Edmund Lechmere Charlton (20 September 1789 – 17 April 1845) was a British politician, MP for

Ludlow Ludlow ( ) is a market town and civil parish in Shropshire (district), Shropshire, England. It is located south of Shrewsbury and north of Hereford, on the A49 road (Great Britain), A49 road which bypasses the town. The town is near the conf ...

1835–1837. Charlton was born on 20 September 1789, the son of Nicholas Lechmere Charlton and his wife Susanna, daughter of Jesson Case. He matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church (, the temple or house, ''wikt:aedes, ædes'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by Henry V ...

in 1807 aged 18, graduating

M.A. A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...

in 1810. He was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, commonly known as Lincoln's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for Barrister, barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister ...

in 1829. Charlton considered standing in Ludlow in

1820 Events January–March *January 1 – A constitutionalist military insurrection at Cádiz leads to the summoning of the Spanish Parliament to meet on March 7, becoming the nominal beginning of the "Trienio Liberal" in History of Spain (1 ...

, as an independent radical, but was persuaded to withdraw. In

1826 Events January–March * January 15 – The French newspaper ''Le Figaro'' begins publication in Paris, initially as a satirical weekly. * January 17 – The Ballantyne printing business in Edinburgh (Scotland) crashes, ruining noveli ...

he stood in Ludlow, promising to present a petition to determine the constituency franchise and boundaries. He was defeated, after 12 of his 15 votes were rejected; he appealed by petition. Edward Rogers , the constituency returning officer, was offended by Charlton's public criticism of the Ludlow town corporation. Rogers challenged Charlton to a duel near Bath, which ended without bloodshed on 9 October 1826. He was elected in Ludlow in

1835 Events January–March * January 7 – anchors off the Chonos Archipelago on her second voyage, with Charles Darwin on board as naturalist. * January 8 – The United States public debt contracts to zero, for the only time in history. ...

, serving in only one parliament. According to ''The History of Parliament'', "his politics veered between radicalism and Conservatism".

Stanley Leighton Stanley Leighton (1837 – 4 May 1901) was an English barrister, landowner, artist and Conservative politician. He is also known as an antiquarian and author. Life Leighton was the younger son of Sir Baldwin Leighton, 7th Baronet, of Loto ...

considered Charlton an "eccentric character". In 1836, Charlton appeared in the

Court of Chancery The Court of Chancery was a court of equity in England and Wales that followed a set of loose rules to avoid a slow pace of change and possible harshness (or "inequity") of the Common law#History, common law. The Chancery had jurisdiction over ...

before Master in Chancery William Brougham as counsel to advocate a petition presented by himself and others, regarding the appointment of trustees to charities in Ludlow. He then sent a letter to Brougham, dated 24 October 1836. Lord Chancellor Cottenham considered the letter scandalous towards Brougham, and an improper attempt to influence his conduct. He ordered Charlton to attend the court to explain why he should not be committed to the

Fleet Prison Fleet Prison was a notorious London prison by the side of the River Fleet. The prison was built in 1197, was rebuilt several times, and was in use until 1844. It was demolished in 1846. History The prison was built in 1197 off what is now ...

for contempt of court. Charlton did not attend on 22 November or 25 November, when the Lord Chancellor ordered his committal to the Fleet. Charlton evaded arrest until 3 February 1837, when he was taken to the Fleet. The Lord Chancellor ordered his release after three weeks.

References

External links

*
Parliamentary Archives, Records relating to Edmund Lechmere Charlton and the Ludlow Charities Case
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charlton, Edmund Lechmere 1789 births 1845 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Edmund Edmund is a masculine given name in the English language. The name is derived from the Old English elements ''ēad'', meaning "prosperity" or "riches", and ''mund'', meaning "protector". Persons named Edmund include: People Kings and nobles *Ed ...

Members of Lincoln's Inn UK MPs 1835–1837