George Duckett (Calne MP) facts for kids

George Duckett (born February 19, 1684 – died October 6, 1732) was an interesting person from Britain. He lived at Hartham House in Wiltshire. He was a lawyer and a Whig politician. This means he was part of a political group called the Whigs. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) in the English and British Parliament from 1705 to 1723. George Duckett was also a poet and writer. He even had a famous writing rivalry with another writer named Alexander Pope.

Early Life and Education

George Duckett was the oldest son of Lionel Duckett and his wife Martha. Martha's maiden name was Ashe, and she was from Langley Burrell, Wiltshire. When his father passed away in 1693, George inherited his family's estates.

He started studying at Trinity College, Oxford on November 29, 1700, when he was 15 years old. Later, in 1703, he joined the Middle Temple, which is a place where lawyers are trained.

Political Career

In the 1705 election, George Duckett was chosen to be a Member of Parliament (MP) for Calne in Wiltshire. An MP is someone who represents their local area in the country's Parliament. He was a very active MP. He often acted as a "Teller," which meant he helped count votes in Parliament.

He spoke about important issues, like a discussion about Charles Caesar in 1705. He also voted on a law called the "Place bill" in 1706. He helped with a petition about the Fleet prison and worked on a bill to improve the highway in Calne. He also helped draft a bill to stop the ban on exporting white woollen cloth, which was important for the people he represented.

Duckett supported his friend John Asgill when Asgill faced problems in Parliament. In the 1708 general election, George Duckett was re-elected as an MP. He voted to allow people from Palatine (a region in Germany) to become British citizens in 1709. He also voted for the impeachment of Dr. Sacheverell in 1710. Impeachment is a process to accuse a public official of wrongdoing.

In the 1710 election, there was a problem with the votes for Calne, and the new Parliament, which had more Tories (another political group), decided against him.

However, in the 1722 British general election, Duckett was elected as MP for Calne again. He left this role on February 28, 1723, because he was appointed as a "commissioner of excise." A commissioner of excise was someone who helped collect taxes on certain goods. He held this job until 1732.

Literary Works and Rivalries

George Duckett was good friends with famous writers like Joseph Addison and Thomas Burnet. He often hosted Addison and his friends at his home in Wiltshire. Duckett and Burnet worked together on many satirical and political writings. Satire is a type of writing that uses humor, irony, or exaggeration to criticize people or ideas.

They teamed up to challenge Alexander Pope, another well-known writer. This happened after Pope had disagreements with Addison and Ambrose Philips.

In 1715, Burnet and Duckett wrote a piece called Homerides, or, a letter to Mr. Pope, occasion'd by his intended translation of Homer; by Sir Iliad Doggerl. The next year, they wrote Homerides, or, Homer's First Book Moderniz'd. Pope felt they were criticizing his translation of Homer even before he had finished it. Duckett continued this literary battle by himself with An Epilogue to a Puppet Show at Bath Concerning the same Iliad.

Pope got his revenge in his famous poem The Dunciad (1728) and later in Dunciad Variorum. Because Duckett and Burnet held government jobs, Pope didn't directly name them in The Dunciad itself. He only clearly attacked them in the Variorum. Duckett and Burnet also helped fund and write for two weekly journals called The Grumbler and Pasquin. Duckett also supported John Oldmixon, another writer who was an enemy of Pope.

In 1717, Duckett published a professional book called A Summary of All the Religious Houses in England and Wales. This book listed the value of all the monasteries and convents at the time they were closed down (called the dissolution). It also showed their value if they were still available. This work helped him get his job as a commissioner of excise.

In 1729, Duckett and John Dennis wrote a booklet together called Pope Alexander's Supremacy and Infallibility Examin'd. This booklet was critical of Pope.

Death and Family

George Duckett passed away at his home in Calne in 1732. He had married Grace Skinner on March 23, 1711. They had nine children together, and eight of them lived to become adults.

• Lionel Duckett (1712–1767)
• Thomas Duckett (1713–1766)
• Grace Duckett (1714–1784)
• William Duckett
• George Duckett
• William Duckett (died 1780)
• Skinner Duckett (died 1767)
• Martha Duckett
• Catherine Duckett