Philip Champion de Crespigny (1 April 1738 – 1 January 1803) was a British lawyer and 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 ...

between 1774 and 1790.

Early life

Champion de Crespigny was born in London on 1 April 1738.Townend, Peter. ''Burke's Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry, 18th edition. 3 volumes.''

London, England London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Burke's Peerage Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher, considered an authority on the order of precedence of noble families and information on the lesser nobility of the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1826, when the Anglo-Irish genea ...

Ltd, 1965-1972, volume 2, page 148. He was of

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , ; ) are a Religious denomination, religious group of French people, French Protestants who held to the Reformed (Calvinist) tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, ...

descent, the son of Philip Champion de Crespigny (1704–1765),

proctor Proctor (a variant of ''wikt:procurator, procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historica ...

of the

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, and his wife Anne Fonnereau, daughter of Claude Fonnereau of

Christchurch Mansion Christchurch Mansion is a substantial Tudor brick mansion house built in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, by Edmund Withypoll (also written "Withipoll") around 1548–1550. The Grade I listed building is located within Christchurch Park and sits b ...

Ipswich Ipswich () is a port town and Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough in Suffolk, England. It is the county town, and largest in Suffolk, followed by Lowestoft and Bury St Edmunds, and the third-largest population centre in East Anglia, ...

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. His elder brother Claude was made a

baronet A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in 1805. Crespigny was likely educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

in 1748, and was an advocate of

Doctors' Commons Doctors' Commons, also called the College of Civilians, was a society of lawyers practising civil law (legal system), civil (as opposed to common) law in London, namely ecclesiastical and admiralty law. Like the Inns of Court of the common lawye ...

in 1759.

Career

In 1768, he became

King's Proctor Proctor (a variant of ''procurator'') is a person who takes charge of, or acts for, another. The title is used in England and some other English-speaking countries in three principal contexts: # In law, a proctor is a historical class of lawyer ...

and held the post until 1784. In

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and feathers British customs ...

, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for

Sudbury Sudbury may refer to: Places Australia * Sudbury Reef, Queensland Canada * Greater Sudbury, Ontario ** Sudbury (federal electoral district) ** Sudbury (provincial electoral district) ** Sudbury Airport ** Sudbury Basin, a meteorite impact cra ...

on the Fonnereau interest after a contest, but lost his seat on petition. In

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to all ...

, he was returned unopposed at

Aldeburgh Aldeburgh ( ) is a coastal town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the English county, county of Suffolk, England, north of the River Alde. Its estimated population was 2,276 in 2019. It was home to the comp ...

, also on the Fonnereau interest, as well as at Sudbury after a contest. He held both seats until 1781, when he lost Sudbury on petition, and continued to sit for Aldeburgh. The '' English Chronicle'' wrote in 1781 that “his hauteur is so distinguished, that he is generally characterised ... by the profane, though very applicable appellation, of God Almighty”. He was returned unopposed at Aldeburgh in

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

, but did not stand in the

1790 Events January–March * January 8 – United States President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address, in New York City. * January 11 – The 11 minor states of the Austrian Netherlands, which took pa ...

election. He was a member of the Whig club.

Personal life

Champion de Crespigny was married four times and had thirteen children. His first marriage was on 24 November 1762 to Sarah Cocksedge, daughter of Thomas Cocksedge of

Thetford Thetford is a market town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in the Breckland District of Norfolk, England. It is on the A11 road (England), A11 road between Norwich and London, just east of Thetford Forest. The civil parish, coverin ...

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and Lydia Burgess. Before her death, they were the parents of:Mosley, Charles, editor. ''Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes.''

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington is the List of municipalities in Delaware, most populous city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish colonization of the Americas, Swedish settlement in North America. It lie ...

, U.S.A.:

(Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003, volume 3, page 4009. *

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

–1799), MP for Sudbury from 1790 to 1796; he married Augusta Charlotte Thellusson, a daughter of merchant Peter Thellusson and granddaughter of Genevan banker and diplomat Isaac de Thellusson. * Philip (1765 - 1851) * Jane (1766 - 1785) * Anne (1768 - 1844) married Hugh Owen Barlow His second marriage, in about 1771, was to Betsy Hodges, who died 1772. Together, they were the parents of a son, Charles, who died as an infant. His third marriage was to Clarissa Sarah Brooke, daughter of James Brooke, on 1 July 1774. Before her death on 15 May 1782, they were the parents of: * Clarissa (about 1775 - 1836) who married Edward Toker * Maria (1776–1858), who married John Horsley in 1804. * Harry (1777 - ?) died young * Frances (1779–1865) His fourth marriage was to Dorothy Scott, daughter of Richard Scott of Betton,

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, on 20 February 1783. They were the parents of: * George (1783 - 1813) killed in Spain * Eliza (1784 - 1831), who married

Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian Lieutenant General Richard Hussey Vivian, 1st Baron Vivian (28 July 1775 – 20 August 1842), known as Sir Hussey Vivian from 1815 to 1828 and Sir Hussey Vivian, Bt, from 1828 to 1841, was a British cavalry leader from the Vivian family. Earl ...

, in 1804. * Charles James Fox (1785–1875), who married Eliza Julia Trent in 1813. * Dorothea (1800 - 1800) born and died in Bath He died on 1 January 1803 at Bath, Somerset. His obituary in ''

The Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1907, ceasing publication altogether in 1922. It was the first to use the term ''m ...

'' described him as “very much a man of fashion in his person and demeanour, full of anecdote, and with a turn for satirical humour that rendered him a very amusing companion”. After his death, his widow married Sir John Keane, 1st Baronet in 1804. File:Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny (1734–1818), 1st Bt.jpg, Brother, Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Bt, painting by anonymous artist File:Susan (1735–1776), Sister of Sir Claude Champion de Crespigny, 1st Bt.jpg, Sister, Susan Champion de Crespigny, painting by anonymous artist from the circle of George Romney File:Portrait of Mrs. Champion de Crespigny (née Dorothy Scott) (by George Romney).jpg, The fourth wife, Dorothy Scott, painting by George Romney, 1786–1790.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Crespigny, Philip Champion 1730s births 1803 deaths British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies