John Crocker Bulteel (1793–1843) of Fleet, Holbeton, in South

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, was a Whig MP for South Devon 1832-4 and was

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

in 1841. He was Master of the Dartmoor Foxhounds and bred the finest pack of hounds in England.

Origins

He was the son and heir of John II Bulteel (1763–1837) of Flete in the parish of Holbeton and of Lyneham in the parish of

Yealmpton Yealmpton () is a village and civil parish in the English county of Devon. It is located in the South Hams on the A379 Plymouth to Kingsbridge road and is about from Plymouth. Its name derives from the River Yealm that flows through the vill ...

, Devon, by his wife Elizabeth Perring (d.1835), whose monument survives in the chancel of All Saints Church, Holbeton, daughter of Thomas Perring (1732–1791), a merchant of Modbury in Devon and of London. Thomas's brother was Peter Perring of Membland, a member of the Council at Madras, who made a fortune in the East India Company, and purchased Membland from John I Bulteel (1733–1801), father of John II. John II Bulteel was

in 1807/8. His earliest recorded ancestor in England was Samuel Bulteel (d.1682) of

Tavistock Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13 ...

in Devon, a

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

refugee from France, whose son was James Bulteel (1676–1757) of Tavistock, MP for Tavistock 1703-8 and 1711–15, who married Mary Crocker, daughter and heiress of Courtenay Crocker (d.1740), MP, of Lyneham in the parish of

, Devon, the last male of the senior branch of the ancient Crocker family. James Bulteel inherited the estate of Fleet (''alias'' Fleet Damarell), one of the finest estates in Devon, under the will of Richard Hele (d.1709) of Flete, who was no blood relation. James's son was John Bulteel (1733–1801), who in 1757 purchased the estate of Membland, in the parish of Holbeton.

Education and career

He attended Plympton Grammar School in Devon (where Sir

Joshua Reynolds Sir Joshua Reynolds (16 July 1723 – 23 February 1792) was an English painter, specialising in portraits. John Russell said he was one of the major European painters of the 18th century. He promoted the "Grand Style" in painting which depend ...

had been educated) and where a fellow-pupil was Jack Russell (1795–1883), later the famous hunting parson. Bulteel and Russell fought on one occasion whilst at school, when Bulteel received a black eye from Russell, but in later life became firm friends sharing a common passion for hunting. He was MP for South Devon 1832–4 and was

in 1841. In about 1835 he remodelled his residence at Fleet House to his own castellated Gothic design.

Hunting

During his father's life he lived as a young man at the family's secondary seat of Lyneham, while his father resided at Fleet. He was the originator of the Lyneham Pack of foxhounds, afterwards famous under the mastership of Mr. Trelawny. He was later Master of the Dartmoor Foxhounds. A six-verse poem on the subject of Bulteel, in the style of Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet, playwright and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European and Scottish literature, notably the novels '' Ivanhoe'', '' Rob Roy ...

's ''The Young Lochinvar'' was published in 1828 in the Sporting Magazine, of which the first verse was as follows:

Oh the young Squire of Fleet is come into the West
From the packs of the Kingdom his drafts are the best
Save Jack Square and Dick Ellis attendants he's none
He feeds them himself and he hunts them alone
If he keeps to his point and he stands on his feet,
There'll be never a man like the young Squire of Fleet.

Marriage and children

In 1826 he married Lady Elizabeth Grey (d.1880), 2nd daughter of

Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey Charles Grey, 2nd Earl Grey (13 March 1764 – 17 July 1845), known as Viscount Howick between 1806 and 1807, was a British Whig politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1830 to 1834. He was a member of the no ...

(1764–1845), by whom he had the following children: *John Bulteel (1827–1897), son and heir, who in 1863 sold Fleet to an Australian sheep farmer and moved his residence to Pamflete in the same parish of Holbeton. Fleet was repurchased by his brother-in-law Henry Bingham Mildmay (d.1905) of Shoreham Place in Kent, a partner in

Barings Bank Barings Bank was a British merchant bank based in London, and one of England's oldest merchant banks after Berenberg Bank, Barings' close collaborator and German representative. It was founded in 1762 by Francis Baring, a British-born member ...

married to his sister Georgiana Bulteel (d.1899) and father of Francis Bingham Mildmay, 1st Baron Mildmay of Flete (1861–1947). *Mary Elizabeth Bulteel (21 Sep 1832-1916), eldest daughter, a Maid of Honour to Queen Victoria, who in 1861 married Sir Henry Ponsonby (1825–1895), private secretary and

equerry An equerry (; from French 'stable', and related to 'squire') is an officer of honour. Historically, it was a senior attendant with responsibilities for the horses of a person of rank. In contemporary use, it is a personal attendant, usually upon ...

to Queen Victoria and

Keeper of the Privy Purse The Keeper of the Privy Purse and Treasurer to the King/Queen (or Financial Secretary to the King/Queen) is responsible for the financial management of the Royal Household of the Sovereign of the United Kingdom. The officeholder is assisted by th ...

