68:, at the request of Mr Croftes, and by Mr Page at the request of Mrs Croftes. William Croftes was willing to pay for a seat but, found Newcastle's suggestion of Sudbury unattractive because "it would be expensive and the success doubtful". Mrs Croftes wrote to Newcastle on 15 February 1761 that her husband "was willing to have parted with a large sum of money" to have his son returned, and she herself was greatly disappointed that nothing had been arranged: βWhat objections can your Grace have to serve my son? he is a worthy young man of great application, of good family, and likely to have a good fortune; I flatter myself my sonβs behaviour will be such that you will not repent ... bringing him into Parliament.β So in Newcastle's list of people to be brought in, he then appeared as βMr. Croftes, somewhere with great expenseβ. Croftes's father asked on 9 March 1761 that he should be brought in for Newark, but this was turned down.
94:, but the nomination was not well received in the University. The Bishop of Lincoln wrote to Lord Hardwicke on 5 February 1771 "sending down so young a man, and so little known, has given much offence". Richard Watson, regius professor of divinity, wrote to Grafton that the university was dissatisfied with Croftes. "We have no particular objections to him as a private man; nay we believe him equal to transacting the business of Downton, but we by no means think him of consequence enough in life to be the representative, or of ability sufficient to support the interest, of the University of Cambridge". Nevertheless, in January 1771 Croftes vacated his seat at Downton to stand for the University in a by-election on 4 February 1771. Although an independent section of the university put up their own candidate, Croftes was returned by 76 votes against 45.
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Croftes died aged 43 on 4 July 1783 and was buried at West
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In 1760 Croftes's parents began trying to arrange a seat for him in
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Portrait of
Richard Crofts Of West Harling, Norfolk by Sir Joshua Reynolds
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Members of the
Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
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22:(c. 1740 β 1783) was a British politician who sat in the
57:. on 3 July 1758, and graduated MA (Litt) in 1761.
37:Croftes was the eldest son of William Croftes of
189:"CROFTES, Richard (c.1740β83), of Saxham, Suff"
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45:Suffolk and his wife Mary Decker, daughter of
75:in a by-election on 17 December 1767. At the
49:MP and a London merchant. He was educated at
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16:British Member of Parliament (1740β1783)
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384:People educated at Eton College
47:Sir Matthew Decker, 1st Baronet
191:. History of Parliament Online
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55:St John's College, Cambridge
211:Parliament of Great Britain
145:A Cambridge Alumni Database
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147:. University of Cambridge.
92:Cambridge University seats
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399:British MPs 1761β1768
103:1780 general election
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368:Categories
124:References
195:4 October
170:5 October
112:See also
328:1771 β
278:Downton
236:1767 β
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