John Hardres (2 October 1675 – 14 January 1758) of St Georges, Canterbury was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons of England The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542, incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was re ...

and then the

House of Commons of Great Britain The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union 1707, Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the Pa ...

in two periods between 1705 and 1722. Hardres was the son of Thomas Hardres of Canterbury. He was educated at

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...

. Hardres was elected Member of Parliament (MP) for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...

in 1705 and sat to 1708. He was elected again in 1710 and held the seat until 1722. In 1711, Hardres required an Act of Parliament in order to "sell certain Lands, in the County of Kent, and for settling of others to the Uses therein mentioned". Hardres' political views were considered ambiguous. He voted against the government, except on the

Peerage Bill {{short description, Proposed British law of 1719 The Peerage Bill was a 1719 measure proposed by the British Whig government led by James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope, and Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, which would have largely halted th ...

which he supported and received money through

Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland, KG, PC (23 April 167519 April 1722), known as Lord Spencer from 1688 to 1702, was a British statesman from the Spencer family. He served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1714–1717), Lord Privy Seal ( ...

from the King's bounty in 1721. He also appeared to be a Jacobite, and his name was among those sent to the Pretender in 1721 as a likely supporter in the event of a rising. However, he retired in 1722 before he had to declare his views. Hardres died aged 82, leaving 2 surviving daughters.

References

1675 births 1758 deaths Politicians from Canterbury Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub