John Talbot (c. 1712 – 23 September 1756) was a British judge and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1734 to 1756. Talbot was the third son of Charles Talbot, 1st Baron Talbot, and his wife Cecelia Mathews, daughter of Charles Mathews of Castell-y-Mynach. His father served as Lord Chancellor from 1733 to 1737. Talbot was appointed Recorder of Brecon in 1734 and was also returned as Member of Parliament for Brecon, on the Tredegar interest, at the

1734 British general election The 1734 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 8th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Robert Walpole's incr ...

. In Parliament, he voted for the Government in all recorded divisions. On 13 December 1734 he was admitted at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1737. On 30 May 1737, he married Henrietta Decker, the daughter of

Sir Matthew Decker, 1st Baronet Sir Matthew Decker, 1st Baronet (1679 – 18 March 1749) (Dutch: ''Mattijs Decker'') of Richmond Green in Surrey, was a Dutch-born English merchant and economist who served as a Member of Parliament for Bishop's Castle in Shropshire from 1719 ...

. In 1740 Talbot was appointed

Puisne Justice of Chester The Justice of Chester was the chief judicial authority for the county palatine of Chester, from the establishment of the county until the abolition of the Great Sessions in Wales and the palatine judicature in 1830. Within the County Palatine ...

for life, and was returned for Brecon at the ensuing by-election before being returned unopposed at the

1741 British general election The 1741 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 9th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw suppo ...

. In 1742 he was on the court list for the ballot on members of the committee of inquiry into Walpole's Administration, to which he was one of the few Old Whigs elected. He left his post as Recorder in 1745. Talbot was returned again unopposed for Brecon at the

1747 British general election The 1747 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 10th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election saw Henr ...

. His wife died in September 1747. In August 1748 he married Catherine Chetwynd, daughter of John Chetwynd, 2nd Viscount Chetwynd. After 1747, Talbot believed his seat at Brecon was no longer secure, and he suggested that the Duke of Newcastle should find him a seat elsewhere. He was proposed instead for Ilchester where his successful return cost £2,000, half of which was met from the government's secret service funds. In December 1755 he was appointed junior

Lord of Trade Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the peerage in the United Kingdom, or ar ...

, and was again returned at the ensuing by-election at Ilchester. Talbot died on 23 September 1756. His first marriage was childless, but by his second wife he had four sons: * John Chetwynd-Talbot, 1st Earl Talbot (1749–1793) *Capt. William Henry Talbot (died 1782) *Rev. George Talbot, married Anne Beauclerk, daughter of Col. Lord Henry Beauclerk, in 1794 *Lt-Col. Charles Talbot (died 1804)

References

1756 deaths Younger sons of barons Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1741–1747 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 Year of birth uncertain John {{Wales-GreatBritain-MP-stub