BINGHAM, Charles, 1st Baron Lucan [I] (1735-1799), of Castlebar, co. Mayo

Having become in 1781 the father-in-law of George John Spencer, Viscount Althorp, Lucan was unexpectedly pressed into service as candidate for Northampton to preserve the Spencer interest when Althorp resigned to stand for Surrey.HMC 14th Rep. IX, 165. He was returned unopposed. Following Althorp, he supported Rockingham’s Government, voted against Shelburne’s peace preliminaries, 18 Feb. 1783, and for Fox’s East India bill, 27 Nov. 1783, and opposed Pitt. Very unpopular with his constituents, at the general election of 1784 he was defeated.

Sir John Blaquière described Lucan as ‘in private life a respectable, amiable man—independent from fortune’.Irish Parlt. 1775, ed. Hunt, 4. Lucan was a zealous champion of the Irish claims to commercial and constitutional liberty put forward during the years 1779-83, and this interest, together with his connexion with Althorp and his fervent admiration for Fox, determined his political line.HMC 8th Rep. pt. 1 (1881), p. 207; HMC 14th Rep. IX, 159, 163-4, 168; Lucan to Lady Spencer, 21 Feb. 1783, Spencer mss.

Lucan died 29 Mar. 1799.