Opening the debate on the Queen’s Speech in the Commons on 21 June, Richard Benyon MP mentioned that an ancestor in the 19th century failed to utter a single word during 16 years in the House.
The Times diary, TMS, added a little to the story in a piece published on June 24 under the heading “Missing Inaction” which pointed out that Benyon is not alone in having a silent ancestor.
“A fellow MP has an even more inactive forebear, the historian Alistair Lexden says. John Erle-Drax, whose descendant is MP for South Dorset, sat for Wareham for 33 years in the 19th century and would usually show up in parliament for just one evening per session. In an election address he said that he had heard a rumour that constituents who owed a living to him were being urged to vote according to their conscience. ‘This is a dastardly lie,’ he said. ‘I have no wish of the sort. I wish that these persons shall vote for me.’ “