Charles Amcotts (1729–1777), was a British politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

between 1754 and 1777.

Early life

Amcotts was the son of Vincent Amcotts and his wife Elizabeth Quincey, daughter of John Quincey of Aslackby, Lincolnshire and was baptised 25 June 1729. He was admitted at

Trinity Hall, Cambridge Trinity Hall (formally The College or Hall of the Holy Trinity in the University of Cambridge, colloquially "Tit Hall" ) is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1350, it is th ...

on 29 April 1746 but was expelled on 9 June 1749 for drinking the health of the

Young Pretender Charles Edward Louis John Sylvester Maria Casimir Stuart (31 December 1720 – 30 January 1788) was the elder son of James Francis Edward Stuart, making him the grandson of James VII and II, and the Stuart claimant to the thrones of England, ...

. In 1763 he was created DCL at Oxford University. He inherited the Lincolnshire properties of Harrington Hall from his father and

Kettlethorpe Hall Kettlethorpe Hall is a Victorian house in Kettlethorpe, Lincolnshire, noted for its connection to Katherine Swynford, Duchess of Lancaster. It encloses fragments of the former manor house including the medieval gatehouse, within the surviving m ...

from his father's step-brother and was picked

High Sheriff of Lincolnshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Lincolnshire. The High Sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown. Formerly the High Sheriff was the principal law enforcement officer in the county but over the centuries most of the responsibilit ...

for 1753–54.

Political career

In the 1754 general election Amcotts was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

. He considered sitting for Lincoln in 1761 but did not stand at either seat at the 1761 general election. He was returned unopposed as MP for Boston at a by-election of December 1766 and re-elected in the 1774 general election. Also in 1774 he was alderman of Boston and was sometime colonel of the Lincoln Militia. He was described as a notorious Jacobite and furious courtier, but is not recorded as having spoken in the house.

Later life

Amcotts died unmarried on 14 April 1777. Kettlethorpe passed to his sister Anna-Maria, the wife of Sir Wharton Emerson (who duly changed his name to Amcotts) and Harrington went to his sister Frances, the wife of Edward Buckworth.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Amcotts, Charles 1729 births 1777 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 High sheriffs of Lincolnshire