Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet (30 January 1744 – 6 November 1830) was a British merchant shipbuilder and Tory politician who sat in the

House of Commons of Great Britain The House of Commons of Great Britain was the lower house of the Parliament of Great Britain between 1707 and 1801. In 1707, as a result of the Acts of Union of that year, it replaced the House of Commons of England and the third estate of the ...

and of the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Nor ...

between 1802 and 1807.

Background

Wigram was born at

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 Nat ...

, the only son of John Wigram, merchant, of

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 ...

, and his wife Mary Clifford daughter of Robert Clifford of Wexford and granddaughter of Highgate Boyd.

Public life

In 1762, Wigram took up an apprenticeship with Dr Allen of Dulwich London, and two years later, he was a fully qualified surgeon. He sailed to India on the

East Indiaman East Indiaman was a general name for any sailing ship operating under charter or licence to any of the East India trading companies of the major European trading powers of the 17th through the 19th centuries. The term is used to refer to vesse ...

''Admiral Watson'' as ship's surgeon, but retired from this position in 1772 because of failing health, and became a successful merchant. He developed the family's mercantile activities and made several voyages to India in the service of the company. He was the sole, or at least principal owner, of several vessels trading to Bengal, Madras, and Bombay, and was one of the greatest importers of drugs in England.Edmund Burke, John Davis ''The Annual register, or, A view of the history, politics, and literature for the year 1830, Volume 72''
/ref> He was also involved in South Seas whaling, with at least seven vessels operating in the trade between 1795 and 1807. Wigram became

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 ofte ...

for

Fowey Fowey ( ; kw, Fowydh, meaning 'Beech Trees') is a port town and civil parish at the mouth of the River Fowey in south Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town has been in existence since well before the Norman invasion, with the local ...

in 1802 and was a strong supporter of William Pitt. He was chairman of the meeting of the merchants and bankers during the French Revolution, and was instrumental in raising the regiment of the Sixth Royal London Volunteers, becoming their lieutenant-colonel in September 1803. Also in July 1803, he led a group of shipowners in securing an act "for the further improvement of the

Port of London The Port of London is that part of the River Thames in England lying between Teddington Lock and the defined boundary (since 1968, a line drawn from Foulness Point in Essex via Gunfleet Old Lighthouse to Warden Point in Kent) with the North Sea ...

", by making docks and other works at Blackwall for the accommodation of the East India shipping, and established the East India Dock Company. He was created a

baronet 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 14t ...

on 20 October 1805. At the general election in 1806, he was chosen for the Wexford Borough but after the dissolution in 1807, he retired from public life. He was a vice-president of the Pitt Club. He had partnerships in the Blackwall Yard, Reid's Brewery, and Huddart's Rope Works. In 1805, he bought a large share of Deptford shipbuilders, formerly

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also m ...

, Wells &

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by a combin ...

, and the firm became Wigram, Wells & Green. By 1813, Wigram had taken over all of Wells' interest and it became Wigram & Green. He owned half the business, his sons Money and Loftus Wigram a quarter, and Green the remaining quarter. Wigram retired in 1819 and sold his half to the other partners. He was appointed

High Sheriff of Essex The High Sheriff of Essex was an ancient sheriff title originating in the time of the Angles, not long after the invasion of the Kingdom of England, which was in existence for around a thousand years. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the ...

for 1812–13, as Perry had been before him. Wigram died at Walthamstow House, his home at

Walthamstow Walthamstow ( or ) is a large town in east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London and the ancient county of Essex. Situated northeast of Charing Cross, the town borders Chingford to the north, Snaresbrook and Sou ...

, Essex, at the age of 86.

Family

Wigram was twice married and had a large family of 23 children. His first wife was Catherine Broadhurst, by whom be had six children. Following Catherine's death, in 1787, he married Eleanor (born Watts), widow of Captain Agnew and daughter of John Watts, secretary to the victualling office of Southampton. They had thirteen sons and four daughters. His children included: *

Sir Robert Fitzwygram, 2nd Baronet Sir Robert Fitzwygram, 2nd Baronet, FRS (25 September 1773 – 17 December 1843), born Robert Wigram, was a Director of the Bank of England and a Tory politician. Early life Fitzwygram was the eldest son of Lady Eleanor and Sir Robert Wigra ...

James Wigram Sir James Wigram, FRS (1793–1866) was an English barrister, politician and judge. Life He was the third son of Lady Eleanor and Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet, and younger brother name of Sir Robert Fitzwygram, 2nd Baronet in 1832; another ...

* Octavius Wigram * Joseph Cotton Wigram * Loftus Wigram *

George Wigram George Vicesimus Wigram (28 March 1805 – 1 February 1879) was an English biblical scholar and theologian. Early life He was the 20th child (hence his middle name) of Sir Robert Wigram, 1st Baronet, a famous and wealthy merchant, and the 14th ...

. His 12th son, Ely Duodecimus Wigram (1801–69), was a lieutenant-colonel in the Coldstream Guards and compiled a scrapbook of the

Crimean war The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

that contains a rare photograph of

Mary Seacole Mary Jane Seacole (;Anionwu E.N. (2012) Mary Seacole: nursing care in many lands. ''British Journal of Healthcare Assistants'' 6(5), 244–248. 23 November 1805 – 14 May 1881) was a British-Jamaican nurse and businesswoman who set up t ...

. His 16th son, Reverend William Pitt Wigram, was the grandfather of

Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram Clive Wigram, 1st Baron Wigram, (5 July 1873 – 3 September 1960) was a British Indian Army officer and courtier. He was Private Secretary to the Sovereign from 1931 to 1936. Parentage and education Wigram was the son of Herbert Wigram. His ...

. Another descendant was Ralph Wigram, grandson of Joseph Cotton Wigram.

Arms

References

Gentleman's Magazine ''The Gentleman's Magazine'' was a monthly magazine founded in London, England, by Edward Cave in January 1731. It ran uninterrupted for almost 200 years, until 1922. It was the first to use the term ''magazine'' (from the French ''magazine'' ...

Obituary 1830 *Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Anne Pimlott Baker, ''Wigram, Sir Robert, first baronet (1744–1830)'', 2004 * available online a

* available online a

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wigram, Sir Robert, 1st Baronet 1744 births 1830 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Wexford constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1802–1806 UK MPs 1806–1807 Politicians from County Wexford Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Cornwall High Sheriffs of Essex British people in whaling Tory MPs (pre-1834)