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 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 1695 to 1710.

Early life

Pulteney was the son of Sir William Pulteney, and his wife Grace Corbet, daughter of

Sir John Corbet, 1st Baronet Sir John Corbet, 1st Baronet (c. 1589 – 19 January 1628) was MP for Norfolk between 1624 and 1625 and Yarmouth between 1625 and 1626. He was the son of Sir Thomas Corbet of Sprowston, Norfolk, High Sheriff of Norfolk in 1612 and the elder bro ...

, of Stoke, Shropshire. He was educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

under Dr Busby. He married before 1674 Lucy Colville of Northamptonshire. He was admitted at

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 ...

in 1676 and matriculated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

in 1677. He was called to the Bar in 1682.

Career

Pulteney was nominated as deputy-lieutenant of Middlesex in 1689. He had no previous experience in the higher levels of government when he was appointed by Lord Shrewsbury as under-secretary of the Southern Department in 1689, holding the post to June 1690. He was then appointed under-secretary of the Northern Department from December 1690 to March 1692. When Lord Sydney became one of the lord's justices in Ireland, in October 1690, he named Pulteney as their secretary from October to December 1690. Pulteney accompanied Sydney on the Flanders campaign with the king in the summer of 1691. In March 1692, Sydney took office as lord lieutenant of Ireland, nominated Pulteney one of his secretaries, and secured for him the place as clerk of the council in Ireland at £400 p.a. for life. Pulteney was returned as an MP in the Parliament of Ireland from 1692 to 1693. He also served Lord Sydney at the

Board of Ordnance The Board of Ordnance was a British government body. Established in the Tudor period, it had its headquarters in the Tower of London. Its primary responsibilities were 'to act as custodian of the lands, depots and forts required for the defence ...

from March 1692 to March 1693. Lord Sydney left the lord lieutenancy in March 1693, and Pulteney was almost immediately reappointed in March to his former post as under-secretary of the northern department, which he held to 1695. In 1694 he was a Commissioner for the Million Act. At the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act of 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ...

Pulteney was returned unopposed as Whig

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

Hastings Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England, east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...

, as nominee of Lord Sydney who was now

Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports The Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports is a ceremonial official in the United Kingdom. The post dates from at least the 12th century, when the title was Keeper of the Coast, but may be older. The Lord Warden was originally in charge of the Cinqu ...

. Pulteney signed the Association promptly and voted in March with the Court for fixing the price of guineas at 22 shillings. He was appointed registrar to the Commissioners for forfeited estates for the year 1696 to 1697. He took an active part in the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...

of Sir John Fenwick in November 1696. 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' sup ...

, he retained his seat at Hastings in a contest. He spoke and voted against the third reading of the disbanding bill on 18 January 1699. In February 1701 he was promoted to the more remunerative ordnance office of clerk of the deliveries with an annual salary of almost £1,000. He was returned again at the two general elections of 1701. At the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Britis ...

he was returned unopposed again for Hastings. He lost his place at the ordnance office in 1703. After the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of " Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pr ...

, when he was returned again for Hastings, he voted for the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705. He supported the Court on the 'place clause' in the Regency bill on 18 January 1706. In 1707, he was one of the moderate Whigs appointed to the Board of Trade, with a salary of £1,000 a year. He was returned as a Whig 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 finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

. He took part in proceedings relating to the African trade early in 1709. He voted for the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709 and supported the introduction of a new Africa bill on 18 February 1710. He also voted for the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell. He was defeated 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. ...

butretained his place a Lord of Trade until 1711. In 1700, Pulteney and

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

funded the building of

Hastings Town Hall Hastings Town Hall is a municipal building in Queen's Road, Hastings, East Sussex, England. The town hall, which was the meeting place of Hastings Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building. History The first town hall in the town was bui ...

. In 1714, Pulteney was appointed as a Commissioner of the

Board of Customs HM Customs (His or Her Majesty's Customs) was the national Customs service of England (and then of Great Britain from 1707, the United Kingdom from 1801) until a merger with the Department of Excise in 1909. The phrase 'HM Customs', in use si ...

with a salary of £1,000 to 1722, and from 1715, was a member of the

Commission for Building Fifty New Churches The Commission for Building Fifty New Churches (in London and the surroundings) was an organisation set up by Act of Parliament in England in 1711, the New Churches in London and Westminster Act 1710, with the purpose of building fifty new church ...

. He stood again for Hastings at the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Tha ...

, supported by the Duke of Newcastle, but lost by a single vote. He was compensated by the incoming Townshend–Walpole ministry with the post of surveyor-general of crown lands.

Death and legacy

Pulteney died on 23 May 1726. By his wife Lucy, he was father to Daniel Pulteney, whose granddaughter Laura also became

Countess of Bath Count (feminine: countess) is a historical title of nobility in certain European countries, varying in relative status, generally of middling rank in the hierarchy of nobility. Pine, L. G. ''Titles: How the King Became His Majesty''. New York: ...

. He was uncle to William Pulteney, later

Earl of Bath Earl of Bath was a title that was created five times in British history, three times in the Peerage of England, once in the Peerage of Great Britain and once in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It is now extinct. Earls of Bath; First cre ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulteney, John 1726 deaths Year of birth uncertain Members of the Privy Council of Ireland People from Hastings Place of birth missing English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies