Peter Gott (22 May 1653 – 16 April 1712), of

Stanmer Stanmer is a village on the northern edge of the city of Brighton and Hove, in the ceremonial county of East Sussex, England. It was formerly a civil parish until 1952 when it was split between Brighton and Falmer. In 1951 the parish had a pop ...

, Sussex and Hatton Garden, London, was an English ironmaster and Whig politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1690 and 1712.

Early life

Gott was the eldest son of Samuel Gott, ironmaster of Battle, Sussex, and his wife Joan Farnden, daughter of Peter Farnden of Sedlescombe, Sussex. He was admitted at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

in 1670. He succeeded his father to his estates and iron workings in 1671. By licence dated 16 July 1677, he married his cousin Martha Western, the daughter of Thomas Western of St Dunstan-in-the-East, ironmonger. In 1685 he was a baron of the

Cinque Ports The confederation of Cinque Ports ( ) is a historic group of coastal towns in south-east England – predominantly in Kent and Sussex, with one outlier (Brightlingsea) in Essex. The name is Old French, meaning "five harbours", and alludes to ...

when he helped carry the canopy over the Queen at the coronation. In 1690, with the resumption of war, he became one of the major suppliers of iron ordnance to the government.

Career

Gott was

Sheriff of Sussex The office of Sheriff of Sussex was established before the Norman Conquest. The Office of sheriff remained first in precedence in the counties until the reign of Edward VII when an Order in Council in 1908 gave the Lord-Lieutenant the prime office ...

for the year 1688 to 1689. At the 1689 English general election, he stood for Parliament at

Rye Rye (''Secale cereale'') is a grass grown extensively as a grain, a cover crop and a forage crop. It is grown principally in an area from Eastern and Northern Europe into Russia. It is much more tolerant of cold weather and poor soil than o ...

and

Hastings Hastings ( ) is a seaside town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to th ...

and was defeated. He was returned in a contest as Member of Parliament (MP) for Hastings at the

1690 English general election The 1690 English general election occurred after the dissolution of the Convention Parliament summoned in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and saw the partisan feuds in that parliament continue in the constituencies. The Tories made sig ...

. He did not stand in

1695 Events January–March * January 7 (December 28, 1694 O.S.) – The United Kingdom's last joint monarchy, the reign of husband-and-wife King William III and Queen Mary II comes to an end with the death of Queen Mary, at the age of 3 ...

. In 1698 he became a director of the New East India Company and was a director of the

Bank of England The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694 to act as the Kingdom of England, English Government's banker and debt manager, and still one ...

to 1700. He was returned again as MP for Hastings at the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' su ...

. Though inactive in Parliament, he was classified as a Court supporter and later as a supporter of the

Whig Junto The Whig Junto is the name given to a group of leading Whigs who were seen to direct the management of the Whig Party and often the government, during the reigns of William III and Anne. The Whig Junto proper consisted of John Somers, later ...

. In 1700, Gott and

John Pulteney John Pulteney (before 1668 – 2 May 1726), of St James's, Westminster and Harefield, Middlesex, was an English lawyer and Whig politician who sat in the English and British House of Commons from 1695 to 1710. Early life Pulteney was the son ...

funded the building of Hastings Town Hall. He was returned at the first general election of 1701. At the second general election of 1701, he stood instead at

Winchelsea Winchelsea () is a town in the county of East Sussex, England, located between the High Weald and the Romney Marsh, approximately south west of Rye and north east of Hastings. The current town, which was founded in 1288, replaced an earli ...

, but was defeated and his petition was not successful. Gott purchased the manor of Stanmer for £8,000 and made it his principal seat. He also held property in Rye and elsewhere in Sussex. This gave him sufficient electoral interest to stand for

Sussex Sussex (Help:IPA/English, /ˈsʌsɪks/; from the Old English ''Sūþseaxe''; lit. 'South Saxons'; 'Sussex') is an area within South East England that was historically a kingdom of Sussex, kingdom and, later, a Historic counties of England, ...

at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

. He also stood at

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. The town is the administrative centre of the wider Lewes (district), district of the same name. It lies on the River Ouse, Sussex, River Ouse at the point where the river cuts through the Sou ...

, and was returned as MP for both constituencies. He opted to sit for Sussex, and returned his son Samuel in his place for Lewes. He was rewarded for his loyalty to the Whigs by the appointment of his younger son, Peter Goff, as receiver-general of the land tax for Sussex in January 1710. He stood security for Peter with his elder son Samuel. At the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

he was returned as MP for Lewes in place of his son Samuel. On 7 December 1711, he voted for the motion of ‘ No Peace without Spain’. On 2 April 1712 he petitioned the Lords for an act to settle the estate of Samuel Western.

Death and legacy

Gott died in 1712 aged 58, possibly by suicide having allegedly hanged himself, and was buried on 16 April 1712 at St Saviour's, Southwark. He had five sons, including

Samuel Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venera ...

and Peter, and four daughters. Samuel inherited Stanmer but had to sell it in 1712 to pay £10,000 to the Treasury for his brother Peter's debts as receiver-general.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gott, Peter 1653 births 1712 deaths People from Hastings Members of Gray's Inn High sheriffs of Sussex English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Suicides by hanging in England Politicians who died by suicide