William Coventry, 5th Earl of Coventry
William Coventry, 5th Earl of Coventry PC (c.1676 – 18 March 1751), known as William Coventry until 1719, was a British politician.[1]
Life
Coventry was the son of Walter Coventry and his wife Anne (née Holcombe). His grandfather Walter Coventry was the youngest brother of Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry.
He was elected to the House of Commons for Bridport in 1708, a seat he held until 1719, and served as Joint Clerk Comptroller of the Board of Green Cloth from 1717 to 1719. The latter year he succeeded his second cousin once removed as fifth Earl of Coventry and entered the House of Lords. In 1720 he was admitted to the Privy Council and appointed Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire, a post he retained until his death.
In 1724 he was successfully sued by Anne Coventry, the widow of Gilbert Coventry who was the previous earl, for her inheritance.[2]
Lord Coventry married Elizabeth, daughter of John Allen. She died in 1738. Coventry survived her by thirteen years and died in March 1751. His eldest son Thomas Henry Coventry, Viscount Deerhurst, predeceased him so he was succeeded by his second son George.
References
- ↑ "COVENTRY, William (?1676-1751), of Croome Court, Worcs". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 13 July 2016.
- ↑ Matthew Kilburn, ‘Coventry , Anne, countess of Coventry (1691–1788)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, Jan 2008 accessed 28 Nov 2014
- Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990,
- Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Alexander Pitfield Thomas Strangways |
Member of Parliament for Bridport 1708–1719 With: Thomas Strangways 1708–1713 John Hoskins Gifford 1713–1715 John Strangways 1715 Peter Walter 1715–1719 |
Succeeded by Peter Walter Sir Dewey Bulkeley |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Vacant Title last held by The Duke of Shrewsbury |
Lord Lieutenant of Worcestershire 1719–1751 |
Succeeded by The Earl of Coventry |
| Preceded by The Lord Parker |
Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire 1719–1751 | |
| Peerage of England | ||
| Preceded by Gilbert Coventry |
Earl of Coventry 1719–1751 |
Succeeded by George William Coventry |