Sir George Philips, 1st Baronet
Sir George Philips, 1st Baronet (24 March 1766 – 3 October 1847),[1] later Sir George Philips MP.
Biography
Philips came from an old Staffordshire family that had held manors there since the reign of Edward VI of England, and were seated at Heath House in the same county since the early seventeenth century, that continued to be lived in by his cousins. George's father, Thomas Philips (1728–1811) of Sedgley, Lancashire, established a cotton manufacturing company in Manchester.
George was brought up in the dissenting tradition. Towards the end of the eighteenth century he joined forces with Samuel Boddington and "Conversation" Sharp (alias Richard Sharp (politician)) to form the West India company of 'Boddington, Sharp and Philips' which was based at 15 Mark Lane, London.[2] As his wealth grew (Sydney Smith teasingly nicknamed him 'King Cotton'), Philips quit the family home in Manchester, Sedgley Hall, and built a new home, Weston House in Warwickshire (now demolished). This was very much in the style of Holland House which, when Sharp first saw it, declared it to be "more like a University" than a private residence! He also kept a handsome house in London in Grafton Street.
As fellow Dissenters, the three partners shared many common interests. Philips enjoyed writing poetry and he was especially pleased with his Epistle from Windemere to Richd. Sharp Esq., which was proudly shown to such friends as James Mackintosh, Samuel Rogers, and William Wordsworth. Boddington and Philips followed Sharp's example by becoming dissenting Whig Members of Parliament and in time Philips gained a reputation for his fine oratory, speaking in the House on several occasions in opposition to regulating child labour in the cotton mills.
In Parliament he sat as a Whig and represented Ilchester 1812, Steyning 1818-1820, Wootton Bassett 1820-30. Philips was an MP for Warwickshire South following the Reform Act until 1835. He was closely associated with Manchesterism and has been described as the "unofficial member for Manchester", despite not formally representing that city.[3]
He is pictured in a commemorative painting by Sir George Hayter of the 1833 parliament.[4]
See also
References
- ↑ "Baronetcies beginning with "P", part2". Leigh Rayment's Baronetage pages. Retrieved 2009-04-23.
- ↑ for further information see Knapman, D. - 'Conversation Sharp - The Biography of a London Gentleman, Richard Sharp (1759–1835), in Letters, Prose and Verse'. (Private Publication, 2004)
- ↑ Wadsworth, Alfred P.; Mann, Julia De Lacy (1965) [1931]. The Cotton Trade and Industrial Lancashire, 1600-1780. Manchester University Press. p. 289.
- ↑ The House of Commons in 1833, Sir George Hayter, National Portrait Gallery, accessed 9 January 2009
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Sir George Philips
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Richard Brinsley Sheridan Michael Angelo Taylor |
Member of Parliament for Ilchester 1812–1818 With: Richard Sharp |
Succeeded by Sir Isaac Coffin John William Drage Merest |
| Preceded by James Martin Lloyd Sir John Aubrey |
Member of Parliament for Steyning 1818–1820 With: Sir John Aubrey |
Succeeded by George Richard Philips Lord Henry Howard-Molyneux-Howard |
| Preceded by William Taylor Money Richard Ellison |
Member of Parliament for Wootton Bassett 1820–1830 With: Horace Twiss |
Succeeded by Viscount Mahon Thomas Hyde Villiers |
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for South Warwickshire 1832 – 1835 With: Sir Grey Skipwith |
Succeeded by Sir John Mordaunt Edward Sheldon |
| Baronetage of the United Kingdom | ||
| New creation | Baronet (of Weston, Warwickshire) 1828–1847 |
Succeeded by George Richard Philips |