Sir Cholmeley Dering, 4th Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir Cholmeley Dering, 4th Baronet (23 June 1679 – 9 May 1711) was an English politician
and duellist
.
He was the eldest son of Sir Edward Dering, 3rd Baronet
of Surrenden in Pluckley
, Kent
by Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Cholmeley, 2nd Baronet of Whitby
, Yorkshire
. Cholmeley Dering was ten years old when he succeeded his father as baronet
in 1689.
On 17 July 1704 he was married to Mary, only child of Edward Fisher of Mitcham
, merchant, and of his wife Ellen, daughter of Richard Norton; Dering's widowed mother and grandmother both died that year. Mary herself was to die in 1707 aged only 20, perhaps as a result of the birth of their younger son Cholmeley.
Sir Cholmeley was the fourth successive head of the family to be MP
for Kent
. He was elected in 1705 to Queen Anne's second parliament, which would prove to be the last Parliament of England and the first of Great Britain
. He retained the seat at the following Parliament
in 1708.
Sir Cholmeley was dining with others at an inn near Hampton Court on 7 May 1711 when he became involved in an argument with Richard Thornhill; they came to blows and in the ensuing struggle Dering kicked out several of Thornhill's teeth. Their companions broke up the fight, but Thornhill afterwards sent Dering a note challenging him to a duel at Tothill Fields in Westminster
on the morning of the 9 May. The duel was with pistols, both being fired but only Dering was hit and he died soon after. Thornhill was tried for murder
but convicted of the lesser offence of manslaughter
, in light of the original provocation.
The incident is recorded by Jonathan Swift
in his Journal to Stella and was alluded to by Richard Steele
in The Spectator
. Thornhill was murdered on Turnham Green
on 20 August the same year, by two men who allegedly invoked Dering's name as they killed him.
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
and duellist
Duel
A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two individuals, with matched weapons in accordance with agreed-upon rules.Duels in this form were chiefly practised in Early Modern Europe, with precedents in the medieval code of chivalry, and continued into the modern period especially among...
.
He was the eldest son of Sir Edward Dering, 3rd Baronet
Sir Edward Dering, 3rd Baronet
Sir Edward Dering, 3rd Baronet was an English Member of Parliament and baronet.He was the eldest son of Sir Edward Dering, 2nd Baronet of Surrenden Dering in Pluckley, Kent and his wife Mary Harvey, a composer and niece of Dr...
of Surrenden in Pluckley
Pluckley
Pluckley is a village and civil parish in the Ashford District of Kent, United Kingdom. It is located close to the North Downs, and is approximately 5 miles west of Ashford...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
by Elizabeth, daughter of Sir William Cholmeley, 2nd Baronet of Whitby
Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the...
, Yorkshire
Yorkshire
Yorkshire is a historic county of northern England and the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its great size in comparison to other English counties, functions have been increasingly undertaken over time by its subdivisions, which have also been subject to periodic reform...
. Cholmeley Dering was ten years old when he succeeded his father as baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1689.
On 17 July 1704 he was married to Mary, only child of Edward Fisher of Mitcham
Mitcham
Mitcham is a district in the south west area of London, in the London Borough of Merton. A suburban area, Mitcham is located on the border of Inner London and Outer London. It is both residentially and financially developed, well served by Transport for London, and home to Mitcham Town Centre,...
, merchant, and of his wife Ellen, daughter of Richard Norton; Dering's widowed mother and grandmother both died that year. Mary herself was to die in 1707 aged only 20, perhaps as a result of the birth of their younger son Cholmeley.
Sir Cholmeley was the fourth successive head of the family to be MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Kent
Kent (UK Parliament constituency)
Kent was a parliamentary constituency covering the county of Kent in southeast England. It returned two "knights of the shire" to the House of Commons by the bloc vote system from the year 1290...
. He was elected in 1705 to Queen Anne's second parliament, which would prove to be the last Parliament of England and the first of Great Britain
1st Parliament of Great Britain
The first Parliament of the Kingdom of Great Britain was established in 1707, after the merger of the Kingdom of England and the Kingdom of Scotland. No fresh elections were held in England, and the existing members of the House of Commons of England sat as members of the new House of Commons of...
. He retained the seat at the following Parliament
2nd Parliament of Great Britain
The 2nd Parliament of Great Britain was the first to actually be elected, as the 1st Parliament of Great Britain was drawn from the former Parliament of England and Parliament of Scotland....
in 1708.
Sir Cholmeley was dining with others at an inn near Hampton Court on 7 May 1711 when he became involved in an argument with Richard Thornhill; they came to blows and in the ensuing struggle Dering kicked out several of Thornhill's teeth. Their companions broke up the fight, but Thornhill afterwards sent Dering a note challenging him to a duel at Tothill Fields in Westminster
Westminster
Westminster is an area of central London, within the City of Westminster, England. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, southwest of the City of London and southwest of Charing Cross...
on the morning of the 9 May. The duel was with pistols, both being fired but only Dering was hit and he died soon after. Thornhill was tried for murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
but convicted of the lesser offence of manslaughter
Manslaughter
Manslaughter is a legal term for the killing of a human being, in a manner considered by law as less culpable than murder. The distinction between murder and manslaughter is said to have first been made by the Ancient Athenian lawmaker Dracon in the 7th century BC.The law generally differentiates...
, in light of the original provocation.
The incident is recorded by Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift
Jonathan Swift was an Irish satirist, essayist, political pamphleteer , poet and cleric who became Dean of St...
in his Journal to Stella and was alluded to by Richard Steele
Richard Steele
Sir Richard Steele was an Irish writer and politician, remembered as co-founder, with his friend Joseph Addison, of the magazine The Spectator....
in The Spectator
The Spectator (1711)
The Spectator was a daily publication of 1711–12, founded by Joseph Addison and Richard Steele in England after they met at Charterhouse School. Eustace Budgell, a cousin of Addison's, also contributed to the publication. Each 'paper', or 'number', was approximately 2,500 words long, and the...
. Thornhill was murdered on Turnham Green
Turnham Green
Turnham Green is a public park situated on Chiswick High Road, Chiswick, London. It is separated in two by a small road. Christ Church stands on the eastern half of the green. A war memorial stands on the eastern corner...
on 20 August the same year, by two men who allegedly invoked Dering's name as they killed him.