SUTTON, George (1751-1804), of Kelham, Notts.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820, ed. R. Thorne, 1986
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1774 - 1780
1780 - 1802
1802 - 15 Feb. 1804

Family and Education

b. 1 Aug. 1751, 1st s. of Lord George Manners (afterwards Manners Sutton) of Kelham by 1st w. Diana, da. of Thomas Chaplin of Blankney, Lincs.; bro. of John Manners Sutton* and Thomas Manners Sutton*. educ. Eton 1763-9; Trinity Coll. Camb. 1769. unm. suc. fa. 1783.

Offices Held

Biography

Sutton sat for Grantham on his cousin the 4th Duke of Rutland’s interest. On the duke’s death in 1787 he anxiously reminded Pitt, one of the executors, that it was his cousin’s intention that he should remain the family nominee for the borough. His anxiety was doubtless connected with what he termed on 3 June ‘my situation with my creditors’. He then, and again on 4 Mar. and 3 Apr. 1794, attempted to obtain promotion for Strahan, the army assistant paymaster, with a view to facilitating his own appointment to office, which would enable him to vacate his seat. It was possibly he who occurred to Lord Westmorland and Pitt as a suitable secretary to the lord lieutenant in Ireland, until Pitt discovered the superior abilities of Sylvester Douglas. Pitt wrote, 15 Dec. 1793:

With respect to Sutton, I have great doubts whether he would like it, whether his health would bear it, and whether tho’ perfectly qualified in understanding and temper, his habits have led to his seeing enough either of the political or fashionable world to be suited to the situation.1

In Parliament Sutton was an unobtrusive supporter of administration. In April 1791 he was listed hostile to repeal of the Test Act in Scotland. He was a defaulter, 3 Mar. 1797, but voted for Pitt’s assessed taxes, 4 Jan. 1798. In 1802 he gave up Grantham, where he had faced a contest in 1796 and another was likely. He transferred to the Duke of Rutland’s seat for Bramber. The only indication of his Membership thereafter was his taking three weeks’ leave of absence for health reasons, 11 Mar. 1803. He died 15 Feb. 1804.

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: R. G. Thorne

Notes

No evidence has been found that he ever called himself or that his contemporaries ever called him Manners Sutton, the surname adopted by his younger brothers. In Eton register he appeared as Manners until 1765 and Sutton thereafter.

  • 1. PRO 30/8/181, ff. 209-17; Dublin SPO, Westmorland mss 94A.