Richard Davey (MP)

Richard Davey (12 April 1799 – 24 June 1884) was one of the two MPs for the West Cornwall Constituency for eleven years [1]. He was a JP and a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Cornwall [2][3].

Contents

His family

He was a son of William Davey (d.1827), a solicitor of Redruth and Elizabeth Martyn (b.1756), his wife. His older brother, Stephen (1785–1864) was also a JP and a Deputy Lieutenant of the County. There was another brother, William, who was a solicitor and died in 1849. Stephen and Richard were "adventurers" in the development of Cornish mines, during the boom period. They acquired an ancient manor house and estate at Bochym in Cury [4].

Education

He was educated at Blundell's School and at the University of Edinburgh

Parliamentary service

He was elected to the House of Commons for one of the two seats of West Cornwall at the General Election of 1857, as a Liberal, following the retirement of Sir Charles Lemon. Michael Williams, another Liberal, held the other seat. were elected without opposition on 2 April, John Tremayne, the Conservative, having stood down [1]. He was re-elected for this seat until 1868.

Death

He died 1884 [5], aged 85, unmarried. His nephew, Joshua Sydney Davey (1842–1909), son of Stephen inherited his estate at Bochym in the Parish of Cury[6][7].

References

  1. ^ a b The Times, Saturday, 21 March 1857; pg. 12; Issue 22634; col A and The Times, Wednesday, 1 April 1857; pg. 5; Issue 22643; col E "The Elections".
  2. ^ The Times, Friday, Jun 27, 1884; pg. 10; Issue 31171; col E "Obituary"
  3. ^ Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic Dictionary of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain 1862, p345, "Davey of Redruth".
  4. ^ Bernard Deacon "The reformulation of territorial identity: Cornwall in the late eighteenth and nineteenth centuries", Chapter 5 "Institutionalising Cornwall: the role of a social elite", (Ph.D. thesis for Open University) on Univ. of Exeter online database of research papers: The Exeter Research and Institutional Content archive (ERIC). and Country Life, June 2008: "Gentleman's manor house in Cornwall for sale": "Bochym Manor (rebuilt 1699) has a wealth of architectural details with a stunning drawing room in French Empire style with ornate wall panels and ceiling cornices and stained glass windows, a library with exposed beams and hand-carved Italian walnut linenfold panelling and Jacobean drawing room with very early plaster relief ceiling and English walnut panelling. In all, the Grade II* listed house has 10 bedrooms, seven reception rooms, a staff flat, Gothic farmhouse, 13 cottages, outbuildings, historic landscaped walled and water gardens, bluebell wood and trout river."
  5. ^ The Times, Thursday, Jun 26, 1884; pg. 1; Issue 31170; col A 24 June: "Deaths"
  6. ^ Bochym Manor House and Clock tower, illustrated at this site.
  7. ^ Cornwall Record Office holds archives and papers of the Davey Family for the period 1795 to 1908: Cornwall (Bochym in Cury, etc) estate and mining business accounts and papers and misc Davey family diaries.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by
Michael Williams (MP)
and Charles Lemon
Member of Parliament for West Cornwall
1857–1868
With: Michael Williams (MP) to 1858
John St Aubyn from 1858
Succeeded by
John St Aubyn
and Arthur Vivian