Sir Edward Ernle, 3rd Baronet (c. 1673 – 1729) of

Charborough Charborough is an historic former parish and Manorialism, manor in Dorset, England. It survives today as a hamlet, situated on an affluent of the River Stour, Dorset, River Stour, 6 miles west of Wimborne Minster, but without any of its former adm ...

in Dorset, of Brimslade Park and Etchilhampton, both in Wiltshire, was an English Whig politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Culture, language and peoples * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England * ''English'', an Amish ter ...

and

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 ...

between 1695 and 1729. He had mixed fortunes in finding or holding a seat and often depended on his father-in-law to bring him into his own seat at Wareham when a vacancy arose.

Early life

Ernle was a younger son of Edward Ernle of Ashlington and

Etchilhampton Etchilhampton is a small village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, in the Vale of Pewsey east of Devizes. History The Domesday Book of 1086 recorded a settlement of 28 households, held by Edward of Salisbury. The manor came into the Ma ...

in Wiltshire (the eldest son and

heir apparent An heir apparent is a person who is first in the order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person. A person who is first in the current order of succession but could be displaced by the birth of a more e ...

of Sir Walter Ernle, 1st Baronet (–1682)) and his wife Anne Ashe, a daughter of Edward Ashe, MP, of Heytesbury, Wiltshire. Both his grandfathers were Members of Parliament. In 1690, he succeeded his brother, Walter, in the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

. He married Frances Erle, the daughter and sole-heiress of General

Thomas Erle General Thomas Erle PC (1650 – 23 July 1720) of Charborough, Dorset, was a general in the English Army and, thereafter, the British Army. He was also a Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons of England and of Great Britain from 1 ...

(1650–1720), MP, of

Charborough House Charborough House, also known as Charborough Park, is a Listed building (United Kingdom), Grade I listed building, the manor house of the ancient Manorialism, manor of Charborough. The house is between the villages of Sturminster Marshall and Be ...

, Dorset, by 1698 when he became a Whig.

Career

At the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ov ...

, Ernle was returned as Member of Parliament for

Devizes Devizes () is a market town and civil parish in Wiltshire, England. It developed around Devizes Castle, an 11th-century Norman architecture, Norman castle, and received a charter in 1141. The castle was besieged during the Anarchy, a 12th-cent ...

on his own interest. At the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' su ...

he was returned unopposed as Whig MP for

Wiltshire Wiltshire (; abbreviated to Wilts) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It borders Gloucestershire to the north, Oxfordshire to the north-east, Berkshire to the east, Hampshire to the south-east, Dorset to the south, and Somerset to ...

. He did not stand at the first general election of 1701, but it became a practice for him to be returned by his father in law as MP for Wareham at by-elections, and he was returned there for the first time on 5 March 1701. At the second general election on 1701, he was returned unopposed as MP for

Heytesbury Heytesbury is a village (formerly considered to be a town) and a civil parish in Wiltshire, England. The village lies on the north bank of the Wylye, about southeast of the town of Warminster. The civil parish includes most of the small nei ...

. He failed to find a seat at the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Briti ...

but was returned as MP for Wareham at a by-election on 22 February 1704. At the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 United Kingdom constituencies, constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in ...

he stood again for Wiltshire, but was defeated and no further opportunity at Wareham occurred. He was invited to stand 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 ...

at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

, but was dropped before the poll. He was then returned there as MP there at a contested by-election on 10 December 1708. He voted for naturalizing the Palatines in 1709 and for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. He could not find a seat in 1710, but was returned as MP for Wareham at a by-election on 13 December 1710. He did not stand at the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election was held on 22 August 1713 to 12 November 1713, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 R ...

. At the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election was held on 22 January 1715 to 9 March 1715, to elect members of the House of Commons, the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain. It returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliam ...

Ernle was returned by his father-in-law as MP for

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

. He voted for the septennial bill in 1716, but went into opposition with Walpole in 1717. He voted against the repeal of the Occasional Conformity and Schism Acts and 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 ...

in 1719. In 1720, on the death of his father-in-law, he inherited the electoral interest at Wareham, and returned himself as MP for Wareham in

1722 Events January–March * January 27 – Daniel Defoe's novel '' Moll Flanders'' is published anonymously in London. * February 10 – The Battle of Cape Lopez begins off of the coast of West Africa (and present-day Gabon), ...

and

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 ...

Death and succession

Ernle died on 31 January 1729, leaving two daughters. Without male progeny, he was succeeded in the baronetcy by his kinsman Sir Walter Ernle, 4th Baronet (1676–1732) of Chirton, Wiltshire.

External links

A portrait of Ernle exists.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernle, Edward 1670s births 1729 deaths Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Wiltshire Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for Wareham Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Wareham Baronets in the Baronetage of England English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734