Sir John Cust, 3rd Baronet

{{Short description|British politician (1718–1770)}}

{{Other people|John Cust}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable

|name = Sir John Cust

|honorific-suffix = Bt PC

|image = Watercolour drawing of Sir John Cust, 3rd Baronet by Thomas Athow after Watson and Reynolds crop.jpg

|caption = Sir John Cust, 3rd Baronet, dressed as Speaker of the House of Commons

| office = Speaker of the House of Commons
of Great Britain

| term_start = 3 November 1761

| term_end = 19 January 1770

| monarch = George III

| primeminister = Thomas Pelham-Holles
John Stuart
George Grenville
Charles Watson-Wentworth
William Pitt
Augustus FitzRoy

| predecessor = Arthur Onslow

| successor = Sir Fletcher Norton

}}

File:Memorial to Sir John Cust in St Peter and St Paul's Church, Belton.jpg

Sir John Cust, 3rd Baronet PC (29 August 1718 – 24 January 1770), of Belton House near Grantham in Lincolnshire, was a British politician who served as Speaker of the House of Commons from 1761 to 1770.

Origins

He was the eldest son of Sir Richard Cust, 2nd Baronet (1680–1734) by his wife Anne Brownlow, daughter of Sir William Brownlow, 4th Baronet, of Belton House, and heiress in her issue{{clarify|date=August 2019}} of her brother John Brownlow, 1st Viscount Tyrconnel, 5th Baronet (1690–1754), of Belton House.

He was educated at Eton College and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and studied law at the Middle Temple, where he was called to the bar in 1742.{{acad|id=CST735J|name=Cust, John}}

Career

He was elected as a Member of Parliament for Grantham in 1743, which seat he continued to represent until his death 27 years later. In 1754 his mother inherited Belton House from her childless brother, John Brownlow, 1st Viscount Tyrconnel, the last male of the Brownlow family. He was unanimously elected Speaker of the House of Commons in 1761,{{Harvnb|Cobbett|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=SFE6AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA1071 (1813) vol. 15], pp. 1072–1073, 1100–1106}} and unanimously reelected in 1768.{{Harvnb|Cobbett|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Y2gxAAAAIAAJ&pg=PT237 (1813) vol. 16], pp. 424–425, 454–460}} He was admitted to the Privy Council in 1762.Barker (1888)

On 17 January 1770, Cust sent word to the House of Commons that he was too ill to attend.{{Harvnb|Cobbett|loc=[https://books.google.com/books?id=Kg9EAQAAMAAJ&pg=PT392 (1813) vol. 16], p. 733}} He resigned on 19 January; his successor Sir Fletcher Norton was elected on 22 January. Cust died on 24 January 1770, aged 51. His memorial in Belton church was created by William Tyler RA.Dictionary of British Sculptors 1660-1851 by Rupert Gunnis p.404

Marriage and progeny

In 1743 he married Etheldreda Payne, a daughter of Thomas Payne, by whom he had two sons and two daughters, including:

  • Brownlow Cust, 1st Baron Brownlow, 4th Baronet (1744–1807), who succeeded his father in the baronetcy and in 1776 was raised to the peerage as Baron Brownlow in recognition of his father's services.
  • Elizabeth Cust (1750–1779), married Philip Yorke I (1743–1804) of Erddig House, as his first wife.

References

{{Reflist}}

Sources

  • {{cite DNB|wstitle=Cust, John|last=Barker|first=G. F. R.|volume=13}}
  • {{cite book |title=The Parliamentary History of England|last=Cobbett|first=Richard}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-par|gb}}

{{s-bef

| before = Sir Michael Newton, Bt

| before2= Marquess of Granby

}}

{{s-title

| title = Member of Parliament for Grantham

| years = 1743–1770

| with = Marquess of Granby

| with2= Lord George Manners

}}

{{s-aft

| after = Francis Cust

| after2= Lord George Manners

}}

{{S-off}}

{{Succession box |title=Speaker of the House of Commons of Great Britain |years=1761–1770 |before=Arthur Onslow |after=Sir Fletcher Norton}}

{{S-reg|en-bt}}

{{Succession box |title=Baronet
(of Stamford) |years=1734–1770 |before=Richard Cust |after=Brownlow Cust}}

{{S-end}}

{{Speaker of the British House of Commons}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cust, John, 3rd Baronet}}

Category:1718 births

Category:1770 deaths

Category:People educated at Eton College

Category:Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge

Category:Members of the Inner Temple

Category:Speakers of the House of Commons of Great Britain

Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies

Category:British MPs 1741–1747

Category:British MPs 1747–1754

Category:British MPs 1754–1761

Category:British MPs 1761–1768

Category:British MPs 1768–1774

John

Category:Cust baronets, of Stamford