John Strutt (; 1727 – 8 March 1816) was a British politician who sat in 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. ...

from 1774 to 1790. Strutt was the only son of Joseph Strutt of Moulsham Mill House, Essex and his wife, Mary, daughter of Robert Young of

Little Dunmow Little Dunmow is a village situated in rural Essex, England, in the vale of the River Chelmer about east-southeast of the town of Great Dunmow. It can be reached from the Dunmow South exit of the A120 by following the road towards Braintree (B ...

. He was baptised in November 1727. He was educated at

Felsted School (Keep your Faith) , established = , closed = , type = Public school Independent day and boarding , religion = Church of England , president = , head_label = Headmaster , head = Chris Townsend , r_head_ ...

from 1740 to 1744. His father was a miller and he was apprenticed to another miller, John Strutt of Maldon (no known relation). He married Anne Goodday, daughter of Rev. William Goodday, rector of

Strelley Strelley is a village and civil parish in the Borough of Broxtowe and City of Nottingham in Nottinghamshire, England. It is to the west of Nottingham. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 653. It is also the name of t ...

, Nottinghamshire on 17 July 1756. In 1758, he inherited property at

Terling Terling (pronounced Tar-ling) is a village and civil parish in the county of Essex, England, between Braintree to the north, Chelmsford to the south-west and Witham to the east. History A settlement at Terling dates back to Roman times. ...

on the death of an uncle. He purchased the manor of Terling from Sir Matthew Fetherstonhaugh and the adjacent estate in 1761 and built

Terling Place Terling Place is the Georgian family seat of Baron Rayleigh and the largest house in the village of Terling, Essex, England. It was built for John Strutt, MP between 1772 and 1777 to the designs of John Johnson. The wings, a new porch, a t ...

from 1772. Terling Place

His sister, Elizabeth, married

Foote Gower Foote Gower (1725/6–1780) was an English cleric, academic and antiquarian. Life The son of the Rev. Foote Gower, M.A. and M.D., a physician in Chester, he was born there about 1726. He matriculated at Brasenose College, Oxford, 15 March 1744, ...

, of

Chelmsford Chelmsford () is a city in the City of Chelmsford district in the county of Essex, England. It is the county town of Essex and one of three cities in the county, along with Southend-on-Sea and Colchester. It is located north-east of Lond ...

. He was elected a Fellow of his college in 1750.

Death

Strutt died on 8 March 1816. He and his wife Anne were parents of three sons (including

Joseph Holden Strutt Joseph Holden Strutt (21 November 1758 – 11/18 February 1845), was a British soldier and long-standing Member of Parliament. He served in the Army and achieved the rank of colonel, and also sat as Member of Parliament for Maldon from 1790 to 18 ...

and William Goodday Strutt) and a daughter.

Political career

Strutt was for a long time averse to standing for Parliament though he had effective ascendancy over the

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea Salt which is produced i ...

constituency from the 1750s to 1807, which he used to elect his friends. 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 Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house ...

for Maldon at the 1774 general election after a contest. He was returned again unopposed in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allo ...

and

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Bri ...

. In

1790 Events January–March * January 8 – United States President George Washington gives the first State of the Union address, in New York City. * January 11 – The 11 minor states of the Austrian Netherlands, which took ...

he gave up his seat, which was subsequently contested by his son, Joseph Holden. In the House Strutt was a convinced and steady Government supporter. He achieved prominence by being on 12 Feb. 1779 the only Member to vote against thanking Admiral Keppel for his services, ‘for which he was much reviled’.

Honours

On 30 Nov. Bamber Gascoyne wrote to him: "As soon as the election is over you will kiss the King’s hand. Sir John is the word and your patent will be made for baronetage at the general election." But there is no evidence of Strutt having wished for honours (that he was no snob is shown by his first, somewhat negative, reaction, in 1788, to his son's engagement to a daughter of the Duke of Leinster).Strutt mss in possession of Lord Rayleigh at Terling Place, Essex; ''Strutt Fam.'' 39.

References

1727 births 1816 deaths

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 Members of Parliament for Maldon {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub