James Cornwallis, 4th Earl Cornwallis

James Cornwallis
Ink sketch of a young man in a loose-fitting shirt, viewed in profile, holding a sketch-book containing drawings James Cornwallis aboard HMS Pallas, 1774
Born	(1743-02-25)25 February 1743
Died
Nationality	English
Occupation	Clergyman, 1769-1824 earldom of Cornwallis 1823-24

James Cornwallis, 4th Earl Cornwallis (25 February 1743 – 20 January 1824) was a British clergyman, and peer.

Cornwallis was the third son of Charles Cornwallis, 1st Earl Cornwallis and his wife, Elizabeth, daughter of the 2nd Viscount Townshend, and niece of Sir Robert Walpole. His uncle, Frederick, was Archbishop of Canterbury. Frederick's twin brother, Edward, was a military officer, colonial governor, and founder of Halifax, Nova Scotia. James's brother William was an Admiral in the Royal Navy. His other brother, Charles, would go down in history as the general who "lost" the American Revolutionary War.

He was Rector of Ickham from 1769–73, of Addisham-with-Staple from 1770–81, of Newington in 1770, Prebendary of Westminster Abbey from 1770–85, Vicar of Wrotham from 1771–85, Rector of Boughton Malherbe from 1773–85 and Dean of Canterbury from 1775-81. In 1774-75 he served as Master's Mate aboard HMS Pallas, which was under the command of his brother William and stationed off the west African coast.

On 30 April 1771 Cornwallis married Catherine Mann (a sister of Sir Horatio Mann, 2nd Baronet) and they had one child, James. In 1814, he inherited Sir Horatio's estate at Linton Park. In 1823 he inherited the earldom of Cornwallis from his nephew, Charles Cornwallis, 2nd Marquess Cornwallis but held the title for less than a year, when it passed to his son.

In 1781 he was appointed Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry and was Dean of Windsor from 1791–94 and Dean of Durham from 1794 before dying in office in 1824.

References

Religious titles
Preceded by John Moore	Dean of Canterbury 1775–1781	Succeeded by George Horne
Preceded by Richard Hurd	Bishop of Lichfield and Coventry 1781–1824	Succeeded by Henry Ryder
Preceded by John Douglas	Dean of Windsor 1791–1794	Succeeded by Charles Manners-Sutton
Preceded by John Hinchcliffe	Dean of Durham 1794–1824	Succeeded by Charles Hall
Peerage of Great Britain
Preceded by Charles Cornwallis	Earl Cornwallis 1823–1824	Succeeded by James Cornwallis