Family and Education

b. ?1714, 2nd s. of John Rolle, M.P., of Stevenstone by Isabella Charlotte, da. of Sir William Walter, 2nd Bt., of Sarsden, Oxon.; bro. of Denys Rolle.  educ. New Coll. Oxf. 2 Sept. 1729, aged 15. unm.  suc. to estates of his uncle Sir Robert Walter, 4th Bt. 1731, and took name of Walter; and to estates of his bro. Henry, 1st Lord Rolle 1750.

Offices Held

Biography

Walter, invariably classed as a Tory, was returned unopposed in 1754, and after a contest in 1761. He appears in Fox’s list of Members in favour of the peace preliminaries, December 1762. Jenkinson in the autumn of 1763 classed him as a Government supporter, and he was present at the Cockpit meeting on 14 Nov. He was listed as an opponent by Rockingham in July 1765; and voted against the repeal of the Stamp Act, 22 Feb. 1766. He voted with the Opposition on the land tax, 27 Feb. 1767. Returned unopposed in 1768, he voted regularly in opposition during this Parliament, and was classed as such in Robinson’s electoral survey of 1774. He was again returned unopposed for Exeter in 1774, but in 1776 resigned his seat to represent the county. He voted against the court on Wilkes, 22 Feb. 1775; the civil list debts, 16 Apr. 1778; but on the contractors bill, 12 Feb. 1779, was described as ‘pro, absent, query doubtful’. No other vote by him is recorded, nor is he known to have spoken in the House.  He died 30 Nov. 1779.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: Mary M. Drummond

Notes