Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

Theophilus John Levett (11 December 1829 – 27 February 1899) was a

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

politician in 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 European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, who served 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 o ...

(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 ...

from 1880 to 1885. Theophilus John Levett

Levett Levett is a surname of Anglo-Norman origin, deriving from eLivet, which is held particularly by families and individuals resident in England and British Commonwealth territories. Origins This surname comes from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, no ...

was the son of John Levett of Wychnor Park, Staffordshire and his wife Sophia Eliza Kennedy, the daughter of Hon. Robert Kennedy, third son of Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis. Levett was a Captain in the

1st Life Guards The 1st Regiment of Life Guards was a cavalry regiment in the British Army, part of the Household Cavalry. It was formed in 1788 by the union of the 1st Troop of Horse Guards and 1st Troop of Horse Grenadier Guards. In 1922, it was amalgamated ...

and inherited Wychnor on the death of his father. Levett also owned Smallwood Manor at

Uttoxeter Uttoxeter ( , ) is a market town in the East Staffordshire district in the county of Staffordshire, England. It is near to the Derbyshire county border. It is situated from Burton upon Trent, from Stafford, from Stoke-on-Trent, from De ...

. He was elected as the MP for Lichfield in at a by-election in July 1880, but when the parliamentary borough of Lichfield was abolished at the 1885 general election, he did not stand again.; Levett is not listed in the index of candidates He was a JP and DL for Staffordsire and served on

Staffordshire County Council Staffordshire County Council is the top-tier local authority for the non-metropolitan county of Staffordshire, England. 62 councillors sit on Staffordshire County Council. Staffordshire operates a cabinet-style council In England, local auth ...

for Lichfield from 1889 until his death in 1899. Originally from Sussex, Levett's ancestors came to Staffordshire in the eighteenth century. Capt. Theophilus Levett was, unsurprisingly for the era, a fox-hunter, and he was long associated with the Meynell hounds, the fox-hunting group established by

Hugo Meynell Hugo Meynell (June 1735 – 14 December 1808) was an English country landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1762 and 1780. He is generally seen as the father of modern fox hunting, became Master of Fox Hounds for the Q ...

, who had defeated Capt. Levett's father John when he ran to keep his seat in

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...

. "He was a remarkably good shot," noted an obituary of Levett, "and the way he used to work his coverts made the hearts of true sportsmen to rejoice." (The covert, in fox-hunting jargon, means a patch of woods or brush where a fox might be found.) Having retired from the 1st Life Guards, Capt Levett was commissioned as a

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...

in the Stafford Troop of the part-time Staffordshire Yeomanry on 10 June 1858; he was promoted to Captain of the Lichfield Troop on 12 October 1869. He became commanding officer of the regiment with the rank of

Lieutenant-Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colo ...

on 29 December 1886.Capt P.C.G. Webster, ''The Records of the Queen's Own Royal Regiment of Staffordshire Yeomanry'', Lichfield: Lomax, 1870; Appendix.
/ref> Levett married Lady Jane Lissey Harriet Feilding, daughter of

William Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh William Basil Percy Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh, 6th Earl of Desmond, GCH, PC (25 March 1796 – 25 June 1865), styled Viscount Feilding between 1799 and 1800, was a British peer and courtier. Background and education Feilding was the eldest ...

on 10 January 1856, and they had a son Theophilus Basil Percy Levett, a Justice of the Peace for Staffordshire who married Lady Margaret Emily Ashley-Cooper, daughter of

Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury Bt DL (27 June 1831 – 13 April 1886), styled Lord Ashley between 1851 and 1885, was a British peer. He was the son of The 7th Earl of Shaftesbury. Career He was commissioned a cornet in the ...

. Theophilus John Levett was named for his ancestor

Theophilus Levett Theophilus Levett (1693–1746) was an attorney and early town clerk of Lichfield, Staffordshire, a prominent Staffordshire politician and landowner, and a member of a thriving Lichfield social and intellectual circle which included his friends ...

, who had served as Lichfield

Town Clerk A clerk is a senior official of many municipal governments in the English-speaking world. In some communities, including most in the United States, the position is elected, but in many others, the clerk is appointed to their post. In the UK, a Tow ...

in the early eighteenth century. A second son of Theophilus Levett and his wife Lady Jane was Berkeley John Talbot Levett, an officer in the

Scots Guards The Scots Guards (SG) is one of the five Foot Guards regiments of the British Army. Its origins are as the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland. Its lineage can be traced back to 1642, although it was only placed on the E ...

. A third child, a daughter, never married. Theophilus John Levett was a member of London's

Carlton Club The Carlton Club is a private members' club in St James's, London. It was the original home of the Conservative Party before the creation of Conservative Central Office. Membership of the club is by nomination and election only. History The ...

Notes

References

The PeerageDeath of Col. T. J. Levett, A History of the Meynell Hounds and Country, 1780-1901, J. L. Randall, Sampson Low, Marston and Company, Ltd., London, 1901

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Levett, Theophilus John 1829 births 1899 deaths Theophilus John Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1880–1885 People from the Borough of East Staffordshire British Life Guards officers Staffordshire Yeomanry officers British hunters Deputy Lieutenants of Staffordshire Members of Staffordshire County Council

Notes

References

Further reading

External links