situated on the fringe of the West Pennine Moors, at the foot of Rivington Pike...
in Lancashire around 1 February 1713. After his father's death Hugh Willoughby was placed under the joint guardianship of his mother and Reverend John Walker, the Presbyterian minister of Horwich chapel of ease. His mother, Hester Willoughby married James Walton of Wigan in 1717, soon after the death of her first husband, and under the terms of his will, forfeited joint guardianship.
In 1717, Hugh Willoughby attended Rivington Grammar School
Rivington and Blackrod High School
Rivington and Blackrod High School is a Church of England, voluntary aided comprehensive and sixth form school in the North West region of England...
and later Taunton Dissenters' Academy in Somerset where he met a lifelong friend, Israel Mauduit, the political pamphleteer. In 1732, at the age of 18, Hugh Willoughby received the freedom of Dumfries in Scotland.
Succession
In 1733, Hugh Willoughby was challenged by a rival claimant to the peerage, Henry WilloughbyHenry Willoughby, 16th Baron Willoughby of Parham
Henry Willoughby, 16th Baron Willoughby of Parham was an English peer of the House of Lords.On the death of Charles Willoughby, 10th Baron Willoughby of Parham, who died without male heir on 9 December 1679, the title should have passed to the descendants of Sir Ambrose Willoughby of Matson,...
, descendant of Sir Ambrose Willoughby, and the case was referred to the Chief Justice of the King's Bench. Sir Philip York
Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke
Philip Yorke, 1st Earl of Hardwicke PC was an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor. He was a close confidant of the Duke of Newcastle, Prime Minister between 1754 and 1756 and 1757 until 1762....
(later Lord Hardwicke) championed Hugh Willoughby's cause. As Henry Willoughby awaited his hearing, Hugh Willoughby travelled in Europe and his absence prevented the case being heard. However on his return the case from Henry Willoughby was still not attended to by Hugh Willoughby or the Attorney General.
Hugh Willoughby gained a writ of summons to the House of Lords and took his seat on 1 February 1734 on attaining age of majority, despite a caveat
Caveat
Caveat , the third-person singular present subjunctive of the Latin cavere, means "warning" ; it can be shorthand for Latin phrases such as:...
: his rival's petition was read to the house.
House of Lords
In his first year he attended the Lords without missing a session. In the years 1735 to 1739, he was noted for his non attendance, then after 1742 attended without fail. In addition to his duties in the Lords he was elected Vice-President of the Royal SocietyRoyal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1752 and President of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
in 1754. Other positions included Vice-President of the Society for the Encouragement of Fine Arts, Trustee for the British Museum
British Museum
The British Museum is a museum of human history and culture in London. Its collections, which number more than seven million objects, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its...
and a Commissioner on the Board of Longitude
Board of Longitude
The Board of Longitude was the popular name for the Commissioners for the Discovery of the Longitude at Sea. It was a British Government body formed in 1714 to administer a scheme of prizes intended to encourage innovators to solve the problem of finding longitude at sea.-Origins:Navigators and...
. From 1758 until 1762 he was governor at Rivington Grammar School and was a trustee of Blackrod
Blackrod
Blackrod is a settlement and civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Bolton, in Greater Manchester, England. It is north-northeast of Wigan and west of Bolton and, according to the United Kingdom Census 2001, has a population of 5,300....
Grammar School from 1736 although he did not attend meetings. He aided the foundation of the Warrington Academy
Warrington Academy
Warrington Academy, active as a teaching establishment from 1756 to 1782, was a prominent dissenting academy, that is, a school or college set up by those who dissented from the state church in England...
.
Hugh Willoughby chaired a committee of the House of Lords a year after taking his seat. Philip Yorke wrote that Willoughby was "eminently useful in the dispatch of the ordinary business" of the Lords, and "had a thorough and accurate knowledge
of the forms and usage of Parliament". He played a significant role in committee work between 1739–40. In 1758, with twenty years' continuous experience, he took over the position of Chairman of Committees of the House of Lords on a temporary basis following the illness of the 8th Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick
Earl of Warwick is a title that has been created four times in British history and is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the British Isles.-1088 creation:...
. By 12 November 1759, he was the permanent Chairman of Committees, a position he held until his death. During his lifetime he had served 58 times as Chair of Committees and served on 227 select committees.