Cecil Forester (MP)
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Brooke Forester
Sir Henry Bridgeman
Cecil Forester | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Wenlock | |
| Preceded by | George Forester Brooke Forester |
| Succeeded by | George Forester Sir Henry Bridgeman |
| Personal details | |
| Born | c. 1721 |
| Died | 22 August 1774 (aged 52–53) |
| Spouse | Anne Townshend |
| Relations | Brooke Forester (brother) Sir William Forester (grandfather) |
| Children | 7, including Cecil, Francis |
| Parent(s) | William Forester Catherine Brooke |
| Education | Westminster School |
Lt-Col. Cecil Forester (c. 1721 – 22 August 1774) was a British soldier and Member of Parliament.
Forester was born in c. 1721 as the second son of William Forester of Dothill in Wellington, Shropshire (now Telford) and Catherine Brooke, daughter and heiress of William Brooke of Clerkenwell.[1] His elder brother was Brooke Forester, also a longtime MP for Wenlock who married Elizabeth Weld (daughter and sole heiress of George Weld of Willey Park). Through his brother, he was uncle to George Forester.[2] His sister, Mary Forester, was the wife of Sir Brian Broughton-Delves, 4th Baronet and Humphrey Mackworth Praed, MP for St Ives.[3]
His paternal grandparents were Sir William Forester and Lady Mary Cecil (a daughter of the 3rd Earl of Salisbury).[4][5] His aunt, Mary Forester, married Sir George Downing, 3rd Baronet.[6]
He was educated at Westminster School.[1]
Career
Forester purchased a Cornet in the 4th Dragoons, British Army in 1739. He was made Major of the 46th Foot (under Lt.-Gen. Hon. Thomas Murray) in 1748, Lieutenant Colonel in 1752. He was a Lieutenant Colonel in the 11th Foot in 1755 (under Lt.-Gen. Maurice Bocland) before selling out in 1760 after failing to secure appointment as aide-de-camp to the King.[1]
Political career
Like his father and grandfather before him, he was returned as Member of Parliament for Wenlock between 1761 and 1768, serving alongside his elder brother Brooke (an ally of the Duke of Newcastle). Other than a vote against the peace preliminaries in December 1762, "not a single vote, and not a single speech, by him is recorded during his seven years in Parliament."[1]