John Larpent (14 November 1741 – 18 January 1824) was an English inspector of plays.

Early life

Larpent was born on 14 November 1741. He was the second son of John Larpent (1710–1797), who was forty-three years in the

Foreign Office Foreign may refer to: Government * Foreign policy, how a country interacts with other countries * Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in many countries ** Foreign Office, a department of the UK government ** Foreign office and foreign minister * United ...

, and twenty-five years chief clerk there. His mother was a daughter of James Payzant of a refugee Norman family. John was educated at Westminster, before entering the foreign office.

Career

He was secretary to

John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford John Russell, 4th Duke of Bedford (30 September 17105 January 1771) was a British Whigs (British political party), Whig statesman and peer who served as the Lord Lieutenant of Ireland from 1757 to 1761. A leading member of the Whig party durin ...

at the Peace of Paris in 1763, and to

Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford (5 July 1718 – 14 June 1794) of Ragley Hall, Arrow, in Warwickshire, was a British courtier and politician who, briefly, was Viceroy of Ireland where he had substantial estates. Background ...

when

Lord Lieutenant of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (), or more formally Lieutenant General and General Governor of Ireland, was the title of the chief governor of Ireland from the Williamite Wars of 1690 until the Partition of Ireland in 1922. This spanned the K ...

. In November 1778, he was appointed inspector of plays by the Marquis of Hertford, who was then

Lord Chamberlain The Lord Chamberlain of the Household is the most senior officer of the Royal Households of the United Kingdom, Royal Household of the United Kingdom, supervising the departments which support and provide advice to the Monarchy of the United Ki ...

. He is said to have been strict and careful, and to have left behind him manuscript copies of all the plays submitted to the inspector from 1737 till 1824.

Personal life

Larpent married, first, on 14 August 1773, Frances Western (d. 1777), eldest daughter of Maximilian Western of Cokethorpe Park, Oxfordshire. Before her death on 9 November 1777, they were the parents of two sons, including: *

Francis Seymour Larpent Francis Seymour Larpent (15 September 1776 – 21 May 1845) was a British lawyer and civil servant. From 1812 to 1814, he served as Judge-Advocate General of the British Army under Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington. He wrote an acco ...

(1776–1845), who served as

Judge-Advocate General In the United Kingdom, the Judge Advocate General is a judge responsible for the Court Martial process within the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. As such the post has existed since 2006; prior to this date the Judge Advocate General ...

of the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

. On 25 April 1782, he married, as his second wife, Anna Margaretta Porter, eldest daughter of Sir James Porter and the former Clarissa Catherine de Hochepied (eldest daughter of Elbert de Hochepied, Baron de Hochepied). Anna kept a daily diary from 1773 to 1830 that was later published in seventeen volumes. Together, they were the parents of two sons, both of whom, by licence dated 14 June 1819, added the name de Hochepied: * John James de Hochepied Larpent (1783–1860), Consul at Antwerp. *

George Gerard de Hochepied Larpent Sir George Gerard de Hochepied Larpent, 1st Baronet (16 February 1786 – 8 March 1855) was a British businessman of Huguenot and Dutch descent and a Liberal Party politician. Early life Larpent born in London. At that time he added de Ho ...

(1786–1855), an MP for

Nottingham Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located south-east of Sheffield and nor ...

who was created a baronet in 1841. Larpent died 18 January 1824. On 25 March 1828, his elder son from his second marriage succeeded his maternal uncle as 7th Baron de Hochepied, the family's Hungarian title. A licence to bear the title in England had been granted on 27 September 1819.

References

;Attribution: * {{DEFAULTSORT:Larpent, John 1741 births 1824 deaths English civil servants