Samuel Crawley (16 December 1790 – 21 December 1852) was an English Whig politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

variously between 1818 and 1841.

Early life

He was the son of Samuel Crawley, of Keysoe, and his wife, the heiress Eliza Rankin. His paternal grandparents were married Susannah ( Sambrooke) Crawley (a daughter of Sir Samuel Sambrooke, 3rd Baronet, of Bush Hill) and

John Crawley John Paul Crawley (born 21 September 1971) is a former English first-class cricketer who played at international level for England and county cricket for Hampshire and Lancashire. Crawley, one of three brothers who all played first-class cric ...

, MP for

Marlborough Marlborough or the Marlborough may refer to: Places Australia * Marlborough, Queensland * Principality of Marlborough, a short-lived micronation in 1993 * Marlborough Highway, Tasmania; Malborough was an historic name for the place at the sou ...

. His mother was the daughter of Elizabeth Condon, sister of Charles Condon (died 1781), heir to the

Ragnall Ragnall is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England. At the time of the 2001 census it had a population of 102, increasing to 146 at the 2011 census (with Fledborough), and falling to 88 for the 2021 census. It is located on ...

estate in

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...

, who changed his name to Mellish. She was involved in litigation of the 1780s with her cousin Mary Mellish, for the possession of Ragnall Hall ("the defendant was niece to the deceased, and one of the principal parties in his will"). In an initial case at Nottingham Assizes in 1785, Mary Mellish was successful in her plea of trespass against Eliza Rankin. Two subsequent cases went the other way. Crawley was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

from 1805 to 1808 and then 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 ...

where he matriculated in 1808. In 1815, he inherited the estate of

Stockwood Stockwood is a residential area and council ward in south Bristol, between Whitchurch and Brislington, and west of the Somerset town of Keynsham. Geography Stockwood forms an outermost southern suburb of the city with much green space; the ...

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated ''Beds'') is a Ceremonial County, ceremonial county in the East of England. It is bordered by Northamptonshire to the north, Cambridgeshire to the north-east, Hertfordshire to the south and the south-east, and Buckin ...

from his uncle John.

Career

On 12 February 1817, Crawley was appointed

High Sheriff of Bedfordshire This is a list of high sheriffs of Bedfordshire. Pre-Conquest pre-1042: Aelfstan 1042–1066; Godric, Ralph Talgebose Bondi the Staller 1066–1125 *1066-c.1084: Ansculf de Picquigny * Ralph Taillebois *c. 1080 Hugh de Beauchamp *1124 ...

. In 1818 he was elected Member of Parliament for

Honiton Honiton () is a market town and civil parish in East Devon, situated close to the River Otter, Devon, River Otter, north east of Exeter in the county of Devon. Honiton has a population estimated at 12,154 (based on 2021 census). History The ...

, through the influence of a relative, He held the seat until 1826. In 1819 he sold the Ragnall and Dunham estate, purchased by his father. In 1824 it was bought by John Angerstein. At the 1832 general election Crawley was elected MP for

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

. In the 1837 election his opponent Henry Stuart was elected, but was unseated on petition in 1838. Crawley was reinstated and held the seat until 1841.

Personal life

On 19 June 1817, Crawley married Theodosia Mary Vyner (d. 1820), daughter of Robert Vyner and the former Lady Theodosia Maria Ashburnham (youngest daughter of

John Ashburnham, 2nd Earl of Ashburnham John Ashburnham, 2nd Earl of Ashburnham, PC (30 October 1724 – 8 April 1812), styled Viscount St Asaph from 1730 to 1737, was a British peer and courtier. Early life Ashburnham was the only son of John Ashburnham, 1st Earl of Ashburnham ...

). Before her death, they were the parents of one daughter. * Theodosia Sambrooke Crawley (1818–1879), who married Clement, Comte de Mont Real, in 1839. On 15 July 1822, he married his second wife, Maria Musgrave, granddaughter of

Sir Philip Musgrave, 6th Baronet Sir Philip Musgrave, 6th Baronet (c. 1712 – 5 July 1795) was a British politician. He inherited his father's title in 1736. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmorland from 1741 to 1747, during which time he married Jane Turton from ...

, by whom he had five sons and one daughter, including: * John Sambrooke Crawley (1823–1895), who married Sarah Bridget Wells, second daughter of Frederick Octavius Wells of the

Bengal Civil Service The Indian Civil Service (ICS), officially known as the Imperial Civil Service, was the higher civil service of the British Empire in India during British rule in the period between 1858 and 1947. Its members ruled over more than 300 million p ...

. * Henry Sambrooke Crawley (b. 1824), who was a Lt. in the

1st Life Guards The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamate ...

. * Arthur Sambrooke Crawley (1825–1844), who was buried at

Kensal Green Kensal Green, also known as Kensal Rise, is an area in north-west London, and along with Kensal Town, it forms part of the northern section of North Kensington, London, North Kensington. It lies north of the canal in the London Borough of Brent ...

. * Philip Sambrooke Crawley (b. 1827), who served in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, monarchy; due to this, it often ...

; he married Jane Francis Paget, a daughter of the

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Sir Charles Paget. * Anne Crawley (1833–1910), who died unmarried. Crawley died at the age of 62 and was buried at

Naples Naples ( ; ; ) is the Regions of Italy, regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 908,082 within the city's administrative limits as of 2025, while its Metropolitan City of N ...

.Malta Family History - Index to old protestant cemetery, Naples
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References

External links

* } 1790 births 1852 deaths Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford High sheriffs of Bedfordshire Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Honiton People educated at Eton College UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 Whig (British political party) MPs for English constituencies {{England-Liberal-UK-MP-stub