John Norris (1702–1767)

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John Norris (1702–1767) was a British customs official and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 to 1732. He was baptized on 31 July 1702 as the third but eldest surviving son of Admiral Sir John Norris and Elizabeth Aylmer. He married Judith Western on 13 January 1729. In 1727 he was elected unopposed as MP for Rye on his father’s influence. He generally supported the Opposition and spoke against the Government on the Address in January 1729 and on the Hessians and Dunkirk in February 1730. On 21 April 1730 he unexpectedly moved for an Address to lay before the House any secret articles of the Treaty of Seville, sparking a four-hour debate. His last recorded speech was in March 1732 against paying a debt to Denmark. Later in 1732 he received a reversionary post as usher of the customs at the Port of London, which disqualified him from sitting in Parliament, so he left his seat in September 1732. He inherited Hempstead Park from his father in 1749. He died on 12 November 1767, leaving a son named John (who later became an MP) and a daughter.