John de Ponthieu
John de Ponthieu | |
|---|---|
| Member of Parliament for Westbury | |
| In office 1810–1812 Serving with Henry Lascelles | |
| Preceded by | Henry Lascelles Francis Whittle |
| Succeeded by | Benjamin Hall Benjamin Shaw |
| Member of Parliament for Helston | |
| In office 1806–1807 Serving with Nicholas Vansittart, Thomas Brand | |
| Preceded by | Viscount Primrose Sir John Shelley, Bt |
| Succeeded by | Sir John St Aubyn, Bt Richard Richards |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 April 1765 |
| Died | 26 April 1813 (aged 47) London, England |
| Relations | Charles Wilkes (cousin) |
| Parent(s) | Henry de Ponthieu Anne Sykes |
John de Ponthieu (27 April 1765 – 26 April 1813) was an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Helston and Westbury.
Early life
De Ponthieu was born on 27 April 1765. He was the second, but eldest surviving, son of Anne (née Sykes) de Ponthieu (d. 1817)[1] and Henry de Ponthieu (1731–1808), a merchant and amateur naturalist.[2] They lived at Princes Street, Bedford Row, Middlesex.[3] His father, together with his brothers, Josias and John de Ponthieu and brother-in-law Israel Wilkes III,[a] was a member of the firm de Ponthieu and Wilkes.[5]
His maternal grandparents were Anne (née Beaufils) de Ponthieu and Huguenot merchant, Josias de Ponthieu (son of Charles de Ponthieu, a refugee officer from Saintonge, and Marguerite de La Rochefoucauld).[3][6] Through his aunt Elizabeth de Ponthieu, he was a first cousin of the banker Charles Wilkes.[7]
Career
De Ponthieu was educated by R. Bland in Bromley-by-Bow. A member of Bruce, de Ponthieu, Bazett & Co. until his death, he was shareholder and writer for the East India Company in Bombay in 1783, he was a factor in 1790 before becoming Secretary and accountant to the Military Board in 1795.[8] He returned to England by 1801 and succeeded to his father's estate in 1808.[3]
De Ponthieu, like his business partners Patrick Craufurd Bruce, George Simson, and Henry Fawcett of Scaleby Castle, sought to purchase a seat in Parliament and was returned, briefly, on two different occasions. He was first returned for Helston from 1806 to 1807, as a guest of Christopher Hawkins. From 24 March 1810 until his retirement in 1812, he represented Westbury under the patronage of Lord Liverpool.[3]
Personal life
De Ponthieu, who never married, lived at 43 Portland Place, Middlesex, and acquired a residence at Esher.[3]
He died at his home in London on 26 April 1813.[9] He was buried at Esher with his parents. His 1803 will, which was contested by his business partners, left £20,000 to his unmarried sister Anne,[3] who died in 1823.[2]
Notes
- ^ Israel Wilkes III (1722–1805) was a brother of John Wilkes, the radical journalist who served as MP for Aylesbury and Middlesex, High Sheriff of Buckinghamshire, Sheriff of London, and Lord Mayor of London.[4]
References
- ^ "Obituary; with Anecdotes of remarkable Persons". The Gentleman's Magazine. F. Jefferies: 379. 1817. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ a b Piozzi, Hester Lynch (1991). The Piozzi Letters: 1792-1798. University of Delaware Press. p. 341. ISBN 978-0-87413-115-4. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Thorne, R. G. "DE PONTHIEU, John (1765-1813), of 43 Portland Place, Mdx. and Esher, Surr". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ Brooke, John. "WILKES, John (1725-97)". www.historyofparliamentonline.org. History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Summary of Individual | Israel Wilkes". www.ucl.ac.uk. Legacies of British Slavery. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Summary of Individual | John De Ponthieu". www.ucl.ac.uk. Legacies of British Slavery. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ Domett, Henry Williams (1884). A History of the Bank of New York, 1784-1884. G. P. Putman's Sons. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ The East India Kalendar: Or, Asiatic Register for ... 1799. ... J. Debrett. 1799. p. 168. Retrieved 9 December 2024.
- ^ "Obituary; with Anecdotes of remarkable Persons". The Gentleman's Magazine. E. Cave: 495. 1813. Retrieved 9 December 2024.