Richard Reynell (c.1681–1734) of

East Ogwell East Ogwell is a village and former civil parish south of Exeter, now in the parish of Ogwell, in the Teignbridge district, in the county of Devon, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 855. In 1891 the parish had a population of 2 ...

and

Denbury Denbury is a village and former civil parish, now in the parish of Denbury and Torbryan, in Teignbridge district of Devon, England. The village is situated between Totnes and Newton Abbot, approximately ten miles from Torquay. Denbury Hill (Loc ...

, near Ashburton, Devon was an English landowner and Tory 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 1702 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 1711 to 1734.

Early life

Reynell was the third, but eldest surviving, son of Thomas Reynell of East Ogwell and his second wife Elizabeth Gould, daughter of James Gould, merchant, of Exeter, Devon, and London. His father had sat in the parliaments during

The Protectorate The Protectorate, officially the Commonwealth of England, Scotland and Ireland, was the English form of government lasting from 16 December 1653 to 25 May 1659, under which the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotl ...

and was a patron of the

Dissenter A dissenter (from the Latin , 'to disagree') is one who dissents (disagrees) in matters of opinion, belief, etc. Dissent may include political opposition to decrees, ideas or doctrines and it may include opposition to those things or the fiat of ...

s within the town. Reynell succeeded to the estates of his father in 1698.

Career

At the 1702 general election, Reynell was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Ashburton. He was a moderate Tory and was generally active in parliament. After being elected in a contest at the 1705 general election, he was listed as ‘Low Church’ and voted against the Court candidate for Speaker. He was defeated at the 1708 general election and again in the poll at Ashburton again at the 1710 general election. However, he was seated on a petition on 17 March 1711. He was listed among the ‘worthy patriots’ but later in the Parliament appeared to be a ‘whimsical’ Tory, showing sympathy with dissent. He was elected again for Ashburton in

1713 Events January–March * January 17 – Tuscarora War: Colonel James Moore leads the Carolina militia out of Albemarle County, North Carolina, in a second offensive against the Tuscarora. Heavy snows force the troops to take ...

. At the 1715 general election he was returned unopposed for Ashburton. He was classified as a Whig, but in fact, he opposed the administration in all subsequent votes. He was returned unopposed again at the 1722 general election . In

1727 Events January–March * January 1 – (December 21, 1726 O.S.) Spain's ambassador to Great Britain demands that the British return Gibraltar after accusing Britain of violating the terms of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht. Britain ...

he faced a contest and was elected successfully. However, he was defeated in the 1734 general election.

Death and legacy

Reynell died in June 1735 at East Ogwell and was buried there on 14 June. The beneficiary of his will was his niece Rebecca Whitrow, the wife of Joseph Taylor. Reynell had instructed that his estates be sold for her benefit, but her husband then purchased them as the absolute estate of inheritance, which he settled on his wife and son.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reynell, Richard 1680s births 1735 deaths Members of the Parliament of England for Ashburton English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Ashburton