Sir Richard Paul Amphlett (24 May 1809 – 7 December 1883) was an English barrister and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...

from 1868 to 1874. Amphlett was the eldest of five sons of Rev. Richard Holmden Amphlett of Wychbold Hall, Hadzor, near

Droitwich Droitwich Spa (often abbreviated to Droitwich ) is an historic spa town in the Wychavon district in northern Worcestershire, England, on the River Salwarpe. It is located approximately south-west of Birmingham and north-east of Worcester. The ...

and his first wife Sarah Paul, daughter of Nathaniel Paul of Bloomsbury Square, London. His father was the lord of the manor and rector of Hadzor, Worcestershire, of a gentry family anciently of

Salwarpe Salwarpe is a small village and civil parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, England, less than two miles south west of Droitwich, but in open country. The name is also spelled Salwarp, and in the time of John Leland was recorded as S ...

in that county. Amphlett was educated at

Brewood Grammar School Brewood Grammar School was a boys' school in the village of Brewood in South Staffordshire, England. Founded in the mid 15th century by the Bishop of Lichfield as a chantry school it was closed by the Dissolution of Chantries Act 1547. It was ...

and at

Peterhouse, Cambridge Peterhouse is the oldest constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England, founded in 1284 by Hugh de Balsham, Bishop of Ely. Today, Peterhouse has 254 undergraduates, 116 full-time graduate students and 54 fellows. It is quite ...

, graduating BA as 6th wrangler in 1831 and MA in 1834. He became a Fellow of his college and was also called to the bar at

Lincoln's Inn The Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn is one of the four Inns of Court in London to which barristers of England and Wales belong and where they are called to the Bar. (The other three are Middle Temple, Inner Temple and Gray's Inn.) Lincoln ...

in June 1834. He practised at the Chancery Bar and was appointed

Queen's Counsel In the United Kingdom and in some Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, a King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) during the reign of a king, or Queen's Counsel (post-nominal initials QC) during the reign of ...

in 1858 and was also Bencher of his Inn. He was Deputy Lieutenant and J.P. for

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

, and deputy chairman of Worcestershire Quarter Sessions.Debretts House of Commons and the Judicial Bench 1870
/ref> In 1859 Amphlett stood unsuccessfully for parliament at

Lewes Lewes () is the county town of East Sussex, England. It is the police and judicial centre for all of Sussex and is home to Sussex Police, East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, Lewes Crown Court and HMP Lewes. The civil parish is the centre of ...

. At the 1868 general election Amphlett was elected

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 East Worcestershire and held the seat until 1874. In 1873 Amphlett was

serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are writ ...

and president of the Legal Education Association. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in June 1874. From 1874 to 1876 he was a

Baron of the Exchequer The Barons of the Exchequer, or ''barones scaccarii'', were the judges of the English court known as the Exchequer of Pleas. The Barons consisted of a Chief Baron of the Exchequer and several puisne (''inferior'') barons. When Robert Shute was a ...

and was made a

Privy Councillor A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

in 1876. From 1876 to 1877 he was

Lord Justice of Appeal A Lord Justice of Appeal or Lady Justice of Appeal is a judge of the Court of Appeal of England and Wales, the court that hears appeals from the High Court of Justice, the Crown Court and other courts and tribunals. A Lord (or Lady) Justice ...

and

retired Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload. Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...

on account of ill-health. He died at 32

Wimpole Street Wimpole Street is a street in Marylebone, central London. Located in the City of Westminster, it is associated with private medical practice and medical associations. No. 1 Wimpole Street is an example of Edwardian baroque architecture, compl ...

, London, at the age of 74 and was buried at

Hadzor Hadzor is a small village near Droitwich, Worcestershire, England. There are around fourteen houses and a Roman Catholic church in the village, although there is no shop or school and the Church of England church was closed in the 1970s. Hadzor ...

., having married twice, in 1840 to Frances, daughter of Edward Ferrard of St. Ives, Yorkshire, and secondly in 1880 to Sarah Amelia, daughter of Mr C Martin of Belvedere, Hampshire. He left no children.

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* * 1809 births 1883 deaths Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1868–1874 Alumni of Peterhouse, Cambridge Members of Lincoln's Inn Deputy Lieutenants of Worcestershire 19th-century King's Counsel Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Lawyers from Worcestershire Barons of the Exchequer Exchequer Division judges Knights Bachelor {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1800s-stub