Sir Pynsent Chernock, 3rd Baronet (before 1670 – 2 September 1734) was a

Tory A Tory () is an individual who supports a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalist conservatism which upholds the established social order as it has evolved through the history of Great Britain. The To ...

landowner and Member of Parliament from

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 ...

. He became

knight of the shire Knight of the shire () was the formal title for a member of parliament (MP) representing a county constituency in the British House of Commons, from its origins in the medieval Parliament of England until the Redistribution of Seats Act 1885 ...

for the county in 1705 by a comfortable margin, but declined to contest it in the next election in 1708. Chernock subsequently sold one of his manors, perhaps to pay for his electioneering expenses. After a close election in 1713, his political career ended with a defeat in 1715.

Education and family

Chernock was born sometime before 1670, the eldest son of Sir Villiers Chernock, 2nd Baronet, of Holcot (Hulcote), Bedfordshire and his wife Anne Pynsent. He was educated at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...

in 1684 and admitted a fellow-commoner of

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the 16 "old colleges" of the university, and was founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. Its buildings span the R ...

on 30 March 1685. On 9 June 1691, he married Helen Boteler (d. 1741), the daughter and coheir of

William Boteler William Boteler (''fl.'' 1640s and 1650s) was a member of the Parliament of England. After the English Civil War, he was appointed Major-General for Bedfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Northamptonshire and Rutland during the Rule of the Major-General ...

. They had three sons and five daughters, of whom one son and daughter died during Chernock's life. He became a burgess of

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 1693, and succeeded his father in the baronetcy and inherited Holcot in October 1694. He was pricked as

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 ...

at the end of 1702, but was replaced by Thomas Johnson.

First term

He first stood for Parliament in 1705 as a

. The political collapse of the

Earl of Ailesbury Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

after the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...

had deprived the Tories of a patron in

, dominated by the Whig

Dukes of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 for Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of Franc ...

and

Earls of Bolingbroke Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

. By 1704, however, they had recovered some strength, and Chernock enjoyed the support of Ailesbury's son and heir, Lord Bruce. The Tory Lord Ashburnham, who had supported Bedford's candidates in the previous election, also backed him, and he was supported by the Bruce-backed

High Church A ''high church'' is a Christian Church whose beliefs and practices of Christian ecclesiology, Christian liturgy, liturgy, and Christian theology, theology emphasize "ritual, priestly authority, ndsacraments," and a standard liturgy. Although ...

interest in the shire. Chernock's early declaration of his candidacy brought him a number of "plumpers" (voters who voted for only one candidate for the two seats), and while the second Tory candidate,

John Harvey John Harvey may refer to: People Academics *John Harvey (astrologer) (1564–1592), English astrologer and physician *John Harvey (architectural historian) (1911–1997), British architectural historian, who wrote on English Gothic architecture a ...

, was defeated, Chernock topped the poll and pushed out the Whig Lord Edward Russell, the

Duke of Bedford Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first creation came in 1414 for Henry IV's third son, John, who later served as regent of Fran ...

's uncle, who polled slightly lower than his fellow Whig Sir William Gostwick. In the new Parliament, he voted for William Bromley in his unsuccessful candidacy for the Speakership. He continued to be classed as a Tory, but was not active in Parliament, and stood down at the 1708 election; Lord Edward Russell regained the seat. The sale of one of Chernock's manors in 1709 may have been to offset electioneering expenses; his political opponent, the Duke of Bedford, recorded that he was forced to make the sale "having been always too honest and upright while in Parliament to sacrifice the liberties of his country for a place or pension".

Second term and death

Chernock did not stand again until 1713. By this time, the deaths of the Duke of Bedford and the

Earl of Bolingbroke The title Earl of Bolingbroke has been created twice, once in the Peerage of England and once in the Jacobite Peerage. Initial creation The creation in the Peerage of England occurred on 28 December 1624, when Oliver St John, 4th Baron St John of ...

had disordered the Whig nobility of the county, of which the

Duke of Kent Duke of Kent is a title that has been created several times in the peerages of Great Britain and the United Kingdom, most recently as a royal dukedom for the fourth son of King George V. Since 1942, the title has been held by Prince Edwa ...

became effective leader. The increasing popularity and local organization of the Tories allowed Chernock and Harvey to triumph narrowly over the Whig candidates,

John Cater John Edward Cater (17 January 1932 – 21 March 2009) was an English actor. Early life John Edward Cater was born 17 January 1932 in Hendon, north London. His father, like his grandfather, was a florist. His mother was a violinist who perform ...

and

William Hillersden William is a masculine given name of Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle Ages and into the modern era. It is ...

. Again, Chernock was relatively inactive in Parliament, managing a bill on Bedfordshire highways. His support for the Tory candidates in

failed to secure them that seat in the 1715 election, and he himself was defeated in Bedfordshire by Hillersden. This marked the end of his active political involvement, although the Jacobites reported him a likely sympathizer with their cause in 1721. He died at his seat, where he was buried, on 2 September 1734. His son succeeded him in the estate and baronetcy.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chernock, Pynsent, 3rd Baronet 1734 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England High sheriffs of Bedfordshire British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1713–1715 English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies People from Central Bedfordshire District Tory MPs (pre-1834) Year of birth unknown Year of birth uncertain Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge