Matthew Wyldbore (c.1716- 15 March 1781) 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 ...

from 1768 to 1780. Wyldbore was the only surviving son of John Wyldbore of

Peterborough Peterborough ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in the City of Peterborough district in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Cambridgeshire, England. The city is north of London, on the River Nene. A ...

and his wife Elizabeth Neale, daughter of Noah Neale of Stamford Baron. He was

baptised Baptism (from ) is a Christians, Christian sacrament of initiation almost invariably with the use of water. It may be performed by aspersion, sprinkling or affusion, pouring water on the head, or by immersion baptism, immersing in water eit ...

on 15 April 1716 at

St John the Baptist Church, Peterborough St John the Baptist Church is a Grade I listed Church of England parish church in the city of Peterborough, now Cambridgeshire, England. Location The present St John the Baptist Church is situated in Cathedral Square and is only a few minutes w ...

. He was educated at

Newcome's School Newcome's School was a fashionable boys' school in Hackney, then to the east of London, founded in the early 18th century. A number of prominent Whig families sent their sons there. The school closed in 1815, and the buildings were gutted in 18 ...

in Hackney and entered

Trinity College, Cambridge Trinity College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, Trinity is one of the largest Cambridge colleges, with the largest financial endowment of any ...

on 26 June 1733, aged 17. He was also admitted at Inner Temple on 27 March 1735. He succeeded his father in 1755. For many years, he was a member of the

Bedford Level Corporation The Bedford Level Corporation (or alternatively the Corporation of the Bedford Level) was founded in England in 1663 to manage the draining of the Fens of East Central England. It formalised the legal status of the Company of Adventurers previously ...

. Wyldbore served as Whig Member of Parliament for

, 1768–1780. He was notorious for bribing large portions of the electorate to vote for him, and there are political cartoons mocking his expenditure. Wyldbore died unmarried in 1781. A monument to his memory can be found in the

Lady Chapel A Lady chapel or lady chapel is a traditional British English, British term for a chapel dedicated to Mary, mother of Jesus, particularly those inside a cathedral or other large church (building), church. The chapels are also known as a Mary chape ...

. Wyldbore has a particular connection with St John's Church because of a legacy he left to the bellringers, reputedly in gratitude for when he was lost in the fog in

The Fens The Fens or Fenlands in eastern England are a naturally marshy region supporting a rich ecology and numerous species. Most of the fens were drained centuries ago, resulting in a flat, dry, low-lying agricultural region supported by a system o ...

, he found his way safely to Peterborough by following the sound of St John's bells. It has, however, been explained that the reason for the benefaction was that Wyldbore was an ardent

campanologist Campanology (/kæmpəˈnɒlədʒi/) is both the scientific and artistic study of bells, encompassing their design, tuning, and the methods by which they are rung. It delves into the technology behind bell casting and tuning, as well as the rich ...

, and desired to promote the study of bell-ringing. He left a bequest for a peal of bells on the anniversary of his death, a tradition which continues each 15 March. Matthew Wyldbore's Charity is still in existence .

References

1710s births 1781 deaths Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies People educated at Newcome's School Campanologists 18th-century musicologists Politicians from Peterborough Whig (British political party) MPs {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub