politician
British politician
Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis, was a British soldier, later a member of both Houses of Parliament. He served as Joint Postmaster-General and then Paymaster of the Forces. He was appointed to the Privy Council shortly before his death.
Studio characters
On-theme arcade editions starring the Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis parody.
Charles Cornwallis, 4th Baron Cornwallis, (c. 1675–20 January 1722) was a British soldier, later a member of both Houses of Parliament. He served as Joint Postmaster-General and then Paymaster of the Forces. He was appointed to the Privy Council shortly before his death.
Charles Cornwallis was born c. 1675, eldest son of Charles Cornwallis, 3rd Baron Cornwallis (c. 1655–1698) and Elizabeth Fox (c. 1654–1681). He succeeded as Baron Cornwallis on the death of his father on 29 April 1698. On 6 June 1699, he married Charlotte Butler, daughter and sole heir of Richard Butler, 1st Earl of Arran and his second wife, Dorothy Ferrers. They had twelve children:
Charles (29 March 1700–23 June 1762)
James (16 September 1701–28 May 1727)
Stephen (23 December 1702–12 May 1743)
Charlotte (bap. 11 November 1704–22 April 1705)
John (23 December 1705–9 June 1768)
Richard (20 September 1708–10 February 1741)
Elizabeth (24 March 1710–bur. 8 April 1710)
Mary (23 June 1711–9 July 1756)
Edward (5 March 1713–14 January 1776) and Frederick (5 March 1713–19 March 1783)
William (12 March 1714–c. 1716)
Henry (21 May 1715–bur. 28 February 1735)
Cornwallis died on 20 January 1722 from long-standing "Gout in his Stomach” at his London home in Bond Street. He was buried at St Mary's church at Culford Hall, Suffolk on 25 January 1722.
Charles Cornwallis was recorded as being at Eton in 1690.
By 1694, he was a Captain in the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards leaving on 15 May 1697, thus taking part in the regiment’s contribution to the Nine Years' War. On 23 April 1697, he was granted a royal pension of £1,000 to be paid annually on Lady Day from 1701 for a period of 21 years. Between 1695 and 1698, he sat as Member of Parliament for Eye, generally allied with the Whig faction. He was elevated to the House of Lords on the death of his father (29 April 1698) and also occupied the office of Lord-Lieutenant of Suffolk from 14 June 1698 to 16 June 1703. He did not hold office during the reign of Queen Anne. He found favour on the accession of George I, being appointed Joint Postmaster-General (with James Craggs the Elder) on 9 March 1715. He was replaced as Postmaster-General in 1721 by Edward Carteret, becoming Paymaster of the Forces succeeding Robert Walpole, a post which he held until his death. He was made a Privy Councillor in June 1721, being sworn in at the same time as James Brydges, Duke of Chandos.