John Dawnay, 4th Viscount Downe
John Dawnay, 4th Viscount Downe, was a British peer and Whig politician.
Background
Dawnay was the younger son of John Dawnay, eldest son of Henry Dawnay, 2nd Viscount Downe. His mother was Charlotte Louisa, daughter of Robert Pleydell, while Henry Dawnay, 3rd Viscount Downe, was his elder brother.Political career
Dawnay was returned to Parliament for Cirencester in 1754. In 1760 he succeeded in the viscountcy after the death of his elder brother in the Seven Years' War. However, as this was an Irish peerage it did not entitle him to a seat in the British House of Lords and consequently did not prevent him from remaining a member of the House of Commons. In 1768 he was returned for Malton, a seat he held until 1774.Family
Lord Downe married Lora, daughter of William Burton, in 1763. They lived at Cowick Hall in Yorkshire and had at least seven children:- John Dawnay, 5th Viscount Downe
- William Henry Pleydell Dawnay, died young
- Hon. Catherine Dawnay
- William Dawnay, 6th Viscount Downe
- Hon. Lora Dawnay, died young
- Hon. Marmaduke Dawnay, later Marmaduke Langley
- Hon. Rev. Thomas Dawnay, rector of Ashwell