John Fenton-Cawthorne

John Fenton-Cawthorne  (5 January 1753 – 1 March 1831) was a British Conservative politician, who served as MP for Lincoln between 1783 and 1796 and as MP for Lancaster for four terms in the early 19th century.

Fenton-Cawthorne was born in 1753 to James Fenton of Lancaster, a barrister and his wife Elizabeth and educated at Queen’s College, Oxford (1771) and Gray's Inn (1792). He succeeded to the Cawthorne estate in 1781 and took the additional surname of Cawthorne.

He was first elected as an MP for Lincoln in January 1783 and was an opponent of the abolition of the slave trade.

On 27November 1795, as Colonel of the Westminster Regiment of Middlesex Militia, Fenton-Cawthorne was arraigned before a court-martial on 14 charges including that of embezzling "marching guineas" paid to  militia men of the British Army. Found guilty on seven of the charges, he was cashiered as "unworthy of serving His Majesty in any military capacity whatever" having "acted fraudulently and in a scandalous and infamous manner".

Fenton-Cawthorne returned to Parliament in 1806 as MP for Lancaster. His older brother also entered Parliament at the same time as MP for Fife.

He married Frances, the daughter and coheiress of J. H. Delaval.

Fenton-Cawthorne died on 1March 1831 in Hanover Street, Hanover Square, London.

References

Category:1753 births
Category:Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford
Category:Members of Gray's Inn
Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Category:British politicians convicted of corruption
Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
Category:British MPs 1780–1784
Category:British MPs 1784–1790
Category:UK MPs 1806–1807
Category:UK MPs 1812–1818
Category:UK MPs 1820–1826
Category:UK MPs 1826–1830
Category:UK MPs 1830–1831
Category:Politicians convicted of embezzlement
Category:Expelled members of the Parliament of Great Britain
Category:1831 deaths