CALVERT, Sir William (?1703-61), of Mount Mascal, nr. Bexley, Kent

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, ed. L. Namier, J. Brooke., 1964
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

13 July 1742 - 1754
18 Mar. 1755 - 1761

Family and Education

b. ?1703, 3rd s. of William Calvert of Furneaux Pelham, Herts. by his 1st cos. Honor, da. of Peter Calvert of Nine Ashes, Herts. educ. Emmanuel, Camb. 1722. m. June 1732, Martha, da. of Samuel Smith and wid. of Charles Malyn of Southwark, brewer, s.p. Kntd. 18 Feb. 1744.

Offices Held

Alderman of London 1741, sheriff 1743-4, lord mayor 1748-9.

Biography

Calvert was head of the family brewery in London. During his first Parliament he voted in Opposition, but by 1747 had become an Administration supporter. In 1754 he stood again for London. ‘I saw Sir William Calvert last night’, wrote Newcastle to the King on 6 Apr., ‘who told me he had the greatest appearance of merchants for him yesterday upon the exchange that ever was known; he seems confident of his success.’1 Yet he was bottom of the poll, and Newcastle undertook to find him another seat. On 2 May 1754 Newcastle wrote to Robert Nugent, who had elected to sit for Bristol, leaving a vacancy at St. Mawes: ‘You now have an opportunity of doing a very agreeable thing to the King ... by choosing at St. Mawes as worthy, as honourable, and as useful a friend to the Government as can come into Parliament—I mean Sir William Calvert.’2 But Nugent returned his stepson, James Newsham. In the end Calvert was returned for Old Sarum without expense to himself.

On 19 Nov. 1758 he solicited from Newcastle the appointment of joint postmaster general:3

My utmost ambition would be satisfied if peradventure I might some time or other arrive at the Post Office, because that had been frequently the honour and reward bestowed upon the most favoured citizens of London.

He applied again on 22 Apr. 1759, but was unsuccessful.

Calvert did not stand at the general election, and died 3 May 1761, aged 57.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: A. N. Newman

Notes

  • 1. Add. 32835, ff. 48-49.
  • 2. C. Nugent, Mem. Earl Nugent, 203.
  • 3. Add. 32885, f. 429.