Sir George Crewe, 8th Baronet (1 February 1795 – 1 January 1844) was an English

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. Th ...

politician who represented the constituency of

South Derbyshire South Derbyshire is a local government district in Derbyshire, England. The population of the local authority at the 2011 Census was 94,611. It contains a third of the National Forest, and the council offices are in Swadlincote. The district a ...

Biography

Crewe was the eldest surviving son of Sir Henry Harpur Crewe, 7th Baronet and his wife Ann Hawkins, daughter of Isaac Hawkins. His father took the name and arms of Crewe by royal sign manual in 1808. Crewe was educated at

Rugby School Rugby School is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 13–18) in Rugby, Warwickshire, England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain. Up ...

. On 7 February 1818, at the age of 24, he succeeded his father, who died after falling from his coach box. He inherited the Baronetcy, Calke Abbey the family seat and extensive properties in

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

Staffordshire Staffordshire (; postal abbreviation Staffs.) is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. It borders Cheshire to the northwest, Derbyshire and Leicestershire to the east, Warwickshire to the southeast, the West Midlands Cou ...

, and

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. Crewe was called upon to serve as High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1821, and one of his first acts was to do away with the Assize Ball publishing a letter "showing how cruel and heartless it appeared that any person should be found engaged in worldly mirth and amusement on so solemn an occasion, when so many poor creatures were trembling on the eve of their trial, perhaps for their lives."Gentleman's Magazine 1844 After several years looking after his estates, he was persuaded to stand as

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 South Derbyshire in 1835, and was returned again in 1837. His health was always poor and he retired in 1841. Crewe was a considerable philanthropist with strong Christian principles, and was considered "too conscientious for a member of Parliament". Shocked by the poor conditions in which his tenants lived and worked he built schools and rebuilt the churches at Ticknall and Calke, staffing them with well educated clergy. The Harpur Crewe family were great collectors, and Sir George collected paintings, stuffed birds and animals.The Birmingham Post (England), 14 August 2004 Harper Crewe became the President of the ''Derby Town and County Museum and Natural History Society'' in 1836. This organisation became

Derby Museum and Art Gallery Derby Museum and Art Gallery is a museum and art gallery in Derby, England. It was established in 1879, along with Derby Central Library, in a new building designed by Richard Knill Freeman and given to Derby by Michael Thomas Bass. The collect ...

.Newsletter of the Geological Curators Club
, Vol 1, No. 8, 1976. Retrieved 26 February 2011. He died at his home at Calke Abbey aged 48. Crewe married in 1819 Jane Whitaker, daughter of the Rev. Thomas Whitaker, Vicar of Mendham, Norfolk. They had six children and he was succeeded by his son Sir John Harpur Crewe, 9th Baronet.

References

* ''Debrett's Baronetage of England'' 7th Edition (1839) pp 34/5 (Google Books) * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Harpur Crewe, George, 8th Baronet 1795 births 1844 deaths People from South Derbyshire District People educated at Rugby School Baronets in the Baronetage of England Crewe, George Harpur, 8th Baronet UK MPs 1835–1837 UK MPs 1837–1841 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies People associated with Derby Museum and Art Gallery High Sheriffs of Derbyshire