Humphrey Sturt

Humphrey Sturt (c. 1724 – 20 October 1786) was a British landowner, architect and politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1754 to 1784.

Early life and family Sturt was the son of Humphrey Sturt (1687-1740) of Horton and Diana Napier (died 1740), daughter of Sir Nathaniel Napier, 3rd Baronet of Critchell More. He matriculated at Queen's College, Oxford on 27 April 1741, aged 16. He married Mary Pitfield, daughter of Charles Pitfield and Dorothy Ashley, on 27 April 1756 at St James, Westminster, London.

He owed his wealth to his grandfather, Sir Anthony Sturt, who had been a successful business man and City of London alderman and Victualler to the Navy. Diana Napier, his mother, was the great great granddaughter of Sir Nathaniel Napier the builder of Crichel House, and it was through her that the house passed to the Sturts.

Political career Sturt was the Lord of Horton Manor. He was returned unopposed as the Member of Parliament for Dorset at the 1754 general election and was classed as a Tory. He was returned again unopposed at the general elections of 1761, 1768, 1774 and 1780. He did not stand in 1784.

Sturt had many ideas for the improvement of agriculture, which he introduced both in the Crichels and on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour. He used steam power for threshing and transformed Brownsea Island by importing vast quantities of manure and planting new crops. The estates passed to Humphrey Sturt's younger son, Charles Sturt.

Horton Tower

Sturt designed the Horton Tower in Horton, Dorset, built 1750. Horton Tower, also known as Sturt's Folly, is an architectural folly with six stories, 140 feet (43 m) high. It had a fireplace halfway up. Taylor's 1765 map of Dorset describes it as an 'Observatory', but according to one local legend it was built by Sturt as a viewing platform from which he could watch the local hunt when he was too old to ride to hounds.

Sturt died on 20 October 1786. He and his wife had ten sons and five daughters, including: Charles Sturt, father of Henry Charles Sturt (9 August 1795 – 14 April 1866) who married Lady Charlotte Penelope, daughter of Robert Brudenell, 6th Earl of Cardigan.