Charles Wykeham Martin

Who was Charles Wykeham Martin?

Charles Wykeham-Martin DL was an English Liberal Party politician who sat in the House of Commons in two periods between 1841 and 1870.

Martin was born Charles Wykeham the son of Fiennes Wykeham of Leeds Castle Maidstone and his wife Eliza Bignell, daughter of R. Bignell. He was educated at Eton College and at Balliol College, Oxford. In 1821 his father assumed the additional name of Martin. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Antiquaries, a corresponding member of the Academy d'Archeologie de Belgique, and a Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society. He was also a lieutenant-colonel of the 3rd Battalion Kent Volunteers and a Deputy Lieutenant and J.P. for Kent and a J.P. for Hampshire.

Martin stood for parliament unsuccessfully at Newport in 1837 but was elected Member of Parliament for Newport in 1841. He lost the seat at Newport in 1852 and stood unsuccessfully at Maidstone in 1853. He was elected MP for West Kent at a by-election in 1857 but lost the seat in 1859. At the 1865 general election he was elected MP for Newport again and re-elected in 1868 when representation was reduced to one member. He held the seat until his death in 1870.