In 1782 Pole Carew was returned at Penryn, probably on Sir Francis Basset’s interest. He voted against Shelburne’s peace preliminaries, 18 Feb. 1783; does not appear in the division on Fox’s East India bill, 27 Nov. 1783; and was listed by Stockdale, 19 Mar. 1784, as ‘Opposition’. No speech by him is reported in this Parliament. He apparently was interested in penal reform, and on the draft of the hard labour bill, wrote to his friend Jeremy Bentham, 10 Sept. 1783: ‘As I am almost a stranger to the modern parts of our legislation may I venture to ask if any advantage has been taken of the many useful hints you have furnished?’1Add. 33439, f. 411.
Pole Carew did not stand at the general election of 1784, but in 1787 was returned for Reigate by his wife’s uncle, the 2nd Lord Hardwicke. He voted with Pitt over the Regency, 1788-9, and on 8 June 1789 made his only reported speech before 1790—supporting Addington’s election as Speaker.
He died 3 Jan. 1835.