. *Georgiana Bulteel (1834-1899), who in 1860 married Henry Bingham Mildmay (d.1905) of Shoreham Place in Kent, a partner in

and was mother of Francis Bingham Mildmay, 1st Baron Mildmay of Flete (1861–1947). She was the heiress of Fleet, from which estate her son took his title. The 1st Baron's daughter and sole heiress was Hon. Helen Mildmay (born 1907) who had also inherited the estate of

Mothecombe Mothecombe is an historic estate in the parish of Holbeton in South Devon, England. The mansion house of the estate is Mothecombe House, a grade I listed building in the Queen Anne style. History The estate of Mothecombe was inherited by John Po ...

, in the parish of Holbeton, purchased in 1872 by her grandfather Henry Bingham Mildmay (d.1905), where she lived with her husband Lt Commander Richard Mildmay-White, who in 1958 adopted the additional surname Mildmay by deed poll. *Louisa Emily Charlotte Bulteel (1839-1892), who in 1861 married

Edward Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke Edward Charles Baring, 1st Baron Revelstoke (13 April 1828 – 17 July 1897), was a British banker. Early life A member of the Baring banking family, "Ned" Baring was born on 13 April 1828. He was the second son of Henry Baring from his second ma ...

(1828–1897) of Membland in the parish of Holbeton. He was a senior partner of

, which had originated in

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, Devon. Among their children was Margaret Baring, who married

Charles Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer Charles Robert Spencer, 6th Earl Spencer, (30 October 1857 – 26 September 1922), styled The Honourable Charles Spencer until 1905 and known as Viscount Althorp between 1905 and 1910, was a British courtier and Liberal politician from the Spen ...

. Membland had been purchased in 1757 by John I Bulteel (1733–1801) (grandfather of John Crocker Bulteel) and was promptly sold by him to Peter Perring (d.1796) of Modbury (uncle of Elizabeth Perring the wife of John Crocker Bulteel), who had made a fortune in the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around ...

and whose heir was his nephew Sir John Perring, 1st Baronet (1765–1831) of Membland, senior partner of Perrings Bank and

Lord Mayor of London The Lord Mayor of London is the mayor of the City of London and the leader of the City of London Corporation. Within the City, the Lord Mayor is accorded precedence over all individuals except the sovereign and retains various traditional pow ...

in 1803. His bank failed in the Panic of 1825 after which he sold his estates. Membland and the manor of Revelstoke were purchased by a member of the

Baring family The Baring family is a Germans, German and British people, British family of merchants and bankers. In Germany, the family belongs to the ''Bildungsbürgertum'', and in England, it belongs to the Aristocracy (class), aristocracy. History The fa ...

, of whom Edward Baring was created in 1885

Baron Revelstoke Baron Revelstoke, of Membland in the County of Devon, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created on 30 June 1885 for the businessman Edward Baring, head of the family firm of Barings Bank and a member of the Baring famil ...

of Membland.

Arms

The arms of Bulteel of Fleet were described in '' Magna Britannia'' (1822) as: ''Arg. a bend between 14 billets, Gules'' with crest: ''Out of a ducal crown, G., a pair of wings, A., billetty of the first''. According to Thomas Robson the

canting arms Canting arms are heraldic bearings that represent the bearer's name (or, less often, some attribute or function) in a visual pun or rebus. French heralds used the term (), as they would sound out the name of the armiger. Many armorial all ...

of Bulteel (of Somerset) are: ''Azure, three bull's heads couped argent'', with crest: ''A bull's head gules between two wings or''. The Bull and Bear Lodge at Membland has gate piers showing those heraldic beasts, supposedly a reference to the families of Bulteel and Baring, whose arms feature a bear. These are said to refer to the two principal types of allegorical beasts denoting

stock market A stock market, equity market, or share market is the aggregation of buyers and sellers of stocks (also called shares), which represent ownership claims on businesses; these may include ''securities'' listed on a public stock exchange, ...

speculators, the

bull A bull is an intact (i.e., not castrated) adult male of the species ''Bos taurus'' (cattle). More muscular and aggressive than the females of the same species (i.e., cows), bulls have long been an important symbol in many religions, includin ...

and bear.Pevsner, p.566

References