John Phillpotts (1775–1849), of Spa Villa and Bear Land,

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean to the west, east of Monmouth and east ...

and

Porthgwidden Porthgwidden ( kw, Porth Gwydn, meaning ''white cove'') is a small hamlet in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is located in the civil parish of Feock on the shore of the Carrick Roads Carrick Roads ( kw, Dowr Carrek, meaning "rock anch ...

Cornwall Cornwall (; kw, Kernow ) is a historic county and ceremonial county in South West England. It is recognised as one of the Celtic nations, and is the homeland of the Cornish people. Cornwall is bordered to the north and west by the Atlantic ...

, was a nineteenth-century English politician.

Life

John Phillpotts was the eldest son of John Phillpotts (1743–1814), a Herefordshire landowner, businessman and sometime Land Agent to the Dean and Chapter of

Gloucester Cathedral Gloucester Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Peter and the Holy and Indivisible Trinity, in Gloucester, England, stands in the north of the city near the River Severn. It originated with the establishment of a minster dedicated to S ...

, and his wife Sibella Glover (1753–1833); he was the elder brother of

Henry Phillpotts Henry Phillpotts (6 May 177818 September 1869), often called "Henry of Exeter", was the Anglican Bishop of Exeter from 1830 to 1869. One of England's longest serving bishops since the 14th century, Phillpotts was a striking figure of the 19th- ...

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

.''A Phillpotts Genealogy'', unpublished manuscript, Percy Phillpotts, c.1910 John Phillpotts was born at

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

while his father was operating a brick and tile factory in that town. John Phillpotts practised as an attorney in Gloucester and held the post of Registrar to the Dean and Chapter of the cathedral. He was Mayor of Gloucester for one term (1819–20). He dined at the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

and was called to the bar in 1822, after which he served as a magistrate at the Gloucester sessions and on the Oxford circuit.''The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1820-1832'', editor D.R. Fisher, Cambridge University Press, 2009 Phillpotts gained a reputation for severity and was known in some quarters as "Cat-o-Nine-Tails Jack". Flogging was his favoured cure for vagrancy and begging. John Phillpotts was elected a

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...

(MP) for

in three parliaments (1830–1831, 1832–1834, and 1837–1847). In the 1841 election he topped the poll with 753 votes, being trailed by Captain Maurice Berkeley (732 votes) and Viscount Loftus (510 votes).''The Gentleman's Magazine'', June 1949 John Phillpotts retired from politics in 1847. In his politics Phillpotts aligned himself variously with the Whigs and the Tories, earning himself the sobriquet of “the Gloucester Weathercock”, but he was consistent in representing the interests of Gloucester city. Amongst other achievements he backed the

Gloucester and Sharpness Canal The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal (also known as the Gloucester and Berkeley Canal) is a ship canal in the west of England, between Gloucester and Sharpness; for much of its length it runs close to the tidal River Severn, but cuts off a sign ...

project, helped develop the infrastructure of Gloucester city and was instrumental in saving a local bank from ruin. In 1797 John Phillpotts married Sarah, daughter of Thomas Chandler of Ashcroft House, Ozleworth, near Wotton under Edge in Gloucestershire. The couple had one son, Thomas Phillpotts (1807–1890), who was to become Canon of

Truro Truro (; kw, Truru) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Cornwall, England. It is Cornwall's county town, sole city and centre for administration, leisure and retail trading. Its ...

under John Phillpotts' brother

the

Bishop of Exeter The Bishop of Exeter is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Exeter in the Province of Canterbury. Since 30 April 2014 the ordinary has been Robert Atwell.

. John and Sarah Phillpotts were later estranged. Two years after retiring from politics, in June 1849, John Phillpotts died of a heart attack while on board an omnibus in the West End of London. Sarah Phillpotts died in Gloucester one month later.

Gallery

John Phillpotts of Gloucester.jpg, John Phillpotts senior, father of John Phillpotts MP Sibella Phillpotts.jpg, Sibella Phillpotts, mother of John Phillpotts MP

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Phillpotts, John 1775 births 1849 deaths Politicians from Gloucester Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1837–1841 UK MPs 1841–1847