Sir Gilbert Dolben, 1st Baronet facts for kids
Sir Gilbert Dolben, 1st Baronet (1658-1722) was an important English lawyer and politician. He lived in Finedon, Northamptonshire. Sir Gilbert was a member of the English and British Parliaments from 1685 to 1715. He also worked as a High Court judge in Ireland for many years. His grandson, Sir William Dolben, later became famous for fighting against slavery.
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Early Life and Family
Sir Gilbert Dolben was the older son of John Dolben, who was the Archbishop of York. His mother was Catherine Sheldon. Gilbert came from a family with many important church leaders. His great-uncle, Gilbert Sheldon, was the Archbishop of Canterbury. His uncle, Sir William Dolben, was also a respected judge.
Gilbert had a younger brother named John Dolben. John also tried to be a lawyer and politician, but he was not as successful as Gilbert. When Gilbert was a child, a famous writer named Samuel Pepys described him as "a very pretty boy."
Gilbert went to Westminster School. He then studied at Christ Church, Oxford when he was 15. He didn't finish his degree there. In 1674, he joined the Inner Temple, which is a place where lawyers train. He became a lawyer in 1680. For a short time, he worked in diplomacy, which means representing his country in other nations. But he soon decided to focus on being a full-time lawyer. He didn't earn much money at first, but he was wealthy because he married a woman who had a lot of money.
Political Career
Sir Gilbert Dolben became a Justice of the Peace (a local official who helps keep order) in Yorkshire in 1684. He first became a Member of Parliament (MP) for Ripon in 1685. He was very active in Parliament. He joined 14 different committees. Many of these committees dealt with church matters. For example, he worked on committees to prevent secret marriages and to help rebuild St Paul's Cathedral.
In 1686, he became a Justice of the Peace for Northamptonshire. In 1688, he disagreed with the King's plans to change certain laws about religion. Because of this, he lost his job as a Justice of the Peace. Even though he was a Tory (a political group), he supported the Glorious Revolution. This event changed who was King of England. After the revolution, he got his jobs back.
Member of Parliament for Peterborough
In 1689, Sir Gilbert became an MP for Peterborough. He was very busy in Parliament, joining 51 committees. He gave nine speeches. He was the first MP to say that King James II's rule was over. He strongly argued that the King had given up his throne. In 1689, he was also appointed a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, which was a role close to the King.
He was re-elected as MP for Peterborough in 1690. He worked with the King's party. He handled a lot of regular parliamentary work. He was known as a lawyer who liked to introduce new laws. He was re-elected again in 1695.
Sir Gilbert refused to take a special oath after a plot to kill King William III in 1696. He disagreed with part of the oath that said God had saved the King. He felt this suggested the King ruled by "Divine Right," which means God chose him. Because of this, he lost his Justice of the Peace job again. He also voted against a law to set the price of gold coins.
He opposed a special legal process called an attainder against Sir John Fenwick, who was accused of treason (betraying the country). Sir Gilbert gave a long speech in 1696. He argued that Fenwick's case should be handled by normal criminal law. He was a strong supporter of the Blasphemy Act 1697, which made it illegal to insult God. He did not run for election in 1698.
Later Parliamentary Years
Sir Gilbert was elected again for Peterborough in 1701. After Parliament was closed, he was criticized for opposing war plans against France. In 1701, he became a judge in Ireland. Around this time, he also got his Justice of the Peace job back. He was re-elected to Parliament in 1701 and stayed active. He helped create a bill to stop bribery in elections. As a Tory, he supported a motion that defended Parliament's actions in removing some of King William III's ministers from office.
He was re-elected for Peterborough in 1702, 1705, and 1708. In 1710, he became an MP for Yarmouth, Isle of Wight. He was re-elected there in 1713.
In a famous legal case called Ashby v White, Sir Gilbert strongly argued that the House of Commons had the only power to decide on disputed Parliamentary elections.
Judicial Career in Ireland
When Sir Gilbert became a judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland) in 1701, he joined the King's Inn. This was the main group for lawyers in Ireland. He kept his judge job when Queen Anne became Queen in 1702. He was still a member of the English Parliament. He split his time between England and Ireland. This meant he sometimes didn't spend enough time on his judge duties.
Even though he was said to have problems with Thomas Wharton, 1st Marquess of Wharton, who was the main ruler in Ireland from 1708, his time as a judge seemed calm. He was one of the few judges who didn't get involved in a big fight between the King's government and the city of Dublin Corporation in 1713–1714. Maybe because of this, or because he was wealthy and important (he became a baronet in 1704), he was the only senior Irish judge who was not removed from his job after Queen Anne died.
He wanted to become a judge in England but didn't get the position. He stayed a judge in Ireland until he retired in 1720. He was also a leader at the Inner Temple, where he had trained as a lawyer. He was its treasurer in 1721. It is said that he was one of the few people who made money, instead of losing it, during a big financial event called the South Sea Bubble.
Family Life
Around 1683, Sir Gilbert Dolben married Anne Mulso. She was the oldest daughter of Tanfield Mulso of Finedon Hall, Northamptonshire. Her marriage brought a lot of wealth to Sir Gilbert. They had one son who lived, Sir John Dolben, 2nd Baronet. This son was the father of Sir William Dolben, 3rd Baronet, who became a famous leader in the movement to end slavery. Sir Gilbert died at Finedon in October 1722.
For many years, Sir Gilbert was worried about his brother John. John had financial troubles and spent all his own money, and then his wife's. In 1691, Gilbert wrote that John's wife and children had to rely on friends for help. He felt this was embarrassing for the family and made his father's memory look bad.
Sir Gilbert was also interested in learning and books. The famous writer John Dryden thanked Dolben for helping him with his translations of the ancient Roman poet Virgil.
