Sir Horatio Mann, 2nd Baronet facts for kids
Sir Horatio (Horace) Mann, 2nd Baronet (born 1744 – died 1814) was a British politician. He was a member of the House of Commons from 1774 to 1807. He is best known for his love of cricket. He was a member of the Hambledon Club and supported Kent cricket. He sometimes played in matches, but rarely in the most important ones.
Early Life
Horatio Mann was born in 1744. He was the only son of Galfridus Mann. His father was a businessman who supplied clothes to the army. Horatio grew up in Boughton Place in Boughton Malherbe, Kent.
He went to Charterhouse School. Later, he studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge in 1760. When his father died in 1756, Horatio inherited his family's lands and a large sum of money. In 1765, he married Lady Lucy Noel.
Cricket Activities
Sir Horatio Mann had many important friends. One of them was John Frederick Sackville, 3rd Duke of Dorset. They both loved cricket and often competed against each other.
Mann owned several large homes in Kent. These included Boughton Place and Linton Park. Later, his main family home was Bourne Park House, near Canterbury. He even had his own cricket ground there called Bourne Paddock. Many important cricket matches were played there in the 1770s and 1780s. He later moved to Dandelion, Kent, where he built another cricket ground. This ground also hosted some major games.
Mann was part of a special group of noblemen and gentlemen. This group included people from Kent, Hampshire, Surrey, Sussex, Middlesex, and London. In 1774, this group met in London. They worked together to create new rules for the game of cricket.
Political Career
Horatio Mann's uncle was also named Sir Horace Mann. His uncle was a British diplomat who worked in Italy for many years. Horatio was knighted in 1772. This allowed him to represent his uncle at a special ceremony.
Because he owned land in Linton, Horatio had influence in the area of Maidstone. In 1774, he ran for election there. He won the election and became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone. An MP is a person elected to represent their local area in the House of Commons.
In 1775, his uncle gave him the family estate at Bourne. Horatio traveled abroad, visiting France, Italy, and Austria. He returned to England in 1778. After that, he often visited his uncle in Florence, Italy, almost every summer.
He was re-elected as MP for Maidstone in 1780. When his uncle died in 1786, Horatio became the second baronet. He then took over his uncle's diplomatic duties in Florence for six months.
In 1790, Mann was elected as MP for Sandwich. He was re-elected without opposition in 1796 and 1802. However, he became less active in Parliament due to poor health. He was re-elected in 1806 but lost the election in 1807.
Later Life and Legacy
People described Sir Horatio Mann as a lively and sometimes unpredictable person. He was known for spending a lot of money. It was said that his family's wealth was greatly reduced because of his spending.
Sir Horatio Mann died on April 2, 1814. He had three daughters but no sons. Because he had no sons, his special title (the baronetcy) ended when he died. His property was passed on to his nephew, James Cornwallis.
Sometimes, Sir Horatio Mann is called Sir Horatio, and other times he is called Sir Horace. Both names are correct because Horace was a common short form of Horatio.
