James Craggs the Elder by John Closterman

James Craggs the Elder (1657 – 16 March 1721), of Jermyn Street, Westminster and Charlton, Lewisham, Kent, was an English financier and Whig politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

from 1702 to 1713.

Life

Craggs was baptized on 10 June 1657, the eldest son of Anthony Craggs of Wolsingham, county of Durham, and his wife Anne Morcroft, daughter of Rev. Ferdinando Morcroft, DD, of Goswich, Lancashire, rector of Stanhope-in-Wardell, county Durham and prebendary of Durham. He was educated at Bishop Auckland grammar school. After following various callings in London, Craggs, who was a person of considerable financial ability, entered the service of the Duchess of Marlborough. Through her influence he was returned at the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III. The new government dominated by the Tories gained ground in the election, with the Tory party winning ...

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 ...

for Grampound. He retained the seat until the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had led a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig Junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, ...

. Craggs was in business as an army clothier and held several official positions, becoming joint

Postmaster-General A Postmaster General, in Anglosphere countries, is the chief executive officer of the postal service of that country, a ministerial office responsible for overseeing all other postmasters. The practice of having a government official responsibl ...

in 1715. Making the most of his opportunities in all these capacities, he amassed a great deal of money. Craggs also increased his wealth by mixing in the affairs of the

South Sea Company The South Sea Company (officially The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other parts of America, and for the encouragement of the Fishery) was a British joint-stock company founded in Ja ...

, but after his death an act of parliament confiscated all the property which he had acquired since December 1719. He left an enormous fortune when he died in disgrace for his involvement in the South Sea Bubble, a month after the death of his son. It is possible that Craggs the Elder committed suicide. He married Elizabeth Richards, daughter of the Irish

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during sie ...

officer Jacob Richards corn chandler, of Westminster on 4 January 1684. Their children included

James Craggs the Younger James Craggs the Younger (9 April 168616 February 1721), was an English politician. Life Craggs was born at Westminster, the son of James Craggs the Elder. Part of his early life was spent abroad, where he made the acquaintance of George L ...

, and Anne Craggs, wife of Robert Nugent, 1st Earl Nugent, Elizabeth wife of Edward Eliot and Margaret wife, firstly of Samuel Trefusis and secondly of Sir John Hinde Cotton.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Craggs, James, The Elder 1657 births 1721 deaths Members of the pre-1707 English Parliament for constituencies in Cornwall Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for constituencies in Cornwall British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 United Kingdom Postmasters General English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707