Sir Lionel Darell, 1st Baronet (25 September 1742 – 30 October 1803) was an English politician and East India Company official.
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Early life
Darell was born on 25 September 1742 at Lisbon, Portugal. He was the eldest son of Lionel Darell of Bedford Row, Holborn, and Honoria Hardwick.
His paternal grandparents were Edward Darell and Sabina Hall (a daughter of the Rev. Richard Hall, Rector at Philleigh, Cornwall). His maternal grandfather was Humphrey Hardwick, a merchant who served as Vice-Consul at Lisbon, Portugal.
Career
Darell was a senior merchant with the East India Company in 1768, keeper of account deposits in 1770 and served as director from 1780 to 1783, 1785 to 1788, 1790 to 1793, 1795 to 1798, and from 1800 until his death in 1803. He was Colonel of the 1st Regiment of the Loyal East India Volunteers. He made an unsuccessful attempt to as a Member of Parliament for Lyme Regis from 1780 to 1784 and Hedon from 1784 to 1802.
From 1775 to 1795, he lived in a Georgian townhouse at 69 Dean Street, Soho, London, built between 1732 and 1735 on the former Pitt estate. Today, it is the home of the Gargoyle Club.