Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet

Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet (22 December 1744-23 April 1787), of Wrottesley Hall in Staffordshire was a British army officer and Member of Parliament.

Wrottesley was the eldest son of the Reverend Sir Richard Wrottesley, 7th Baronet, Dean of Worcester, and was a nephew of Earl Gower, head of the most influential family in Staffordshire . He determined on an army career, being commissioned as ensign in the 2nd Foot Guards in 1761 and transferring as Captain in the 85th Foot the following year. From 1766-1767, he was equerry to the Duke of York.

Wrottesley's political connections were strengthened when his uncle, Gower, joined the Cabinet as Lord President of the Council in 1767, and again two years later when his sister married the Prime Minister, the Duke of Grafton. He entered Parliament at the general election of 1768 as member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, a borough controlled by Earl Gower, but resigned that seat a couple of months later when a seat became vacant for Staffordshire (where Gower's candidate was also sure of election). He represented the county for the remainder of his life, at first almost invariably voting with the government.

In 1770 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, and served with his regiment in the opening years of the American Revolutionary War from 1775 to 1778; returning to England he once more began to attend Parliament, being now somewhat critical of the conduct of the war and a less reliable supporter of the government. He was promoted again to Colonel in 1779 and Major-General in 1782, and was appointed Colonel of the 45th Foot in 1784. He died in 1787, at the age of only 42.

Sir John succeeded to the baronetcy on his father's death on 20 July 1769. He married the Hon. Frances Courtenay, daughter of The Viscount Courtenay, in 1770, and they had ten children, including his heir, John, who succeeded him as 9th Baronet and was later raised to the peerage as Baron Wrottesley.

References

* John Burke, "A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the British Empire" (London: Henry Colburn & Richard Bentley, 1832) [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=seAKAAAAYAAJ&printsec=titlepage&dq=sir+john+wrottesley+8th+baronet&source=gbs_summary_r&cad=0]
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* Lewis Namier & John Brooke, "The History of Parliament: The House of Commons 1754-1790" (London: HMSO, 1964)
* [http://www.thepeerage.com/p15362.htm www.thepeerage.com]