- Isaac Gascoyne
Isaac Gascoyne (about 17631 -
26 August 1841 ) was a BritishTory politician . [http://www.angeltowns.com/town/peerage/lcommons3.htm]In 1779, Gascoyne entered the
British Army as an Officer, and the following year, he joined theColdstream Guards . Gradually rising through the ranks, he was wounded at theBattle of Lincelles in 1793, but continued to hold various posts into the 1810s. [http://www.thepeerage.com/p4739.htm]In 1796, Gascoyne was elected as a
Member of Parliament for Liverpool, succeeding his elder brother,Bamber Gascoyne . While there, he used his position to strongly oppose theabolition of the Slave Trade [http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/maritime/slavery/eprofits.asp] and theReform Act, 1832 . He also opposed the abolition ofbull baiting andCatholic emancipation .In 1811, Gascoyne received a number of petitions from
Liverpool residentJohn Bellingham , calling for him to take up his claim for compensation from the British government for a period of imprisonment he had suffered inRussia . In May 1812, Bellingham entered the chamber of the House of Commons and shot Prime MinisterSpencer Perceval dead. Gascoyne was able to recognise Bellingham, providing leads in the immediate aftermath. [http://www.stephen-stratford.co.uk/perceval.htm]In 1831, Gascoyne moved a motion opposing a reduction of the seats allocated to England. The Government opposed this, holding that it was necessary to address the over-representation of England. When Gascoyne's motion was carried, the Government called the 1831 general election, in an attempt to gain a clear majority for reform. [http://www.dialspace.dial.pipex.com/town/terrace/adw03/peel/refact/refacttl.htm]
Gascoyne lost his seat in the 1831 election, and died in 1841.
Notes
:1 His date of birth is often given as 1770, but this is inconsistent with an Army Commission in 1779.
References
:
Oxford Dictionary of National Biography
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