Sir Richard Thomas Gilpin, 1st Baronet (12 January 1801 – 8 April 1882) was an English

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the 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 parliament. ...

from 1851 to 1880. Gilpin was the only son of Richard Gilpin of Hockliffe, who was Lieutenant-Colonel of the Bedfordshire Militia, and his second wife, Sarah Wilkinson, fourth daughter of William Wilkinson of Westmorland. He was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

and at

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

and served in the

14th Light Dragoons The 14th King's Hussars was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, first raised in 1715. It saw service for two centuries, including the First World War, before being amalgamated with the 20th Hussars to form the 14th/20th King's Hussars in 192 ...

, and in the

Rifle Brigade The Rifle Brigade (The Prince Consort's Own) was an infantry rifle regiment of the British Army formed in January 1800 as the "Experimental Corps of Riflemen" to provide sharpshooters, scouts, and skirmishers. They were soon renamed the "Rifle ...

reaching the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. He was Colonel of the Bedfordshire Militia. He was Deputy Lieutenant and J.P. for

Bedfordshire Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council wa ...

and

Buckinghamshire Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-ea ...

and

High Sheriff of Bedfordshire This is a list of High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire. Pre-Conquest pre-1042: Aelfstan 1042-1066; Godric, Ralph Talgebose Bondi the staller 1066–1125 *1066-c.1084: Ansculf de Picquigny * Ralph Taillebois *c. 1080 Hugh de Beauchamp *1124 Rich ...

in 1850. Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1870
/ref> In 1851 Gilpin was elected Member of Parliament for

. He held the seat until 1880. He was in favour of civil and

religious liberty Freedom of religion or religious liberty is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or community, in public or private, to manifest religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship, and observance. It also includes the freedom ...

. He was created

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 ...

'of Hockliffe Grange, in the

County of Bedford Bedfordshire (; abbreviated Beds) is a ceremonial county in the East of England. The county has been administered by three unitary authorities, Borough of Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Borough of Luton, since Bedfordshire County Council was a ...

' on 19 February 1876. Gilpin died at the age of 81. In 1831, Gilpin married Mrs Louisa Turton, née Browne (d. 1871), former wife of Mr Thomas Turton (later Sir Thomas Edward Mitchell Turton) whom she divorced for adultery in 1831 in a famous case '' Turton vs Turton'' 1829–1831. Louisa was eldest daughter of General Gore Browne of Weymouth; her first marriage in 1812 to Thomas Turton, son of a baronet, was dissolved by the House of Lords decision 1831 permitting Louisa to divorce her husband. Louisa Turton was only the second woman so permitted (after Mrs Addison in 1801), and the decision also allowed her to remarry.'House of Lords Journal Volume 63: 15 March 1831', Journal of the House of Lords: volume 63: 1830–1831, pp. 322–328. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=16987 Date accessed: 18 November 2012> <'House of Lords Journal Volume 63: 19 August 1831', Journal of the House of Lords: volume 63: 1830-1831, pp. 929-931. URL: http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=17100 Date accessed: 18 November 2012>. The bill was passed 19 August 1831.

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* 1801 births 1882 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom People educated at Rugby School Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge High Sheriffs of Bedfordshire UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 UK MPs 1857–1859 UK MPs 1859–1865 UK MPs 1865–1868 UK MPs 1868–1874 UK MPs 1874–1880 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1800s-stub