John Phillpotts (MP)
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John Phillpotts (1775–1849), of Spa Villa and Bear Land,
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
and
Porthgwidden Porthgwidden (, meaning ''white cove'') is a small hamlet in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is located in the civil parish of Feock on the shore of the Carrick Roads Carrick Roads (, meaning "rock anchorage") is the estuary of the R ...
,
Cornwall Cornwall (; or ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is also one of the Celtic nations and the homeland of the Cornish people. The county is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, ...
, was a nineteenth-century English politician.


Life

John Phillpotts was the eldest son of John Phillpotts (1743–1814), a Herefordshire landowner, businessman and sometime Land Agent to the Dean and Chapter of
Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity and formerly St Peter's Abbey, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishme ...
, and his wife Sibella Glover (1753–1833); he was the elder brother of
Henry Phillpotts Henry Phillpotts (6 May 177818 September 1869), often called "Henry of Exeter", was the Anglican Bishop of Exeter from 1830 to 1869. He was one of England's longest serving bishops since the 14th century. Life Early life Henry Phillpotts ...
,
Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...
.''A Phillpotts Genealogy'', unpublished manuscript, Percy Phillpotts, c.1910 John Phillpotts was born at
Bridgwater Bridgwater is a historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. The town had a population of 41,276 at the 2021 census. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies along both sid ...
in
Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...
while his father was operating a brick and tile factory in that town. John Phillpotts practised as an attorney in Gloucester and held the post of Registrar to the Dean and Chapter of the cathedral. He was
Mayor of Gloucester The Mayor of Gloucester is the first citizen of the City of Gloucester, England, and acts as chair of the council. The Mayor represents the Council and the City at civic, ceremonial and community events both inside the City boundaries and elsewh ...
for one term (1819–20). He dined at the
Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...
and was called to the bar in 1822, after which he served as a magistrate at the Gloucester sessions and on the Oxford circuit.''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820-1832'', editor D.R. Fisher, Cambridge University Press, 2009 Phillpotts gained a reputation for severity and was known in some quarters as "Cat-o-Nine-Tails Jack". Flogging was his favoured cure for vagrancy and begging. John Phillpotts was elected a Member of Parliament (MP) for
Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...
in three parliaments (1830–1831, 1832–1834, and 1837–1847). In the 1841 election he topped the poll with 753 votes, being trailed by Captain Maurice Berkeley (732 votes) and Viscount Loftus (510 votes).''The Gentleman's Magazine'', June 1949 John Phillpotts retired from politics in 1847. In his politics Phillpotts aligned himself variously with the Whigs and the Tories, earning himself the sobriquet of “the Gloucester Weathercock”, but he was consistent in representing the interests of Gloucester city. Amongst other achievements he backed the
Gloucester and Sharpness Canal The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal (also known as the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal) is a ship canal in the west of England, between Gloucester and Sharpness, completed in 1827. For much of its length the canal runs close to the tidal River S ...
project, helped develop the infrastructure of Gloucester city and was instrumental in saving a local bank from ruin. In 1797 John Phillpotts married Sarah, daughter of Thomas Chandler of Ashcroft House, Ozleworth, near Wotton under Edge in Gloucestershire. The couple had one son, Thomas Phillpotts (1807–1890), who was to become Canon of
Truro Truro (; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in Cornwall, England; it is the southernmost city in the United Kingdom, just under west-south-west of Charing Cross in London. It is Cornwall's county town, s ...
under John Phillpotts' brother
Henry Phillpotts Henry Phillpotts (6 May 177818 September 1869), often called "Henry of Exeter", was the Anglican Bishop of Exeter from 1830 to 1869. He was one of England's longest serving bishops since the 14th century. Life Early life Henry Phillpotts ...
the
Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the Ordinary (officer), ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. The current bishop is Mike Harrison (bishop), Mike Harrison, since 2024. From the first bishop until the sixteent ...
. John and Sarah Phillpotts were later estranged. Two years after retiring from politics, in June 1849, John Phillpotts died of a heart attack while on board an omnibus in the West End of London. Sarah Phillpotts died in Gloucester one month later.


Gallery

John Phillpotts of Gloucester.jpg, John Phillpotts senior, father of John Phillpotts MP Sibella Phillpotts.jpg, Sibella Phillpotts, mother of John Phillpotts MP


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillpotts, John 1775 births 1849 deaths Politicians from Gloucester Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847