ROSEWARNE, Henry (d.1783), of Truro, Cornw.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1754-1790, ed. L. Namier, J. Brooke., 1964
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1780 - 26 June 1783

Family and Education

s. of Walter Rosewarne of Truro.  educ. ?Clare, Camb. 1749.  m. Elizabeth, s.p.

Offices Held

Mayor, Truro 1774; vice-warden of the stannaries 1776; dep. recorder, Truro; recorder 1782.

Biography

Rosewarne, a Truro merchant and mining adventurer, was introduced into the corporation by Lord Falmouth. He deserted his patron in 1780, and, in company with Falmouth’s former election manager, Thomas, attempted to establish an independent interest. Lacking sufficient influence they appealed to Sir Francis Basset, whose help secured Rosewarne’s and Bamber Gascoyne’s election in opposition to Falmouth’s candidates. Rosewarne supported the North ministry until its fall. On 26 Feb. 1781 he made his maiden speech against Burke’s establishment bill and in vindication of the ministry, and on 31 Mar. attacked the contractors bill. On 27 Feb. 1782 he opposed Conway’s motion on the ground that the Government bill opening the way to negotiations with the Colonies ought to be first considered. During April 1782 he made at least three more speeches against economical and parliamentary reform; and on 30 May seconded a motion censuring the ministers for recalling Rodney, and declared that Rodney’s victory was ample vindication of Sandwich’s conduct at the Admiralty.1 On 18 Feb. 1783 he voted against Shelburne’s peace preliminaries.

Rosewarne was a leading member of the tin-mining interest in Cornwall. During the slump of 1772, he contributed £10,000 out of £66,000 subscribed to an ‘exclusive company’ to buy up stocks and control the sale of tin; and in 1780 was a leader in the ‘Committee of Correspondence’ set up for the same purpose.2 Rosewarne’s office in the stannaries was no sinecure. In 1781 North defended an increase of salary granted to him the year before on the grounds that it had been applied for on his behalf, ‘by almost every nobleman and gentleman in the county of Cornwall’, and that the duties were extremely burdensome, Rosewarne ‘having sometimes 80 or 90 cases to try in a year, some of which took up two or three days hearing’.3

He died 26 June 1783.

Ref Volumes: 1754-1790

Author: I. R. Christie

Notes

  • 1. Debrett, ii. 22-25; vi. 329; vii. 51, 57, 73, 139, 201.
  • 2. W. J. Rowe, Cornw. in Age of Industrial Rev. 59, 166.
  • 3. Debrett, ii. 291-2.