Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe (7 June 1664–21 May 1741), styled The Honourable Henry Dawnay between 1681 and 1695, was an English Tory politician.
Dawnay was the son of John Dawnay, 1st Viscount Downe, by his second wife Dorothy, daughter of William Johnson, of Wickham, Lancashire.[1] He succeeded his father as Member of Parliament for Pontefract in 1690, a seat he held until 1695.[2] The latter year he also succeeded his father in the viscountcy. However, as this was an Irish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in the English House of Lords (although it did entitle him to a seat in the Irish House of Lords).[1] He was consequently eligible for election to the English House of Commons and in 1698 he was returned as one of two Knights of the Shire for Yorkshire, a seat he held until 1701 and again between 1707 and 1727.[3]
Lord Downe married Mildred, daughter of William Godfrey, of Thornock, Lincolnshire, in 1685. She died in August 1725. Downe remained a widower until his death in May 1741, aged 76. He was succeeded in the viscountcy by his grandson, Henry, his son the Honourable John Dawnay having predeceased him.[1]
| Parliament of England | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by The Viscount Downe Sir Thomas Yarburgh |
Member of Parliament for Pontefract 1690–1695 With: Sir John Bland, Bt |
Succeeded by William Lowther Robert Monckton |
| Preceded by Sir John Kaye, Bt The Lord Fairfax of Cameron |
Member of Parliament for Yorkshire 1698–1701 With: The Lord Fairfax of Cameron |
Succeeded by The Lord Fairfax of Cameron Sir John Kaye, Bt |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by The Marquess of Hartington The Lord Fairfax of Cameron |
Member of Parliament for Yorkshire 1707–1727 With: Conyers Darcy 1707–1708 Sir William Strickland, Bt 1708–1710 Sir Arthur Kaye, Bt 1710–1727 Cholmley Turner 1727 |
Succeeded by Cholmley Turner Sir Thomas Watson-Wentworth |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by John Dawnay |
Viscount Downe 1695–1741 |
Succeeded by Henry Pleydell Dawnay |