Robert Myddelton Biddulph (1761–1814)

Robert Myddelton Biddulph ( Biddulph; March 1761 – 30 August 1814) was a British Member of Parliament (MP).

Robert Myddelton Biddulph
Member of Parliament for Denbigh Boroughs
In office
1806–1812
Preceded byFrederick West
Succeeded byViscount Kirkwall
Member of Parliament for Herefordshire
In office
1801–1802
Serving with Thomas Harley
Preceded byParliament of Great Britain
Succeeded byGeorge Cornewall, John Cotterell
In office
1796–1800
Serving with Thomas Harley
Preceded byThomas Harley
George Cornewall
Succeeded byParliament of the United Kingdom
Personal details
Born
Robert Biddulph

March 1761
Died14 August 1814(1814-08-14) (aged 53)
Spouse
Charlotte Myddelton
(m. 1801)
ChildrenRobert Myddelton Biddulph
Thomas Myddelton Biddulph
Charlotte Elizabeth Maude
Parent(s)Michael Biddulph
Penelope Dandridge
OccupationMerchant, politician

Early life

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The first son of Penelope (née Dandridge) Biddulph and barrister Michael Biddulph of Ledbury in Herefordshire and Cofton Hall in Worcestershire.[1] His elder sister, Anne Biddulph, was the wife of David Gordon, 14th of Abergeldie. His younger sister, Penelope Biddulph, married Adam Gordon, brother of David Gordon (both sons of Charles Gordon, 12th of Abergeldie).[2]

His paternal grandparents were Robert Biddulph and Anne (née Joliffe) Biddulph.[2] His maternal grandfather was John Dandridge of Balden's Green, Malvern, Worcestershire.[1]

Career

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Biddulph made a fortune in Bengal before returning to England in 1795.[3] He served as Recorder of Denbigh from 1795 to 1796, then entered politics under the patronage of the Whig Duke of Norfolk. He became a member of Brooks's on 26 April 1796, and was an unsuccessful candidate for Leominster before being elected to the House of Commons for Herefordshire the same year, replacing Sir George Cornewall. In Parliament he acted with the Foxite Whigs.[1]

Biddulph succeeded his father in 1800, and also succeeded his uncle Francis Biddulph as partner in the bank Cocks, Biddulph & Co.

In the 1802 general election Myddelton Biddulph was defeated by Cornewall and left Parliament, but resumed the office of Recorder of Denbigh (which he held until his death) and became a common councilman of the borough. In 1803 he was Lieutenant-Colonel commanding the Chirk Volunteers. His wife's family had long represented Denbigh in Parliament, and in 1806 he succeeded her brother-in-law Frederick West as Member for Denbigh Boroughs.[1]

In his second time in Parliament Myddelton Biddulph sat as an independent, in opposition to the government. He fell out with his wife's brother-in-law West in 1811 and was not re-elected in 1812.[1]

Personal life

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Chirk Castle

On 24 December 1801 he married heiress Charlotte Myddelton, daughter of Richard Myddelton and sister of Richard Myddelton, of Chirk Castle.[4] He adopted, by royal license, the additional surname of Myddelton on 29 December 1801 after his wife had inherited Chirk Castle from her unmarried brother Richard Myddelton in 1796.[3] They had two sons and one daughter, including:[5]

Myddelton Biddulph died on 30 August 1814. He was succeeded by his eldest son Robert in 1814, who also succeeded his widow in 1843, inheriting the Chirk estate.[4]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e J. W. Anderson and R. G. Thorne, BIDDULPH (afterwards MYDDELTON BIDDULPH), Robert (1761-1814), of Cofton Hall, Worcs. in The House of Commons 1790–1820, History of Parliament, 1986.
  2. ^ a b Hylton, Hylton George Hylton Jollife baron (1892). The Jolliffes of Staffordshire and Their Descendants, Down to the Year 1835: Comp. from Family Papers and Other Sources. Priv. print. by Hazell, Watson, and Viney (ld.). Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  3. ^ a b Britain), George III (King of Great (1968). The Later Correspondence of George Iii. CUP Archive. p. 599. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b c d Burke, Bernard (1894). A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry of Great Britain & Ireland. Harrison. p. 149. ISBN 978-0-394-48726-7. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  5. ^ Helvert, Paul Van; Wyhe, John Van (12 January 2021). Darwin: A Companion - With Iconographies By John Van Wyhe. World Scientific. p. 26. ISBN 978-981-12-0822-5. Retrieved 26 May 2022.
  6. ^ Colonel Robert Myddleton Biddulph MP (1805-1872), National Trust Collections. Accessed 25 February 2012.
  7. ^ K. D. Reynolds, Biddulph, Sir Thomas Myddleton (1809–1878), courtier and army officer in The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford 2004
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Parliament of Great Britain
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Herefordshire
17961800
With: Thomas Harley
Succeeded by
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Herefordshire
18011802
With: Thomas Harley
Succeeded by
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Denbigh Boroughs
18061812
Succeeded by