{{Short description|English MP}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} thumb|Arms of Fludyer: ''Sable, a cross patoncée between four escallops argent each charged with a cross patoncée of the field''<ref>Burke, Sir Bernard, The General Armory, London, 1884, p.363</ref> '''George Fludyer''' (16 September 1761 – 15 April 1837) was an English politician, the Member of Parliament for Chippenham from 1782 to 1802, and for Appleby from 1818 to 1819.<ref name="HoP">{{Cite web|title=History of Parliament|url=http://www.histparl.ac.uk/volume/1790-1820/member/fludyer-george-1761-1837|last=|first=|date=|website=History of Parliament|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=15 May 2020}}</ref>
== Early life == Born in St Michael Bassishaw parish in London in 1761, he was the second son of Sir Samuel Fludyer, 1st Baronet, who died in 1768. His mother Caroline Brudenell was daughter of James Brudenell, and the niece of George Brudenell, 3rd Earl of Cardigan.<ref name="HoP"/>
Fludyer inherited wealth from his father, one of the richest clothiers of his time, and social rank from his mother. He was educated at Westminster School from 1771–9,<ref>{{cite web |title=Fludyer, George, 1761-1837 - Westminster School's Archive & Collections |url=https://collections.westminster.org.uk/index.php/fludyer-george-1761-1837 |publisher=Westminster School |access-date=1 September 2024}}</ref> and sent on the Grand Tour with his elder brother, Samuel. [[File:Eintrag George Fludyer in Stammbuch Johan David af Sandeberg 1778.jpg|thumb|Album entry by George Fludyer at Göttingen in 1778, for Johan David af Sandeberg]]
== Public life == Fludyer inherited the interests of his father, Sir Samuel, at Chippenham, which he represented from 1783 to 1802. He is referred to, as F——r, in a political cartoon of 1784, which caricatures John Robinson, Treasury Secretary to the Fox–North coalition, offering bribes to MPs.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Apostate Jack Robinson, the Political Rat Catcher|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/P_J-2-95|last=Rowlandson|first=Thomas|date=|website=British Museum|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref> thumb|''The apostate Jack R- the political rat catcher'', political caricature of 1784 Fludyer fell out with the Corporation of Chippenham and gave his interest there to John Maitland. He served as a stopgap member for Appleby in 1818–19 at the behest of William Lowther, 1st Earl of Lonsdale, a family connection (the Earl was married to another daughter of the 9th Earl of Westmorland).
Fludyer served in the Rutland Yeomanry Cavalry, from 1794, becoming a major in 1794. He served as Sheriff of Rutland for 1814–15, and as a magistrate for over 50 years.<ref name="HoP"/>
== Marriage, family life and residences== In 1792, Fludyer married Lady Mary Fane, daughter of John Fane, 9th Earl of Westmorland. They had four daughters and three sons.<ref name="HoP" /> These were:<ref>{{cite book |title=The Gentleman's Magazine |date=1837 |publisher=F. Jefferies |pages=655–656 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RA42AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA655 |language=en}}</ref>
* Mary (died 1830), married in 1818 Arthur George Onslow, and became Countess of Onslow. * Caroline (died 1824), married in 1818 John Cust, 1st Earl Brownlow, as his second wife. In a marriage of first cousins, her daughter Katherine Anne married a son Arthur George Onslow (1820–1856), courtesy title Viscount Cranley, of her sister Mary.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lodge |first1=Edmund |title=The Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire as at Present Existing: Arranged and Printed from the Personal Communications of the Nobility ... |date=1869 |publisher=Hurst and Blackett |page=431 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=XBMwAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA431 |language=en}}</ref> * Elizabeth, married in 1824 Sir Philip Musgrave, 8th Baronet, who died in 1827. * George (died 1856), wounded at the Battle of Waterloo serving with the 1st Regiment of Foot Guards.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bromley |first1=David |last2=Bromley |first2=Janet |title=Wellington's Men Remembered Volume 2: A Register of Memorials to Soldiers Who Fought in the Peninsular War and at Waterloo: M to Z |date=2012 |publisher=Pen and Sword |isbn=978-1-78159-412-4 |page=1805 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dm9uBAAAQBAJ&pg=RA2-PA1805 |language=en}}</ref> * Katharine. * William. * John Henry, a cleric, who inherited in 1876 the title from his cousin Sir Samuel Fludyer, 3rd Baronet, becoming Sir John Henry Fludyer, 4th Baronet.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cokayne |first1=George Edward |title=Complete baronetage: Volume V |date=1900 |publisher=Dalcassian Publishing Company |page=118 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LNrdDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA118 |language=en}}</ref>
The second baronet owned a house at Lee, Kent, and another in Fludyer Street, parallel to Downing Street in Westminster. In 1797, George Fludyer is recorded as living in Thistleton, in Rutland.<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Royal kalendar and Court and city register|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WOkNAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA29|last=|first=|website=Google books|year = 1797|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref>
Fludyer moved to be near the family of his mother, Caroline, who died in 1803. In 1801, she inherited land at Ayston from her brother, George Brydges Brudenell;<ref>{{Cite web|title=Rutland Record|url=http://www.rutlandhistory.org/rutlandrecord/rr08.pdf|last=|first=|date=|website=History of Rutland|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=16 May 2020}}</ref> and with it the patronage of livings in the two villages. On her death, Fludyer inherited land at Ayston and Wardley.<ref>{{cite web |title=Parishes: Ayston, British History Online |url=https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/rutland/vol2/pp59-61 |website=www.british-history.ac.uk}}</ref> In 1807 he had a large house, Ayston Hall, built near the church in Ayston, and lived there until he died.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-par|gb}} {{succession box | title = Member of Parliament for Chippenham | years = 1783-1802 | before = Henry Dawkins <br />Giles Hudson | after = James Dawkins <br />Charles Brooke<br />John Maitland }}{{Succession box | title = Member of Parliament for Appleby | years = 1818-1819 | before = James Lowther<br /> George Tierney | after = Lucius Concannon<br />Adolphus John Dalrymple }}
{{s-end}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fludyer, George}} Category:1761 births Category:1837 deaths George Category:Younger sons of baronets Category:People educated at Westminster School, London Category:British MPs 1780–1784 Category:British MPs 1784–1790 Category:British MPs 1790–1796 Category:British MPs 1796–1800 Category:UK MPs 1801–1802 Category:UK MPs 1818–1820 Category:Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Chippenham Category:Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Appleby Category:High sheriffs of Rutland