Henry Lambton

Henry Lambton
Born	1697 Barnes, County Durham, England
Died	1761-06-26
Occupation(s)	Landowner, coal mine proprietor, politician
Years active	1734–1761
Known for	Member of Parliament for City of Durham, coal mining interests, Mayor of Hartlepool

Henry Lambton (1697–1761) was a British landowner, coal mine proprietor, and Whig politician who represented his constituency in the House of Commons from 1734 until his death in 1761.

Biography

Lambton, born in 1697, was the firstborn son of Ralph Lambton of Barnes, County Durham, and Dorothy Hedworth. He began his studies at Queen’s College, Oxford in 1715 and succeeded his father two years later in 1717. In 1719, he was admitted to Lincoln's Inn and held the position of attorney for the Bishop of Durham. Upon the death of his uncle William Lambton in 1724, he inherited the Lambton estate along with significant coal mining interests, establishing himself as a prominent Sunderland coal proprietor. He was named Mayor of Hartlepool in 1729.

Following a close loss in a 1730 by-election for the City of Durham seat, Lambton secured election unchallenged as a Whig Member of Parliament there in 1734 and maintained this position through consecutive elections until 1761. Throughout his parliamentary career, he consistently backed the Walpole government and was recognized as an Old Whig by 1746. Lambton also held the mayoralty of Hartlepool on multiple occasions, including terms in 1741 and 1753. His final electoral victory in 1761 was achieved by a narrow margin of twenty votes.

Henry Lambton passed away unmarried on 26 June 1761. His holdings were inherited by his brother William Lambton, and following William’s death in 1774, ownership transferred to their brother General John Lambton, MP.