Charles Eversfield (15 September 1683 – 1749) of Denne Place, near Horsham, Sussex, was a British Tory politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

between 1705 and 1747.

Early life

Eversfield was the only son. of Nicholas Eversfield of Charlton Court, near Steyning, Sussex and his wife, Elizabeth Gildridge, daughter of Nicholas Gildridge of Eastbourne, Sussex. In 1684, he succeeded to the estates of his father. He married Mary Duncombe, daughter of Henry Duncombe of Weston, Surrey on 21 July 1702.

Career

In 1695, Eversfield inherited the estate of Denne from his uncle Anthony Eversfield and with it an electoral interest at

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

. As soon as he came of age, he successfully contested Horsham at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 United Kingdom constituencies, constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in ...

, being listed as a ‘Churchman’. He was relatively inconspicuous in his first Parliament but voted against the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705. He was returned again for Horsham, as a Tory at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

. He acted as a teller on 8 March 1709 against the election of Thomas Meredyth for Midhurst and voted against the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. At the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

, he was returned for both Horsham and for

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

and chose to sit for Sussex. In this Parliament he was one of the spokesmen for the October Club. He obtained a place as Paymaster and treasurer of Ordnance in 1712. He was returned again at the

1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ...

but lost his place as Paymaster on George I's accession in 1714. At the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election was held on 22 January 1715 to 9 March 1715, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliam ...

, he was defeated at Sussex and was unseated on petition at Horsham on 16 June 1715. He was therefore left without a seat. He came to an agreement with his opponents, the Ingrams, to share the representation of Horsham and he was returned there unopposed at a by-election on 12 June 1721. He was returned for Horsham at the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Tha ...

and went over to the Government. He spoke for them in an army debate on 26 October 1722. He was returned again For Horsham in

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

and

1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Georgia in America. * February 16 – ...

. He then voted regularly with the government and helped the Duke of Newcastle in county elections. In 1737 he sold his burgages at Horsham to the Ingrams, and in

1741 Events January–March * January 13 ** Lanesborough, Massachusetts is created as a township. ** Conventicle Act of 1741 is introduced in Denmark-Norway. *February 13 – Sir Robert Walpole, the Prime Minister of Great Britain ...

was returned as MP for

Steyning Steyning ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Horsham District, Horsham district of West Sussex, England. It is located at the north end of the River Adur gap in the South Downs, north of the coastal town of Shoreha ...

, continuing to vote with the Government. He was classed as an Old Whig in 1746, and did not stand in

1747 Events January–March * January 31 – The first venereal diseases clinic opens at London Lock Hospital. * February 11 – King George's War: A combined French and Indian force, commanded by Captain Nicolas Antoine II ...

Later life and legacy

Eversfield made a second marriage on 9 August 1731, to Henrietta Maria Lady Jenkinson, widow of

Sir Robert Jenkinson, 3rd Baronet Sir Robert Jenkinson, 3rd Baronet (23 November 1685 – 29 October 1717), of Walcot, Charlbury, Oxfordshire, and Hawkesbury, Gloucestershire, was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1710 to 1717. Biography ...

and daughter of Charles Scarborough of Windsor, Berkshire. He died on 17 June 1749 leaving a son and four daughters by his first wife and two illegitimate daughters. His eldest son Charles succeeded to a

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

created for Henry Fermor.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eversfield, Charles 1683 births 1749 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747