John Wells (British politician, born 1761)
John Wells (1761 – 22 November 1848)[1] was an English Tory[2] politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1820 to 1830 ['Oxford Dictionary of National Biography', under 'Wells, William (1729–1805)'].
He was born in Malling, Kent and married in Rochester in 1796 Esther daughter of John Puget, a London banker, by his wife, Esther, daughter of James Dunn, MP for Dublin 1758-62, and sister of John Puget, of Pointer's Grove, Herts, Director of the Bank of England and Rear-Admiral Peter Puget, CB, who explored with Capt George Vancouver. The family lived at Bickley Hall, Bromley in Kent, which he extended to a design by Sir Robert Smirke in 1810[H Colvin 'A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1660-1840', 2008].
He also owned the Malling Heath estate in Kent [East and West Malling Tithe Award Schedules 1842]. He was among the leading shipbuilders on the River Thames, a partner in yards at Deptford, Rotherhithe and Blackwall [P Banbury, 'Shipbuilders of the Thames and Medway', 1971]. He served as High Sheriff of Kent for 1812 and then stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Maidstone in 1818.[2][3] He was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Maidstone at the general election in March 1820 and held the seat until 1830,[1] when he did not stand again in Maidstone.[2] His great-great-great-nephew, Sir John Wells [qv], was MP for Maidstone 1959-87 (Burke's 'Landed Gentry' 1964).
Wells was a strong opponent of the Catholic Emancipation Bill in 1828 and declared that he would fight to defend the Protestant Constitution "until he was up to his knees in blood".[4]
Wells died two weeks after his wife when he was aged 87. They had three sons and five daughters, of whom one son and three daughters predeceased him (Burke's 'Landed Gentry' 1964).
References
- ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "M" (part 1)
- ^ a b c Stooks Smith, Henry. (1973) [1844-1850]. Craig, F. W. S. (ed.). The Parliaments of England (2nd ed.). Chichester: Parliamentary Research Services. p. 168. ISBN 0-900178-13-2.
- ^ R G Thorne The House of Commons 1790-1820
- ^ Maidstone Borough Council - Religion in Maidstone
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Wells
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