Family and Education

b. ?1740, 2nd but o. surv. s. of John Francis Basset, M.P., by Eleanor, da. of Sir William Courtenay, 2nd Bt., M.P., sis. of Sir William Courtenay, 3rd Bt.. educ. New Coll. Oxf. 22 Nov. 1758, aged 18. unm. suc. fa. 29 Sept. 1757.

Offices Held

Biography

The Bassets of Heanton Court were a junior branch of the Basset family of Tehidy. Francis Basset’s grandfather sat for Barnstaple 1718-21 and his father 1740-1.

Francis Basset’s name appears on the Government side in each of the six divisions 12 Dec. 1781-15 Mar. 1782 for which lists are available; he voted against Shelburne’s peace preliminaries, 18 Feb. 1783; was classed by Robinson in March 1783 as ‘North, doubtful’; voted in favour of Fox’s East India bill; was classed as ‘contra’ by Robinson in January and as ‘Opposition’ in Stockdale’s list of March 1784. He did not stand again at the general election of 1784. There is no record of his having spoken in the House.

He died November 1802.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: Sir Lewis Namier

Notes