Sir Michael Biddulph, 2nd Baronet (c. 1652 – 20 April 1718), of Elmshurst, Staffordshire and Westcombe, Kent, was an English Whig politician who sat in the English 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 memb ...

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 (Parliamentarian), Michael Biddulph of Elmhurst, Staffordshire, Elmhurst, Staffordshire. He was a London Silkman who was knighted in 1660 and created ...

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

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...

. 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 Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. 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 (MP) for

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

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 The 1690 English general election occurred after the dissolution of the Convention Parliament summoned in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and saw the partisan feuds in that parliament continue in the constituencies. The Tories made sig ...

. He was returned again as MP for Lichfield at the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ov ...

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 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 hereditary titles, but ...

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 Elmhurst Hall was a country house in the village of Elmhurst, Staffordshire. The house was located approximately 1.5 miles north of the city of Lichfield. First hall (1683-1806) The original hall was built by Sir Michael Biddulph after his succ ...

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 After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' su ...

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 The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Briti ...

, 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 The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 United Kingdom constituencies, constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in ...

, but was returned again as a Whig at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...

. He was an inactive Member and did not stand in

1710 In the Swedish calendar it was a common year starting on Saturday, one day ahead of the Julian and ten days behind the Gregorian calendar. Events January–March * January 1 – In Prussia, Cölln is merged with Alt-Berlin ...

Death and legacy

Biddulph died on 20 April 1718, and was buried in

Greenwich Greenwich ( , , ) is an List of areas of London, area in south-east London, England, within the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Greater London, east-south-east of Charing Cross. Greenwich is notable for its maritime hi ...

Kent Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...

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.

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