Sir Miles Stapylton 4th Baronet (c. 1708–1752), of Myton, Yorkshire, was a British landowner and 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 ...

from 1734 to 1750. He was initially a Tory but after joining the Prince of Wales party in the mid 1740s, went over to the Whigs.

Early life

Stapylton was the only son of Sir John Stapylton, 3rd Baronet MP, and his wife Mary Sandys, daughter of Frances Sandys of Scroby, Nottinghamshire. He was educated at

Westminster School Westminster School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Westminster, London, England, in the precincts of Westminster Abbey. It descends from a charity school founded by Westminster Benedictines before the Norman Conquest, as do ...

in 1724, and matriculated at

University College, Oxford University College, formally The Master and Fellows of the College of the Great Hall of the University commonly called University College in the University of Oxford and colloquially referred to as "Univ", is a Colleges of the University of Oxf ...

on 16 November 1726, aged 18. He succeeded to 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 ...

on 25 October 1733 when his father was killed by a fall from his horse on the way to attend a parliamentary adoption meeting at York. In May 1738, he married Ann Waller, daughter of

Edmund Waller Edmund Waller, 3 March 1606 to 21 October 1687, was a poet and politician from Buckinghamshire. He sat as MP for various constituencies between 1624 and 1687, and was one of the longest serving members of the English House of Commons. Althoug ...

Career

After his father's accident. Staplyton was adopted in his stead as the Tory candidate for

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

at the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of Great Britain, House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scot ...

He was returned as Member of Parliament, topping the poll, after a bitter and expensive contest. At the

1741 British general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

, he was returned again for Yorkshire, unopposed. After the fall of Walpole in 1742, he followed his father-in-law, Edmund Waller, and voted with him against the Government on the Hanoverians in 1742 and 1744, His only recorded speech was on 1 February 1744, when he moved to address the King for all letters and papers relating to the treaty of Worms and the treaty with Prussia. He briefly joined the Prince of Wales party, and according to 2nd Lord Egmont's list of people to receive office on Frederick's accession, he was marked as a lord of the Treasury. In 1746, he voted for the government on the Hanoverians as a ‘New Ally’. He was returned unopposed again for Yorkshire at the

1747 British general election The 1747 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw Hen ...

. Towards the end of 1749 he went over to the Government when he sought a government place to ease him from the trouble and expense of Parliament. In April 1750, he was appointed a commissioner of customs, and had to vacate his seat, which was filled on his recommendation by

Henry Pleydell Dawnay, 3rd Viscount Downe Lieutenant-Colonel Henry Pleydell Dawnay, 3rd Viscount Downe FRS (8 April 1727 – 9 December 1760), was a British soldier and politician. Dawnay was the eldest son of the Honourable John Dawnay, son of Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe. His m ...

who had also converted from the Tories.

Death and legacy

Stapylton died on 14 May 1752 and was buried at

Bath Abbey The Abbey Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, commonly known as Bath Abbey, is a parish church of the Church of England and former Benedictines, Benedictine monastery in Bath, Somerset, Bath, Somerset, England. Founded in the 7th century, i ...

on 18 May, leaving one daughter. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his brother Bryan. His widow Ann died on 13 November 1791 at Wimpole Street.

References

External links

Sir Miles Stapylton, Bt c. 1733 Art UK York Museums TrustSir Miles Stapylton – British MuseumNational Portrait Gallery Anne (née Waller), Lady Stapylton
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stapylton, Sir Miles, 4th Baronet 1700s births 1752 deaths British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Baronets in the Baronetage of England