John Perceval, 1st Earl of Egmont PC, FRS (12 July 1683 – 1 May 1748), known as Sir John Perceval, 5t, from 1691 to 1715, as The Lord Perceval from 1715 to 1722 and as The Viscount Perceval from 1722 to 1733, was an Anglo-Irish politician.
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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. He sat until 1715, when 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.
His diary (published by the Historical Manuscripts Commission) is an important source on Parliamentary History in the 1730s and early 1740s.[1]
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.
| Parliament of Ireland | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sir St John Brodrick Thomas Brodrick |
Member of Parliament for Cork County with Thomas Brodrick 1703–1713 Alan Brodrick 1713–1715 1703–1715 |
Succeeded by Henry Boyle St John Brodrick |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Sir Philip Parker Humphry Parsons |
Member of Parliament for Harwich with Sir Philip Parker 1727–1734 |
Succeeded by Carteret Leathes Charles Stanhope |
| Baronetage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by Edward Perceval |
Baronet (of Kanturk) 1691–1748 |
Succeeded by John Perceval |
| Peerage of Ireland | ||
| Preceded by new creation |
Earl of Egmont 1733–1748 |
Succeeded by John Perceval |