Nevill’s grandfather and father were Members for Wexford in the Irish parliament from 1727 to 1771, when he followed in their footsteps. His politics were at first variously assessed, but in 1782 he was described as a man of ‘moderate principles’ and ‘good estate’, who was a partner in Finlay’s bank. In 1790 he became a placeholder worth £800 p.a. and subsequently supported government.
With regard to the election committees, having for the last three parliaments in Ireland been excused attending on account of violent inflammations in my eyes, which warm rooms produce, the same indulgence will I expect be granted me here.
Wickham mss 5/32.
He presented an election petition on 10 Dec. 1802, an Irish tanners’ petition on 10 May 1803, and was one of the select committee on Irish finance in 1804.
Nevill was deprived of his tellership by the Grenville ministry. When the Marquess of Ely died on 22 Mar. 1806, he announced the end of his pact with that family in Wexford and resolved to stand at the next election. He was not so bold and, after ‘family illness’ and ‘family misfortune’ (his wife had died), wrote to the Portland ministry’s chief secretary on 28 Mar. 1807, asking for his sinecure back and adding that, ‘having only an alternate return’, he could not come into Parliament until the dissolution. He did so and, restored to his place, attended in support of ministers. On 30 Mar. 1808 he gave evidence on the Wexford corn trade to a select committee. On 26 Jan. 1810 he was in the government minority on the Scheldt inquiry but, evidently finding parliamentary attendance too much for him, vacated a few days later, bringing in his kinsman Peter Parker, ‘a firm supporter of government’, instead: ‘otherwise’, remarked the viceroy, ‘he can’t keep his place’.
Nevill resumed his seat in July 1811 and was in a government minority on sinecures on 24 Feb. 1812. He was due to surrender the nomination to his seat to Lord Ely at the next general election. He at first wished to give up Parliament, but the chief secretary assured him that ‘his place was much too good for an idle man’. The Treasury offered him a seat for Plympton, but a better arrangement occurred to the chief secretary who induced Ely to return Nevill for Wexford as ‘a tried and trusty friend’. The plan worked, but he contracted ‘a violent fever taken in consequence of over election exertion’ and, finding the Castle ‘not hard hearted enough to insist upon the service of an invalid’, substituted John Fish for himself in February 1813, while he recovered from what he described as his ‘third attack since April’. On 20 June 1813 he informed the Castle that, though ready to return to Parliament as his lungs were better, he thought it wiser to stay out until next Easter.
Nevill, who requested permission to pair with ‘as regular an attendant’ as himself, 23 Dec. 1815, as he should be glad ‘to escape the fogs of London which my lungs are not adequate to encounter’, repeated the request on 28 Jan. 1816, but on a renewed summons reached London ‘through mountains of snow’, 10 Feb., only to be detained at Twickenham by ‘a severe cough’.