Harry Powlett, 4th Duke of Bolton

Who was Harry Powlett, 4th Duke of Bolton?

Harry Powlett, 4th Duke of Bolton PC, known until 1754 as Lord Harry Powlett, was a British nobleman and Whig politician, the second son of Charles Paulet, 2nd Duke of Bolton and Frances Ramsden. He sat in the House of Commons from 1715 to 1754, when he took his seat in the House of Lords.

During the close of the War of the Spanish Succession, he served as an ADC to the Earl of Galway in Portugal, in 1710.

He married Catherine Parry, by whom he had four children:

Charles Powlett, 5th Duke of Bolton

Harry Powlett, 6th Duke of Bolton

Lady Henrietta Powlett, married on 12 July 1741 Robert Colebrooke of Chilham Castle, no issue

Lady Catherine Powlett, married first William Ashe, second in 1734 Adam Drummond of Megginch, without issue by him.

He was elected at the 1715 general election as a Member of Parliament for St Ives in Cornwall. He held the seat until the 1722 general election, when he was returned as MP for Hampshire. He held that seat until he succeeded to the peerage in 1754, with one interruption. At the 1734 general election he was returned both for Hampshire and for Yarmouth. A petition was lodged against the Hampshire result, and he sat for Yarmouth until 1737 when the petition against the Hampshire result was withdrawn, then chose to represent Hampshire rather than Yarmouth for the remainder of the Parliament.