Winchcombe Howard Packer (20 November 1702 – 1746), of Donnington and Shellingford, Berkshire, was a British Tory 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 1731 to 1746. Packer was the eldest son of Robert Packer of Shellingford and Donnington. 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 ...

between 1715 and 1717. In 1718 he succeeded to the Bucklebury estate of his aunt Frances, Viscountess Bolingbroke daughter of Sir Henry Winchcombe. She was the wife of

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke Henry St. John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (; 16 September 1678 – 12 December 1751) was an English politician, government official and political philosopher. He was a leader of the Tory (British political party), Tories, and supported the ...

who went into exile after supporting the Pretender in the 1715 Jacobite rebellion. The inheritance came under challenge from the Crown while Bolingbroke was under attainder, and from Bolingbroke himself when he was restored and returned to England in 1725. Packer succeeded his father to Shellingford in 1731. Packer was returned unopposed as a Tory Member of Parliament for

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; abbreviated ), officially the Royal County of Berkshire, is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Oxfordshire to the north, Buckinghamshire to the north-east, Greater London ...

at a by-election 5 May 1731 in succession to his father. He voted consistently against the Government. He was returned unopposed again 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 ...

. In 1738 he obtained an Act of Parliament by which he was able to sell his estate at Shellingford to

Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough, Princess of Mindelheim, Countess of Nellenburg (née Jenyns, spelt Jennings in most modern references; 5 June 1660 (Old Style) – 18 October 1744), was an English courtier who rose to be one of th ...

, who had the support for the bill from her grandson, John Spencer, who eventually came into the property. Packer was returned unopposed for Berkshire again 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 ...

. Packer died unmarried on 21 August 1746.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Packer, Winchcomb Howard 1702 births 1746 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Berkshire British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747