Miles Barne (politician born 1718)

Miles Barne (October 1718 – 27 December 1780) was a British land-owner and a Member of Parliament for Dunwich between 1747 and 1754, and again between 1764 and 1777. Born into a family long associated with London merchant circles, Barne accumulated sufficient wealth to purchase an estate in Suffolk and became prominent amongst local freeman. Dunwich in Suffolk, his constituency, was a pocket borough, controlled by the Downing land-owning family; Barne, the local Vanneck family and the freemen of the borough slowly ousted the Downings' influence and Barne established himself as one of the town's new members, which gave his family the seat until it was abolished in the 1832 Reforms.

Early life

Born in October 1718, Barne was the only son of Miles Barne, a London merchant and a Director of the East India Company, and his wife Elizabeth Snowdon, a daughter of Solomon Snowdon of York. The Barne family were based in London and traced their descent from Sir George Barne, a sixteenth century Lord Mayor of London.[1]

Sotterley Hall, the home which Barne purchased in 1744.

Member of Parliament

The family had long been merchants in London and Miles Barne had accumulated enough funds to purchase an country estate in Suffolk which he did, in 1744, buying lands at Sotterley in that county;[2] his 1745 marriage to the heiress of Nathaniel Elwick also secured him an inheritance in Kent, should he have issue.[3]

Meanwhile, the “Rotten Borough” of Dunwich in Suffolk was effectively under the control of the local land-owner (see Pocket Borough), Sir George Downing, 3rd Bt., who attempted to have returned to Parliament his cousin and heir, Sir Jacob Downing, 4th Bt., as the second Member of Parliament for the seat; however, the local freemen disagreed and they asked Miles Barne, who had recently purchased his estate, to stand at the next election as their representative.[4] He was returned in 1747 along with Sir George and was listed as a supporter of the Government, but Sir Jacob was able to reaffirm his control over the borough after Sir George's death in 1749[5] and won back the seat in the following election (1754), when Barne was not returned;[6] however Barne continued to exert influence in the area, being patron of the Parish of Sotterley from 1758,[7] meanwhile Elwick’s death in 1750 also brought his estates to Barne.[8] He promised that, if he were still alive after Downing's death, he would contest the seat again.[9]

When Downing died in 1764, the freemen once again offered the seat to Barne, who agreed with the Vannecks (also a family of former merchants who had purchased a seat in Suffolk) to be joint patrons of the borough, thus ousting the Downing influence.[10] Barne was elected in 1764 and served until 1777, voting infrequently, but usually with the Government, and listed as a friend of the Newcastle and Rockingham ministries; he resigned in 1777, citing ill health.[11] His efforts helped to secure for the Barne family a stake in the seat and four of his sons and a grandson (Frederick Barne) would be returned as members of the seat from that time up to 1832.[12]

Family and later life

He married twice: firstly, in May 1745, to Elizabeth Elwick, daughter and heir of Nathaniel Elwick of Crayford, Kent, a Governor of Madras; she died on 20 September 1747 and Barne married, secondly, on 23 September 1752, Mary Thornhill, a daughter of George Thornhill of Diddington, Huntingdonshire, and his wife Sarah Barne, daughter of John Barne of London and of Kirkby, Lincolnshire.[13]

With his first wife, he had the following children:

With his second wife, he had the following children:

Miles Barne died on 27 December 1780. His estates passed to his eldest son, Miles Barne.[31]

References

Citations

  1. Sedgwick (1970a)
  2. Sedgwick (1970a)
  3. Hasted (1797), p. 274
  4. Sedgwick (1970a)
  5. Sedgwick (1970b)
  6. Brooke (1964)
  7. Suckling (1846), pp. 81-96
  8. Hasted (1797), pp. 275
  9. Drummond (1964)
  10. Drummond (1964)
  11. Drummond (1964)
  12. See the articles of his children: Miles Barne, Barne Barne, Snowdon Barne, Michael Barne; and his grandson, Frederick Barne
  13. Sedgwick (1970a) for details of both marriages, including the names of the wives' fathers ; Watson (1775), p. 196 for the parentage of Miss Thornhill and particulars of her marriage ; see also Burke (1871), p. 1377 for details of the Thornhill family of Diddington.
  14. Burke (1837), p. 141
  15. Ireland (1830), p. 473 ; see also Thorpe (1769), p. 997 ; Burke (1837), p. 141
  16. Burke (1833), p. 141
  17. Burke (1833), p. 141
  18. Burke (1833), p. 141
  19. Foster (1891), p. 62 ; The Gentleman's Magazine (1834, pt. ii), p. 439
  20. The Gentleman's Magazine (1834, pt. ii), p. 439 ; Burke (1833), p. 141
  21. Burke (1833b), p. 392
  22. The Gentleman's Magazine (1834, pt. ii), p. 439 ; The New Monthly Magazine (1835, pt. i), pp. 277-78
  23. "The London Gazette, 1 August 1834, issue no. 19178, p. 1428". Retrieved 19 May 2014.
  24. Burke (1852), p. 1194 ; The Gentleman's Magazine (1851, pt. i), p. 93
  25. Burke (1833), p. 141 ; see also later edition. In the early editions of Burke, his place of residence is spelt "Clyadernon", however, no such place appears to have existed, and it appears this was a misspelling for "Clynderwen" or "Clynderwyn", which is now (2014) administratively in Pembrokeshire, although was traditionally in Carmarthenshire. His death appears in the Gentleman's Magazine, 1819, pt. i, p. 188; he and Sarah had at least one son, John Harding, who matriculated at Cambridge in 1806 and died in 1861, aged 72 (see J. Venn and J.A. Venn, Alumni Cantabrigienses, vol 2, pt. 3, 1947 (2011 ed.) p. 235; this source gives the correct spelling and both parents).
  26. Burke (1833) ; will proved on 28 June 1834 in the Prerogative Court of Canterbury (PROB 11/1832/219), mentioning her nephew Charles Benet Drake-Garrard.
  27. Fisher (1986)
  28. Burke (1833), p. 592
  29. Escott (2009)
  30. Burke (1833), p. 141
  31. Drummond (1964) ; Burke (1833), , p. 141

Bibliography

Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by
Sir George Downing, Bt.
Jacob Downing
Member of Parliament for Dunwich
1747–1754
With: Sir George Downing, Bt. 1747–49
Sir Jacob Downing, Bt 1749–54
Succeeded by
Sir Jacob Downing, Bt
Soame Jenyns
Preceded by
Eliab Harey
Sir Jacob Downing, Bt
Member of Parliament for Dunwich
1762–1777
With: Eliab Harvey 1764-68
Gerard William Vanneck from 1768
Succeeded by
Gerard William Vanneck
Barne Barne