Sir Robert Heron, 2nd Baronet facts for kids
Sir Robert Heron (born 27 November 1765, died 29 May 1854) was an important British politician. He was a member of the Whig party. He served in the British Parliament, called the House of Commons, for many years. He was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1812 to 1847, with a short break.
Sir Robert Heron's Early Life
Robert Heron was born in 1765 in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire. His father was Thomas Heron. Robert went to college at St John's College, Cambridge. In 1805, his uncle, Sir Richard Heron, 1st Baronet, passed away. Robert then inherited his uncle's title, "Baronet," and large land estates in Lincolnshire.
His Time in Parliament
Before becoming an MP, Sir Robert was the High Sheriff of Lincolnshire from 1809 to 1810. This was an important local role.
In 1812, he was elected as an MP for Great Grimsby. He held this seat until 1818. He did not run for Grimsby again that year. However, he tried to become an MP for Lincolnshire County but was not successful.
He returned to Parliament in 1819. He was elected as an MP for Peterborough. He kept this seat until 1847. After that, he did not run for Parliament again.
Stubton Hall and His Animals
Sir Robert Heron owned a large estate called Stubton Hall. It was located in Stubton, near Newark-on-Trent. This area is on the border of Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The Heron family had owned Stubton Hall since 1789.
Sir Robert rebuilt the old 17th-century hall in the early 1800s. He first used it as a summer home. But after becoming an MP, he decided to make Stubton his main residence. The architect Jeffry Wyatt helped with the plans. The building needed more work than expected. This made the rebuilding very expensive for Sir Robert. In 1814, he wrote that he spent £7,000 just to get the building's roof finished.
Sir Robert also had a large collection of animals, called a menagerie. He successfully bred many unusual animals there. These included llamas, alpacas, lemurs, porcupines, armadillos, and kangaroos.
Sir Robert and his wife, Amelia, did not have any children. Because of this, his "Baronet" title ended when he died. The Stubton Hall estate then went to a relative of Amelia's, George Nevile. Later, it was sold to Edmund Royds.
Stubton Hall was restored in 2009. It is now used as a place for weddings and events.
