James Wigley (10 August 1700–21 June 1765) was a British politician. Born on 10 August 1700, James was the second surviving son of Sir Edward Wigley of

Scraptoft Hall Scraptoft Hall is a former Georgian country house in the village of Scraptoft, Leicestershire, England. A Grade II* listed building, it has since been converted to apartments. The hall was built in 1723, based on a previous 17th-century house, fo ...

and his wife Laetitia Cressey. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

, and then

Magdalen College, Oxford Magdalen College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford. It was founded in 1458 by Bishop of Winchester William of Waynflete. It is one of the wealthiest Oxford colleges, as of 2022, and ...

, matriculating on 20 March 1718 at the age of 17. In 1718, he married Martha, the daughter and heir of Richard Ebourne of

Allesley Allesley () is a suburban village and civil parish in the City of Coventry metropolitan borough, West Midlands, about 3.5 miles (5.6 km) west-northwest of Coventry city centre and 4 miles (6.5 km) east-south-east of Meriden. Located in ...

, Warwickshire. By this time, Wigley had inherited Scraptoft Hall following the death of his father in 1711, and his older brother in 1716. The hall was enlarged and completely remodelled by his mother, Lady Wigley, in 1723, whilst James laid out grounds including a lake, a pond, and a mound concealing a small shell-lined grotto topped by a Chinese-style pavilion. Wigley was first elected member of parliament for

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, or a bypoll in India, is an election used to fill an office that has become vacant between general elections. A vacancy may arise as a result of an incumben ...

on 27 April 1737, and served for the next 28 years. He voted consistently against the governments of George II, Lord Egmont describing him as "much such another man as

Smith Smith may refer to: People and fictional characters * Metalsmith, or simply smith, a craftsman fashioning tools or works of art out of various metals * Smith (given name) * Smith (surname), a family name originating in England ** List of people ...

," i.e. "a good natured

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 ...

who does not love attendance." He seems to have become a supporter of the Grenville administration, and died on .

References

1700 births 1765 deaths People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 Tory MPs (pre-1834) {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub