Sir Michael Biddulph, 2nd Baronet (c. 1652 – 20 April 1718), of Elmshurst, Staffordshire and Westcombe, Kent, 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 ...

Whig politician who sat in the

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

between 1679 and 1710.

Early life

Biddulph was the son of

Sir Theophilus Biddulph, 1st Baronet Sir Theophilus Biddulph, 1st Baronet (1612 – 25 March 1683) was the son of Michael Biddulph of Elmhurst, Staffordshire. He was a London Silkman who was knighted in 1660 and created a baronet in the Baronetage of England on 2 November 1664 ...

and Susanna Highlord, Michael Biddulph. He was educated at St Paul's School and

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...

. On 31 December 1673, he married Henrietta Maria Witley, daughter of Colonel Richard Witley, in

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an historic, mainly Gothic church in the City of Westminster, London, England, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster. It is one of the United ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He succeeded to his father's

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in April 1683.

Career

Biddulph stood for Parliament at Lichfield at a by-election of 1678,but was defeated in a hard-fought and costly contest. He was returned 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 ...

(MP) for

Lichfield Lichfield () is a cathedral city and civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated roughly south-east of the county town of Stafford, south-east of Rugeley, north-east of Walsall, north-west of Tamworth and south-west o ...

at the two general elections of 1679 and at the 1681 English general election. He did not stand at the 1685 English general election, but gave his interest to Thomas Orme. He regained his seat at the 1689 English general election but lost it again at the 1690 English general election. He was returned again as MP for Lichfield at the 1695 English general election and signed the Association in February 1696. He voted to fix the price of

guineas The guinea (; commonly abbreviated gn., or gns. in plural) was a coin, minted in Great Britain between 1663 and 1814, that contained approximately one-quarter of an ounce of gold. The name came from the Guinea region in West Africa, from where m ...

at 22 shilling in March 1696 and for the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...

of Sir John Fenwick on 25 November 1696. On 7 March 1697 or 1698 Biddulph married as his second wife Elizabeth D'Oyly, daughter of William D'Oyly. He built and lived at Elmhurst Hall just north of Lichfield during his time as MP for the city. Biddulph was returned again in a contest at the 1698 English general election but was defeated at the first general election of 1701. He was returned again at the second general election of 1701. Biddulph had stood surety for his wife's cousin Morgan Whitley, who had been appointed receiver general of Cheshire and North Wales. In January 1702, Whitley was found to be owing the Crown a total debt of £43,000, and by February 1702 Biddulph was facing severe financial penalties on account of Whitley's failures. When he was returned at the 1702 English general election, he was in prison at Stafford, presumably on account of his debts. He was able to obtain release from prison, but had to keep a low profile to avoid being detained again. He voted with the Whigs in Parliament in February 1703 but was in prison again by September, after which he was released again. His estates, in which he only held a life interest, were taken over by the Crown, but his time in prison had been detrimental to his health. Eventually an act of Parliament was passed to allow the Lord Treasurer to compound with him for the debt and the marriage of Biddulph's son provided sufficient funds to cover it. He did not stand at the 1705 English general election, but was returned again as a Whig at the 1708 British general election. He was an inactive Member and did not stand in 1710.

Death and legacy

Biddulph died on 20 April 1718, and was buried in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

on 1 May 1718. He had two daughters and a son, Theophilus, by his first wife, and three daughters by his second wife. He was succeeded in the baronetcy by his son

Theophilus Biddulph Sir Theophilus Biddulph, 1st Baronet (1612 – 25 March 1683) was the son of Michael Biddulph of Elmhurst, Staffordshire. He was a London Silkman who was knighted in 1660 and created a baronet in the Baronetage of England on 2 November 1664 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Biddulph, Sir Michael, 2nd Baronet 1650s births 1718 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of England Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 British MPs 1708–1710