Robert Myddelton Biddulph ( Biddulph; March 1761 – 30 August 1814) was a British

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 o ...

(MP).

Early life

The first son of Penelope ( Dandridge) Biddulph and barrister Michael Biddulph of Ledbury in Herefordshire and Cofton Hall in Worcestershire. His elder sister, Anne Biddulph, was the wife of David Gordon, 14th of Abergeldie. His younger sister, Penelope Biddulph, married Adam Gordon, brother of David Gordon (both sons of Charles Gordon, 12th of Abergeldie). His paternal grandparents were Robert Biddulph and Anne ( Joliffe) Biddulph. His maternal grandfather was John Dandridge of Balden's Green,

Malvern, Worcestershire Malvern is a spa town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England. It lies at the foot of the Malvern Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The centre of Malvern, Great Malvern, is a historic conservation area, which grew dr ...

Career

Biddulph made a fortune in

Bengal Bengal ( ; bn, বাংলা/বঙ্গ, translit=Bānglā/Bôngô, ) is a geopolitical, cultural and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the eastern part of the Indian subcontinent at the apex of the Bay of Bengal, predom ...

before returning to England in 1795. He served as Recorder of Denbigh from 1795 to 1796, then entered politics under the patronage of the Whig

Duke of Norfolk Duke of Norfolk is a title in the peerage of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the county of Norfolk. The current duke is Edward Fitzalan-Howard, 18th Duke of Norfolk. The dukes ...

. He became a member of

Brooks's Brooks's is a gentlemen's club in St James's Street, London. It is one of the oldest and most exclusive gentlemen's clubs in the world. History In January 1762, a private society was established at 50 Pall Mall by Messrs. Boothby and James ...

on 26 April 1796, and was an unsuccessful candidate for

Leominster Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...

before being elected to 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. T ...

for

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthsh ...

the same year, replacing Sir George Cornewall. In Parliament he acted with the

Foxite Foxite was a late 18th-century British political label for Whig followers of Charles James Fox. Fox was the generally acknowledged leader of a faction of the Whigs from 1784 to his death in 1806. The group had developed from successive earlier ...

Whigs. Biddulph succeeded his father in 1800, and also succeeded his uncle Francis Biddulph as partner in the bank Cocks, Biddulph & Co. In the 1802 general election Myddelton Biddulph was defeated by Cornewall and left Parliament, but resumed the office of Recorder of Denbigh (which he held until his death) and became a common councilman of the borough. In 1803 he was Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the Chirk Volunteers. His wife's family had long represented Denbigh in Parliament, and in 1806 he succeeded her brother-in-law Frederick West as Member for Denbigh Boroughs.J. W. Anderson and R. G. Thorne
BIDDULPH (afterwards MYDDELTON BIDDULPH), Robert (1761-1814), of Cofton Hall, Worcs.
in ''The House of Commons 1790–1820'',

History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in ...

, 1986. In his second time in Parliament Myddelton Biddulph sat as an independent, in opposition to the government. He fell out with his wife's brother-in-law West in 1811 and was not re-elected in 1812.

Personal life

On 24 December 1801 he married heiress Charlotte Myddelton, daughter of Richard Myddelton and sister of Richard Myddelton, of

Chirk Castle Chirk Castle ( cy, Castell y Waun) is a Grade I listed castle located in Chirk, Wrexham County Borough, Wales. History The castle was built in 1295 by Roger Mortimer de Chirk, uncle of Roger Mortimer, 1st Earl of March as part of King Ed ...

. He adopted, by royal license, the additional surname of Myddelton on 29 December 1801 after his wife had inherited

from her unmarried brother Richard Myddelton in 1796. They had two sons and one daughter, including: * Robert Myddelton Biddulph (1805–1872), an MP for Denbigh Boroughs and Denbighshirel he married Frances Mostyn-Owen, a granddaughter of William Mostyn Owen, MP.Colonel Robert Myddleton Biddulph MP (1805-1872)
National Trust Collections. Accessed 25 February 2012. * Sir Thomas Myddelton Biddulph (1809–1878), a

General A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". OED ...

in the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

and courtier; he married the Hon. Mary Frederica Seymour, one of the Queen's

maids of honour A maid of honour is a junior attendant of a queen in royal households. The position was and is junior to the lady-in-waiting. The equivalent title and office has historically been used in most European royal courts. Role Traditionally, a queen ...

, and a granddaughter of Vice-Admiral

Lord Hugh Seymour Vice-Admiral Lord Hugh Seymour (29 April 1759 – 11 September 1801) was a senior British Royal Navy officer of the late 18th century who was the fifth son of Francis Seymour-Conway, 1st Marquess of Hertford, and became known for being both a ...

and Lady Mary Gordon (a daughter of

George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly George Gordon, 9th Marquess of Huntly, (28 June 1761 – 17 June 1853), styled Lord Strathavon until 1795 and known as The Earl of Aboyne from 1795 to 1836, was a Scottish peer. Early life George was the son of Charles Gordon, 4th Earl of Aboy ...

).K. D. Reynolds
Biddulph, Sir Thomas Myddleton (1809–1878), courtier and army officer
in ''The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography'', Oxford 2004 * Charlotte Elizabeth Myddelton-Biddulph (d. 1871), who married the Rev. Charles Maude, Rector of

Great Munden Great Munden is a village and civil parish in Hertfordshire, England. The parish, in the district of East Hertfordshire, spans , of which are arable land, are permanent grass and are wood. It has a population of 477, reducing to 339 at the 201 ...

, in 1849. Myddelton Biddulph died on 30 August 1814. He was succeeded by his eldest son

Robert The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...

in 1814, who also succeeded his widow in 1843, inheriting the Chirk estate.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Myddelton Biddulph, Robert 1761 births 1814 deaths Myddelton family Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies British MPs 1796–1800 UK MPs 1801–1802 UK MPs 1806–1807 UK MPs 1807–1812 Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Welsh constituencies