John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont

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John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont FRS (12 July 1683-1 May 1748), was an Anglo-Irish politician.

Perceval was born at Burton, County Cork, the second son of Sir John Perceval, 3rd Baronet, and Catherine, daughter of Sir Edward Dering, 2nd Baronet. His father died when he was two and in 1691 he succeeded his elder brother as fifth Baronet. The following year his mother also died. Perceval was educated at Westminster School, London, and at Magdalen College, Oxford. However, he left university without taking a degree.

In 1703 he was elected to the Irish House of Commons for County Cork, and in 1704 he was admitted to the Irish Privy Council. Perceval was again elected for County Cork in 1713. Two years later he was raised to the Peerage of Ireland as Baron Perceval, of Burton in the County of Cork, with remainder to the heirs male of his father. In 1722 he was created Viscount Perceval, of Kanturk in the County of Cork, in the Peerage of Ireland, with remainder to his heirs male. Lord Perceval was elected to the British House of Commons for Harwich in 1727, which constituency he continued to represent until 1734, and was also a Recorder of Harwich from 1728 to 1734. In 1733 he was further honoured when he was made Earl of Egmont in the Peerage of Ireland. However, he rejected the offer of a British peerage three times. Apart from his political career he was also a Fellow of the Royal Society.

Lord Egmont married Catherine, daughter of Sir Philip Parker, 2nd Baronet, in 1710. They had seven children, three sons and four daughters. Only three of the children reached adulthood. Lord Egmont died in London in May 1748, aged 64, and was succeeded in the earldom by his eldest and only surviving son John. The latter’s seventh son was Prime Minister Spencer Perceval.


Baronetage of Ireland
Preceded by:
Edward Perceval		 Baronet
(of Kanturk)		 Succeeded by:
John Perceval
Peerage of Ireland
Preceded by:
New Creation		 Earl of Egmont Succeeded by:
John Perceval

[edit] References

  • Stephen, Sir Leslie; Lee, Sir Sidney. The Dictionary of National Biography: From The Earliest Times to 1900, Volume XV. Oxford University Press, 1917.
  • Kidd, Charles, Williamson, David (editors). Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage (1990 edition). New York: St Martin's Press, 1990.
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