570 
who died 1734, in his 18th year, and 
was succeeded by his youngest son, 
Roger, who was at that time “a 
king’s scholarat Westminster school, 
where, by his own choice, he con- 
tinued three years, and became a 
member of University college, Ox- 
ford, and made the tour of France 
and Italy. Soon after his return, 
he had the honour to be unanimous- 
ty elected knight of the shire for the 
county of Middlesex, upon a va- 
cancy by the creation of the right 
hon. William Pulteney earl of Bath, 
in 1742; and in 1743 he married 
Sophia, daughter of Edward Con- 
yers, of Copt-hall, in co. Essex, 
esq. who, after a long-continued 
state of ill-health, died in 1774, and 
was buried at Harefield, where is her 
monument, a white marble vase, 
with a female figure in basso relievo 
recumbent; on the top an angel 
leaning on an extinguished torch; 
on the plinth are these lines from 
Petrarch : 
*¢ Per me non pianger piu ch’ miei 
di sersi 
Morendo eterni e nel’ eterno lume 
Quando mostrai chiuder gl’ occhi gli 
aspersi.” 
On a tablet underneath : 
‘¢ In memory 
of his most truly amiable, 
much and long-loved., wife, 
Sophia, lady Newdigate, 
daughter of Edward Conyers, 
of Copped-hall, Essex, esquire, 
by Matilda, daughter of 
William Baron Lempster, 
born Dec, 20th, 171%, 
married May 31st, 1743, 
died July 9th, 1774, 
Sir Roger Newdigate, baronet, 
with many tears, erected this monu- 
ment.” 
In 1749, sir Roger Newdigate was 
admitted to the degree of LL. D, at 
ANNUAL REGISTER, 1806. 
Oxford; andon the 31st of January, — 
1750, upon a vacancy made by lord 
Cornbury’s being called to the house 
of peers, he had the high honour tg 
be returned the first upon the poll 
for a burgess for the university of 
Oxford. Such is the noble example 
of independence and untainted 
purity in elections, set to all electors 
by that most learned and most re- 
spectable body, that to declare, to 
canvass, to treat, or even to be seen 
within the limits of the university, 
during a vacancy, would be, in any 
candidate, a forfeiture of all favour, 
and an utterexclusion. By this dis. 
tinguished conduét, invariably pur- 
sued, by the honour they confer on 
the object of their choice, they re« 
flect the highest honour on them- 
selves. Thus honoured was sir Ro« 
ger Newdigate, not knowing that he 
was proposed, supported, and elec 
ted, till he received a letter from the 
vice-chancellor by one of the esquire 
beadles ; and in the same manner, 
without application or expence what- 
soever, he was re-electedin 1754, and 
again in 1761, and in 1768; and for 
the fifth time in 1774, being then ab- 
sent in Italy, which he had revisited 
that summer. On thedissolution of 
that parliament, in 1780, after 35 
years service in parliament, advanced 
in years and his health affected by a 
town life, much ill health in his fa. 
mily, and wishing for repose, he so- 
licited his dismission, and retired 
from public life. In 1776 he mar- 
ried his second lady, Hester, daugh- 
ter of Edward Mundy, of Shipley, 
in Derbyshire, esq. and sister to 
Edward Miller-Mundy, esq. knight 
of the shire for that county, who 
died Sept. 30, 1800. ‘In 1786 he 
built a -villa, in a beautiful situation, 
which overlooks the valley of the 
river Colney, within a mile of Ux- 
bridge.” 
