Henry Fane of Wormsley

Henry Fane (16 October 1703 – 31 May 1777), of Wormsley near Watlington, Oxfordshire, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1757 to 1777.

Portrait of Henry Fane by Thomas Gainsborough, c. 1750

Early life

Fane was the third son of Henry Fane (1669–1726) of Brympton and Anne Scrope, sister of John Scrope of Wormsley.[1] His grandfather was Francis Fane, a Restoration dramatist[2] He was appointed one of the chief clerks of the Board of Treasury in 1742 and held the post until July 1764. In 1756 he was appointed a clerk of the Privy Council.[1]

Political career

Fane followed a long line of Fanes as Members of Parliament for Lyme Regis, the family's pocket borough, inherited from John Scrope. At times this provided the Fanes with up to two MPs at the same time. Fane's two brothers Thomas and Francis represented Lyme Regis in Parliament. Following the death of Francis, Fane was returned unopposed as MP for Lyme Regis at a by-election on 13 June 1757. He was returned unopposed again at the 1761 general election. On 16 May 1764 he resigned his post as clerk to the Privy Council, apparently in frustration at receiving no further advancement through the political system. He was returned unopposed again at the general elections in 1768 and 1774. Throughout his career he supported the administration.[1]

Family and later life

Fane died on 31 May 1777.[1]

On 17 July 1735,[3] Henry Fane married Charlotte Rowe, only daughter of Nicholas Rowe, Esq. the Poet Laureate. She died in 1739, at twenty-three, and was buried in Westminster Abbey. They had a daughter, Charlotte, who married Sir William St. Quintin of Harpham in Yorkshire, 15 May 1758. She died on 17 April 1762, and is buried at Harpham.[2][4]

Fane married for the second time on 20 May 1742. He married Anne Wynne, daughter of Dr. John Wynne, late bishop of Bath and Wells, with whom he had one daughter, Mary, who on 27 November 1765, married Sir Thomas Stapleton, of Grey's-court in Oxfordshire, Bart, (see Stapleton baronets), and was mother of Lord le Despencer (see Baron le Despencer).[2][5]

Fane married his third wife, Charlotte Luther, in September 1748. She was the daughter of Richard Luther, of Miles (Myles's) near Ongar in Essex, Esq. who died 18 April 1758, and sister of John Luther. She was buried at Lewknor. They had a daughter who died an infant and four sons:[2]

  • Henry Fane, died 4 January 1759, aged eight years, and is buried at Lewknor;
  • John Fane (1751–1824), a member of parliament for Oxfordshire;
  • Francis Fane (5 December 1752 – 10 November 1813),[6] a member of parliament for Dorchester;
  • Richard Fane, died 28 March 1759, buried at Lewknor.

References
  1. "FANE, Henry (1703-77), of Wormsley, nr. Watlington, Bucks". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 21 November 2017.
  2. Collins & Brydges 1812, p. 303
  3. commemorated, for example, by a magnificent George Wickes soup tureen, 1737, 16.5 inches (42 cm) long, and 142 ounces in weight. With Fane bull crest as handles and the arms of Fane impaling Rowe. (The Collection of the late John Fane, Dreweatt's, Donnington Priory, Newbury, 26 November 2009: sold for £24,000 against an estimate of £30–50,000: 'An important George II silver oval tureen and cover by George Wickes, London 1737, on four lion-mask and claw and ball capped feet, the handles cast as the crest of Fane (a bull's head), the body applied with cast amorials of Fane and Rowe within rococo cartouches, the stepped and domed lid with cast and applied the crests of Fane in rococo cartouches and classical heads within rococo shell and foliate decoration on textured backgrounds, the cast scroll handle with highly stylised lion mask, paw and leaf decoration, fully hallmarked on the lid and body, scratch weight 151 oz 3d, 42cm (18.5in) long, 4035g (129.7oz). The Garrard Ledgers in The Victoria & Albert Museum Archives Library show the following entry in George Wickes' accounts: 'Henry Fane 4 August 1737 'Turreen & cover' (sic) 131ozs .10; cost £55.0s.0d.'. The accounts state that Henry Fane paid for the tureen 20 August 1737, in cash the sum of £57. 15s., which included other work carried out. The castings of the handles on this tureen had been used by Wickes on an earlier tureen for Lord North in 1735. Another tureen, made for Frederick, Prince of Wales in 1743, employed the same cast handle and lion masks and paw feet. Similar handle and feet castings were later used by Paul de Lamerie on a tureen of 1751. Literature: Barr, E. 'George Wickes', Studio Vista/Christie's, 1980, p 123, 151 and 154 for illustrations of the tureens made by Wickes for Lord North and Frederick, Prince Of Wales').'
  4. Bindoff 1982, p. 412
  5. The Gentleman's magazine, Volume 150, p. 465
  6. The Register of Births & Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster Vol. IV. 1741-1760. 31 December 1752.

Additional Reading
  • Bindoff, Stanley T.; et al. (1982). The House of Commons: 1509 – 1558 ; 3, Members N – Z. Vol. 4. Boydell & Brewer, 1982. ISBN 0-436-30420-1.
  • Collins, Arthur; Brydges, Egerton (1812). Collins's Peerage of England; Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical. Vol. 3. F. C. and J. Rivington, Otridge and son.
Attribution
  • Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Collins's Peerage of England; Genealogical, Biographical, and Historical" by Arthur Collins

Further reading

Anonymous (1825). "Fane, John". The Annual biography and obituary. Vol. 9. London: Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown. pp. 414, 415.

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