Edmund Bray (1686–1725) of

Barrington Park Barrington Park is a Palladian style country house standing in an estate of the same name near the villages of Great Barrington, Gloucestershire, Great Barrington and Little Barrington, Gloucestershire, England. It is a Grade I listed building. ...

, Gloucestershire was a British politician who sat in the

English House of Commons The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

from 1701 to 1708 and in the

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...

from 1720 to 1722. Barrington Park House

Bray was a younger son of Reginald Bray (d. 1688) of Barrington Park and his wife Jane Rainton, daughter of William Rainton of Shilton,

Shilton, Oxfordshire Shilton is a village and civil parish about northwest of Carterton, Oxfordshire. The 2011 Census recorded the parish's population as 626. Geography Shilton village is on Shill Brook: a stream that rises southwest of Burford, flows through Shi ...

, who had a large family of 6 sons and 9 daughters. He married, on 16 December 1697, Frances Morgan, the daughter and heiress of Sir Edward Morgan, 3rd Baronet (d. 1682) of

Llantarnam Abbey Llantarnam Abbey is a Grade II*-listed abbey of the Sisters of St Joseph of Annecy and a former Cistercian monastery located in Llantarnam, Cwmbran in the county borough of Torfaen in southeast Wales. History It was founded as a daughter house ...

, Monmouthshire. Bray was returned as a Whig Member of Parliament for

Tewkesbury Tewkesbury ( ) is a market town and civil parish in the north of Gloucestershire, England. The town grew following the construction of Tewkesbury Abbey in the twelfth century and played a significant role in the Wars of the Roses. It stands at ...

in the January 1701 election and retained his seat in the second general election of 1701. He was wholly inactive in the House, however, and was granted leave of absence several times over long periods. He was threatened with a challenge at Tewkesbury at the election of 1702, but successfully repelled it. He was returned unopposed again in the 1705 general election, but decided not to stand for re-election at Tewkesbury in 1708. He stood for Cirencester in 1713 but came fourth place in the poll. In 1720 he succeeded his remaining elder brother

William William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...

to the Great Barrington estate. Bray was returned as MP for

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...

at a by-election on 22 June 1720 but did not stand at the subsequent general election of

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel '' Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), ...

. Bray died on 6 September 1725 and was buried at Great Barrington. Shortly before his death he erected a monument at Great Barrington to commemorate a son and daughter who had died young, which also provided details of his wider family. He was succeeded by his eldest son Reginald Morgan Bray, who sold Barrington Park in 1734 to

Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, (168514 February 1737) was a British lawyer and politician. He was Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain from 1733 to 1737. Early life Talbot was the eldest son of Rt. Rev. William Talbot, Bishop of Durh ...

, the Lord Chancellor, for the use of his son

William Talbot William Talbot may refer to: *Sir William Talbot (died 1396), MP for Cornwall in 1380 and 1385 *Sir William Talbot (died 1429), MP for Cornwall in 1402 and 1414 *Sir William Talbot, 1st Baronet (died 1633), Irish lawyer and politician *Sir William ...

and William's wife, Mary de Cardonnel.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bray, Edmund 1686 births 1725 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Tewkesbury Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Tewkesbury Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Gloucestershire English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1715–1722