Philip Freke (1661 - 10 December 1729) was an

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 ...

merchant involved in the

slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...

and based in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. Freke stood unsuccessfully as a

tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

candidate for the Bristol two seat constituency in the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

.''The House of Commons 1715-1754'', by Romney Sedgwick (HMSO 1970) In 1698 he was one of 33 signatories who petitioned the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

against the introduction of a 10% tax for those engaged in the

. In 1708 he became Sheriff of Bristol His daughter, Ann, married John Brickdale, with whom she had a son, Matthew Brickdale, who was twice MP for Bristol. On his death, his son, Thomas Freke, took over his slave-trading business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Freke, Philip 1729 deaths English slave traders History of Bristol 1661 births