George Horner

Who was George Horner?

George Horner was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1685 and 1689.

Horner was the eldest surviving son of Sir George Horner of Mells, Somerset and his wife Anne Poole, daughter of Sir Neville Poole. He entered Lincoln's Inn in 1663. He was commissioner for assessment for Somerset from 1673 to 1680 and a J.P. from 1675 until his death, with a brief interruption in 1688. In 1677 he inherited the family estate from his father, and by 1679 was a lieutenant-colonel of the militia. He was High Sheriff of Somerset from 1680 to 1681 and Deputy Lieutenant from 1680 to 1687. He was a colonel of the militia by 1681.

In 1685, Horner was elected Member of Parliament for Somerset but made no entry in the records. In 1688 he was deprived of many of his offices for refusing to consent to the repeal of the Test Act. He was re-elected MP for Somerset in 1689. He was commissioner for assessment for Somerset from 1689 to 1690 and restored as Deputy Lieutenant as well JP from 1689 to his death.

Horner died at the age of 60 and was buried at Mells.

Horner married Elizabeth Fortescue daughter of Robert Fortescue of Buckland Filleigh, Devon. They had three sons and four daughters. Elizabeth died on 5 September 1693. Their son Thomas was MP for Somerset as a Tory in 1713 and 1727