Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet
Encyclopedia
Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet, KB
(1685–1749) was a politician and, through a donation in his will, the founder of Downing College, Cambridge
.Gordon Goodwin, ‘Downing, Sir George, third baronet (1685–1749)’, rev. Philip Carter, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
The son of Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet
, he was a Member of Parliament
for the pocket borough of Dunwich
, Suffolk
in the parliaments of 1710 and 1713. He lost the 1715 election but, with the aid of a 99-year lease from George I
for the borough, regained the seat in 1722. He held the seat from that time until his death.
He was an uninspiring politician, but remained loyal to the ministries of Robert Walpole
and subsequently Henry Pelham
. In 1732, as a result of his loyalty, he was created a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Upon his death, his title passed to his cousin, Sir Jacob Downing, 4th Baronet, with his will providing that if his line should die out, his fortune should be used to found a college at Cambridge University. Sir Jacob Downing died childless in 1764, but his widow, Lady Downing, argued that Downing's fortune should pass to her. This case was tied up in litigation for decades before the courts finally ordered that the fortune should be used to found a college at Cambridge, which occurred with the founding of Downing College, Cambridge
in 1800.
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
(1685–1749) was a politician and, through a donation in his will, the founder of Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
.Gordon Goodwin, ‘Downing, Sir George, third baronet (1685–1749)’, rev. Philip Carter, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004
The son of Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet
Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet
Sir George Downing, 2nd Baronet, of East Hatley was the son and heir of Sir George Downing, 1st Baronet.His father worked as Teller of the Receipt of the Exchequer from 1660 until 1684. In 1680, the younger George Downing joined his father as a Teller of the Receipt of the Exchequer, holding that...
, he was a Member of Parliament
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 the pocket borough of Dunwich
Dunwich (UK Parliament constituency)
Dunwich was a parliamentary borough in Suffolk, one of the most notorious of all the rotten boroughs. It elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1298 until 1832, when the constituency was abolished by the Great Reform Act....
, Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
in the parliaments of 1710 and 1713. He lost the 1715 election but, with the aid of a 99-year lease from George I
George I of Great Britain
George I was King of Great Britain and Ireland from 1 August 1714 until his death, and ruler of the Duchy and Electorate of Brunswick-Lüneburg in the Holy Roman Empire from 1698....
for the borough, regained the seat in 1722. He held the seat from that time until his death.
He was an uninspiring politician, but remained loyal to the ministries of Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole
Robert Walpole, 1st Earl of Orford, KG, KB, PC , known before 1742 as Sir Robert Walpole, was a British statesman who is generally regarded as having been the first Prime Minister of Great Britain....
and subsequently Henry Pelham
Henry Pelham
Henry Pelham was a British Whig statesman, who served as Prime Minister of Great Britain from 27 August 1743 until his death in 1754...
. In 1732, as a result of his loyalty, he was created a Knight Companion of the Order of the Bath.
Upon his death, his title passed to his cousin, Sir Jacob Downing, 4th Baronet, with his will providing that if his line should die out, his fortune should be used to found a college at Cambridge University. Sir Jacob Downing died childless in 1764, but his widow, Lady Downing, argued that Downing's fortune should pass to her. This case was tied up in litigation for decades before the courts finally ordered that the fortune should be used to found a college at Cambridge, which occurred with the founding of Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College, Cambridge
Downing College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1800 and currently has around 650 students.- History :...
in 1800.