Henry Fownes Luttrell (died 1780)

Henry Luttrell
Portrait of Henry Fownes Luttrell, National Trust, Dunster Castle
Member of the British House of Commons for Minehead
In office 1768 – December 1774
Preceded by	Henry Shiffner
Succeeded by	Thomas Pownall
Personal details
Born	Henry Fownes 1722 or 1723
Died	30 October 1780 (aged c. 58)
Spouse	Margaret Luttrell ​ ​ (m. 1747; died 1766)​
Children	John, Francis, Thomas, 2 other sons and 1 daughter
Parent	John Fownes

Henry Fownes Luttrell (born Henry Fownes; 1722 or 1723 – 30 October 1780), of Dunster Castle, Somerset, was High Sheriff of Somerset from 1754 to 1755 and a Member of Parliament for the borough of Minehead from 1768 to 1774.

Fownes was the son of John Fownes of Nethway and Kittery Court, near Dartmouth, and led the life of a country squire. In 1747, he married Margaret Luttrell, the heiress of Dunster Castle and added his wife's name to his own to comply with her late father's will. In accordance with the era's laws concerning the property rights of married women, on his marriage he became the legal owner of his wife's property, including not only Dunster Castle, but also the lordships of the manors of Dunster, Heathfield, and Kilton amongst others. The newly named Fownes Luttrell altered the castle considerably, remodelling its interior and park and building the Conygar Tower, a folly in the grounds. Following the death of his wife in 1766 he remarried in 1771.

When Fownes Luttrell's candidate for the 1754 election was defeated, he realised that his estate bought him relatively little political power. Frustrated, he set about nursing his interest in the borough. Later, a compromise with a rival landowner placed one of the borough's two parliamentary seats in his pocket. He stood for election in 1768 and was returned with the support of the Government. He was returned again in 1774 alongside his eldest son, John; the Prime Minister was disgruntled that he had not returned his own favoured candidate and Fownes Luttrell resigned on the condition that the Government's candidate would not interfere in the future without his permission. Thenceforth until abolition by the Reform Act of 1832 the borough's parliamentary seats were effectively controlled by his family.

Fownes Luttrell was an inactive politician and is not known to have spoken or voted in Parliament during the six years he was a member. Instead, he led the life of a country squire, hunting and managing his estates. Fownes Luttrell died in 1780, and his eldest son succeeded to his estates.