John Birch (died 1735) facts for kids
John Birch (born around 1666, died 1735) was an English lawyer and politician. He was a member of the Whig party. John Birch served in the English Parliament and later the British Parliament from 1701 to 1735. He lived at Garnstone manor in Herefordshire.
Early Life and Family
John Birch was the second son of Rev. Thomas Birch and his wife Mary. His father was a church leader in Hampton Bishop, Herefordshire. John studied law at places like Gray's Inn and Middle Temple. He became a lawyer in 1687.
His uncle, Colonel John Birch, was also a Member of Parliament (MP). When his uncle died in 1691, he left his home, Garnstone, to his youngest daughter, Sarah. But there was a condition: she had to marry John Birch. They married soon after.
Sarah passed away in 1702. This meant John Birch then owned the Garnstone estate. This large property was near a town called Weobley. In 1704, John married again. His second wife was Letitia Hampden. She was the daughter of John Hampden, who was also an MP.
Political Career
John Birch first tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) for Weobley in 1691. This was after his uncle, the former MP, died. He did not win that election. In 1695, he became a top lawyer for some areas in Wales.
He tried again for Parliament in 1698 but did not win. Finally, in 1701, he was successfully elected as an MP for Weobley. He won again later that year. However, he lost the election in 1702.
In 1705, John Birch became a special type of lawyer called a serjeant-at-law. He was elected as MP for Weobley again in 1705. He continued to be elected in 1708 and 1710 as a Whig party member. In 1712, he was promoted to Queen's Serjeant, a very important legal role. He was re-elected without opposition in 1713.
In the 1715 election, John Birch was initially defeated. But after a review, he was given his seat in Parliament. In 1716, he joined a special group. This group looked into matters related to some rebel lords. Later that year, he was appointed to a team. This team managed lands that had been taken by the government. He received a good salary for this work.
He was re-elected as MP for Weobley in 1722 and 1727. In 1728, he took on another legal role. He became a cursitor baron of the Exchequer.
Later Challenges
In 1731, John Birch faced some problems. This was related to his work on the commission for managing government lands. There were issues with how some lands were sold. These lands had belonged to the Earl of Derwentwater.
A parliamentary investigation was started by Lord Gage. As a result, the sales of these lands were cancelled. John Birch left the House of Commons in March 1732. He tried to get re-elected in the next special election but did not win.
He was elected again in the 1734 general election. However, the result of this election was questioned. The issue was not fully settled until 1737. This was two years after John Birch had passed away.
Death
John Birch passed away on 6 October 1735. He did not have any children from either of his marriages.
