Henry Swann ('' c.'' November 1763 – 24 April 1824) was a British

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

politician. He sat in the

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for three periods between 1803 and 1824. Swann was elected at a by-election in September 1803 as a Member of Parliament (MP) for the borough of Yarmouth on the

Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight (Help:IPA/English, /waɪt/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''WYTE'') is an island off the south coast of England which, together with its surrounding uninhabited islets and Skerry, skerries, is also a ceremonial county. T ...

. However he

resigned Resignation is the formal act of relinquishing or vacating one's office or position. A resignation can occur when a person holding a position gained by election or appointment steps down, but leaving a position upon the expiration of a term, or ...

his seat early in 1804, through appointment as

Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds Appointment to the position of Crown Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds (or the Three Hundreds of Chiltern) is a procedural device to allow members of Parliament (MPs) to resign from the House of Commons of the United Kingdom. Since ...

. He returned to the Commons two years later, when he was elected at the 1806 general election for the borough of Penryn in

Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...

. He was re-elected in

1807 Events January–March *January 7 – The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland issues an Order in Council prohibiting British ships from trading with France or its allies. *January 20 – The Sierra Leone Company, faced with b ...

1812 Events January–March * January 1 – The ''Allgemeines bürgerliches Gesetzbuch'' (the Austrian civil code) enters into force in the Austrian Empire. * January 19 – Peninsular War: The French-held fortress of Ciudad Rodrigo Siege ...

, and

1818 Events January–March * January 1 ** Battle of Koregaon: Troops of the British East India Company score a decisive victory over the Maratha Confederacy, Maratha Empire. ** English author Mary Shelley publishes the novel ''Frankenstein ...

, but his 1818 victory was declared void after an

election petition An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...

was lodged. The seat remained vacant until the 1820 general election, when he was returned again, holding the seat until his death in 1824. On Friday, 11 October 1811, Henry Swann officiated at the laying of the first stone for the new

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over the Thames River in London. The bridge was to be constructed of grey granite which was to be quarried near Penryn, Cornwall, Swann's constituency. A bottle of coins from the reign of the current king, George III, was placed inside that first stone.

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* 1760s births 1824 deaths Tory MPs (pre-1834) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1802–1806 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Penryn UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 {{England-UK-MP-stub