Joseph Cripps
English cloth manufacturer, banker, and politician (1765–1847)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Cripps (10 March 1765 – 8 January 1847) was a prominent English cloth manufacturer, banker, brewer, and long-serving Member of Parliament for Cirencester. Despite his Tory affiliation, he was known for independent-mindedness and support of moderate reform.[1] He also served as governor of the Van Diemen's Land Company and was described at his death as leaving an “enormous” fortune.[2]
Joseph Cripps | |
|---|---|
| Member of the British Parliament for Cirencester | |
| In office 1806–1812 | |
| Preceded by | Robert Preston |
| Succeeded by | William Cripps |
| In office 1818–1841 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 10 March 1765 Cirencester, Gloucestershire, England |
| Died | 8 January 1847 Ashcroft, near Cirencester, Gloucestershire |
| Resting place | St. Catherine’s Chapel, Church of St John the Baptist, Cirencester |
| Party | Tory → Conservative |
| Spouses |
|
| Children | At least eight (including William Cripps) |
| Relatives | See below |
| Occupation | Cloth manufacturer, banker, brewer, politician |
Early life and business
Cripps was born in Cirencester, Gloucestershire, the son of Joseph Cripps, a cloth manufacturer, and his wife Hester (née Hall).[1] He inherited his father’s manufactory, acquired a second mill, and diversified into brewing and banking.[3] His mills also made use of workhouse labour in the early 19th century.[4]
Civic and colonial roles
He was active in local affairs, serving as captain of the Cirencester Volunteers in 1798 and rising to lieutenant colonel commanding the corps by 1803.[1] In 1792 he was also appointed commissioner of the Court of Requests for the Seven Hundreds of Cirencester.[3]
From 1825 he was a director of the Van Diemen’s Land Company, becoming deputy governor in 1829 and governor from about 1838 to 1842.[5] The schooner Joseph Cripps sailed between Hobart, Launceston, and Port Adelaide in the 1840s.[6]
Parliamentary career
Cripps was elected MP for Cirencester in 1806, reflecting demands for a local representative rather than London merchant Robert Preston.[1] Narrowly defeated in 1812, he returned unopposed in 1818 and held the seat until 1841, when his son William succeeded him.[1] Though a Tory, he often supported moderate reforms.[1]
Family
Cripps married Elizabeth Harrison in 1786. They had five children before her death in 1799. In 1801 he married her sister Dorothea Harrison, and they had eight more children.[citation needed]
He died in January 1847 at Ashcroft, near Cirencester, and was buried in the family vault at St. Catherine’s Chapel in the Church of St. John the Baptist, Cirencester.[1]
Legacy
Cripps’s obituary in the Law Times noted his “enormous” fortune, the product of extensive commercial, banking, and political activity.[2] He is regarded as the progenitor of numerous notable descendants:
- His son, William Cripps (MP), was MP for Cirencester and a Junior Lord of the Treasury under Sir Robert Peel.[1]
- His grandson William Harrison Cripps (1850-1923), a prominent surgeon
- His grandson Charles Cripps, 1st Baron Parmoor (1852-1941), politician
- His grandson Wilfred Joseph Cripps (1841-1903), antiquarian and expert on antique silver plate