Henry Cressett Pelham

Who was Henry Cressett Pelham?

Henry Cressett Pelham was a British politician, known as Henry Pelham until 1792.

The third surviving son of Thomas Pelham, he was educated at Corpus Christi College, and became a fellow of Peterhouse in 1751.

In the same year, he was returned for Bramber as a Government supporter. He was returned for Tiverton instead in the 1754 election, but in 1758, was replaced by Sir Edward Hussey-Montagu after being appointed a Commissioner of Customs. He married Jane, the daughter of Nicholas Hardinge, on 1 September 1767.

Pelham succeeded his brother John in the Catsfield and Crowhurst estates in 1786 and left his Customs post in 1788. He adopted the additional surname of Cressett in 1792 after inheriting from his niece Miss Cressett, and died in early 1803. He was buried at Cound on 8 January 1803.