Charles Wither (24 July 1684 – 1731) ), of

Oakley Hall, Hampshire Oakley Hall is a Georgian architecture, Georgian manor in Oakley, Hampshire, Oakley, Hampshire, located to the west of Basingstoke. Completed in 1795 by Wither Bramston, the building is now a hotel and conference centre . It is located in a wood ...

, was an English landowner and Whig 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 ...

briefly in 1708 and from 1727 to 1731.

Early life

Wither was the eldest son of Charles Wither of Oakley Hall, Hampshire and his wife Dorothy Smith, daughter of

Sir William Smith, 1st Baronet Sir William Reardon Smith, 1st Baronet (7 August 1856 – 23 December 1935) was an English shipowner and philanthropist. Early life Descended from Irish seafaring stock, he was born at Appledore, Devon, the youngest son of Thomas Reardon Smit ...

of Redcliff, Buckinghamshire. The family had been seated at Oakley Hall since 1626 and since then had acquired further estates in the neighbourhood, to which Wither succeeded on the death of his father in 1697. He matriculated at

Balliol College, Oxford Balliol College () is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded in 1263 by nobleman John I de Balliol, it has a claim to be the oldest college in Oxford and the English-speaking world. With a governing body of a master and aro ...

on 7 May 1700, aged 15, and travelled abroad in the Netherlands from 1706 to 1707. He married Frances Wavell, daughter of Thomas Wavell of Winchester, Hampshire, on 17 July 1707.

Career

In 1707, Wither investigated the possibility of standing for Stockbridge at the next general election and secured local Whig support. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Hampshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Hampshire. This title was often given as High Sheriff of the County of Southampton until 1959. List of High Sheriffs 11th and 12th centuries 13th century 14th century 15th century 16th century 17th ...

in November 1707, but gave up the office soon after. He stood for Parliament at Whitchurch in a contested by-election on 17 January 1708, and was seated as a Whig Member of Parliament on petition on 17 February 1708. He did not stand 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 ...

. Wither was appointed surveyor-general of woods and forests in 1720, holding the position for the rest of his life. 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 ...

, he stood unsuccessfully for

Shaftesbury Shaftesbury () is a town and civil parish in Dorset, England. It is on the A30 road, west of Salisbury, Wiltshire, Salisbury and north-northeast of Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester, near the border with Wiltshire. It is the only significant hi ...

. He was returned as a government supporter for

Christchurch Christchurch (; ) is the largest city in the South Island and the List of cities in New Zealand, second-largest city by urban area population in New Zealand. Christchurch has an urban population of , and a metropolitan population of over hal ...

at the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...

, He supported the Administration and voted with them on the Hessians in 1730.

Death and legacy

Wither died on 20 November 1731, and was buried at Deane. He left three surviving daughters, a son and daughter having predeceased him. His wife Frances died in 1752, followed a day later by her eldest daughter Dorothy. Their second daughter Henrietta Maria.married Edmund Bramston and succeeded to Oakley Hall. They were the parents of Wither Bramston who rebuilt the Hall. Charles Wither's third daughter Ann married her cousin William Beech whereby Oakley Hall came into the Beech family in 1832.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wither, Charles 1684 births 1731 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1727–1734