Valens Comyn (1688 – 25 March 1751) was an English merchant and administrator and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1747 to 1751. Comyn was the fifth son of Rev. Robert Comyn and his wife Martha, and was baptised on 4 June 1688 at

East Molesey East is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fact that ea ...

Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...

where his father was vicar and also headmaster of nearby

Kingston Grammar School Kingston Grammar School is a private co-educational day school in Kingston upon Thames, England. The school was founded by royal charter in 1561 but can trace its roots back to at least the 13th century.

. His elder brother Robert, later Archdeacon of Shropshire, was a friend of the influential Robert Harley and in January 1712 Comyn was appointed to a position in the Excise Office. Comyn's title by 1716 was Assistant Accomptant for duties on Hides. In 1718 he was appointed to the position of Clerk to the

Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks The Worshipful Company of Parish Clerks is one of the Guilds of the City of London. It has no livery, because "in the 16th century, the Parish Clerks declined to take the Livery on the grounds that the surplice was older than the Livery and w ...

, a minor livery company of which his father in law James Lucas was a member. Through this, Comyn was required to live at the Hall of the Company in Wood Street. In 1726, Comyn was selected as accountant for the

Corporation of the Sons of the Clergy Clergy Support Trust is a charity which provides support to Anglican clergy (serving and retired), ordinands, curates, and their families, in the UK, Ireland, Diocese in Europe and Diocese of Sodor and Man. In 2022, they supported over 2,300 cler ...

. The post had been in abeyance, but 1726 the council decided to appoint an accountant at a salary of £40 per year. An election was held with Comyn in nomination with two others. He obtained 20 votes and was elected. In the following year the council decided to award him a gratuity for his very extraordinary services. These services were the uncovering of the fraudulent activities of one of the Treasurers who had been double listing widows whose pensions he was responsible for paying, and lining his pockets on the proceeds By 1727 Comyn was also Accountant for the County inland excise on beer, ale etc. at the Excise Office and in the same year he was one of the appraisers of the inventory of Sir Isaac Newton including the contents of his house at 35 St. Martin's Street. In 1731 Comyn was appointed Registrar of the Corporation as well as Accountant. This gave him accommodation in the house belonging to the Corporation in Salisbury Court off

Fleet Street Fleet Street is a street in Central London, England. It runs west to east from Temple Bar, London, Temple Bar at the boundary of the City of London, Cities of London and City of Westminster, Westminster to Ludgate Circus at the site of the Lo ...

, and he obtained dispensation from the Company of Parish Clerks to move from their Hall. In 1734 Comyn succeeded his father in law James Lucas as Clerk to the Chamberlain of

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

. This post was responsible for administering many of the Cathedral estates and charities. Comyn resigned from the Corporation, recommending his nephew Stephen to succeed him. He moved into the

Chapter House A chapter house or chapterhouse is a building or room that is part of a cathedral, monastery or collegiate church in which meetings are held. When attached to a cathedral, the cathedral chapter meets there. In monasteries, the whole communi ...

of St Pauls Cathedral, leaving his nephew to live at the house in Salisbury Court. Comyn was also appointed Accomtant General of Excise from 1734 to 1745. During this time, Comyn took up residences upstream on the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, at

Hammersmith Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London. It ...

and later at

Twickenham Twickenham ( ) is a suburban district of London, England, on the River Thames southwest of Charing Cross. Historic counties of England, Historically in Middlesex, since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, who ...

. In 1745 Comyn was a member of a group who subsidised a fleet of the

privateer A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...

s and over the next two years amassed a large fortune privateering. Comyn was credited with developing life assurance tables based on life expectancy.The Insurance Cyclopaedia 1871
/ref> Twickenham Meadows Landseer a

In 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 ...

, Comyn was elected Member of Parliament for Hindon a rotten borough in Hampshire as a government supporter in the interest of Sir Henry Calthorpe.History of Parliament Online - Valens Comyn
/ref> In 1749 Comyn was living at

Eversley Eversley is a village and civil parish in the Hart District, Hart district of Hampshire, England. The village is located around northeast of Basingstoke and around west of Yateley. The River Blackwater (River Loddon), River Blackwater, and ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Berkshire to the north, Surrey and West Sussex to the east, the Isle of Wight across the Solent to the south, ...

as well as an estate at Twickenham Meadows. He died at Eversley aged 63 and was buried at Twickenham. He died intestate, and as the proceeds of various privateering expeditions had not been fully distributed, his estate was subject to considerable litigation, with over 100 cases under his name. Comyn married Mary Lucas ( -1730) at St Mary le Bow on 31 January 1713. They had a large family and she died in 1730. On 29 December 1748 Comyn married Mary Colston ( -1780) of St Andrews Holborn at the Lincolns Inn Chapel. Mary was the widow of Francis Colston and daughter of Richard Nicholson. After his death, his widow lived at 13 Bedford Row from 1756 to 1780 in which year she died. Comyn was great-uncle of Stephen George Comyn who was naval chaplain to

Lord Nelson Horatio Nelson, 1st Viscount Nelson, 1st Duke of Bronte ( – 21 October 1805) was a Royal Navy officer whose leadership, grasp of strategy and unconventional tactics brought about a number of decisive British naval victories during the French ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comyn, Valens 1688 births 1751 deaths 18th-century English merchants Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1747–1754 People from Molesey