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1791 SIGNATORIES

This list of signatories to the 1791 petition to William Pitt is given in the order it was signed.

Abbreviations used

EIC = East India Company

Dir = director ComC = committee chairman Capt = ship’s captain SS = ship’s surgeon Eng = engineer

TH = Trinity House

DM = Deputy Master EB = elder brother

Other

BED = Bank of England Director

A+B = Official of Society of Antiquaries & Bridewell

HC = Hull connections LC = Leominster connections

GI = Gray’s Inn (address or chambers) LI = Lincoln’s Inn LL Lloyds Register member Law = other law practice

Addresses etc: BR = Bedford Row CF = Crutched Friars BofE = Bank of England neighbourhood

Name		MP****	City	EIC	TH	other	Features of note
John Boydell			Ld Mayor
Richard Clark			Alderman			A+B
Thomas Harley		<1784 Herefordshire	Father	ComC		LC LL <1791	Purchased an estate from a close relative of Cort’s navy client Frederick Cornewall.
John W Anderson			Alderman
George Macauley			Sheriff
John Julius Angerstein			Merchant			BofE LL principal	Associated with the founding of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution and the National Gallery's original collection.
JOHN & WILLIAM WILSON & Son			Iron importer			BofE	Only signatory from the iron trade. Also involved in Wilsontown ironworks.
William Ward			Merchant
John Ewer			Merchant
Sir Michael le Fleming		<1784 Westmoreland
Sir Richard Carr Glyn			Sheriff 1790-1			A+B BofE	Sheriff’s term ends Michaelmas Eve.
Thomas Parry			Merchant	Dir
Joseph Nutt			Merchant			BED BofE
John Townson				Dir		GI
William Money				Dir	EB
**Robert Thornton		1790 Colchester	Russia Co	Dir		HC	Uncle Godfrey was Richard Crawshay’s banker. Brother Henry prominent in campaign to abolish slavery.
**Samuel Thornton		1784 Hull	Russia Co			BED HC
**Cornwall Smalley			Russia Co
John Hunter		1784 Leominster		Dir		LC
Paul le Mesurier		<1790 Southwark	Alderman	Dir		LL 1791
William Curtis		1790 London	Alderman
Sir GEORGE JACKSON		1790 Colchester					Only signatory with navy connections. Probably met Cort during his spell as a navy agent. Knighted 28 July 1791.
Francis Annesley		<1784 Reading
Robert Smith		<1784 Nottingham					Founder of the Carrington dynasty
George Smith		1791 Lostwithiel
Sir Watkin Lewes	<1784 London		Alderman				Vice President, Society of Arts 1791
William Chute	1790 Hampshire
Hector Rose					DM
John Bartholomew Lanty					EB
Timothy Mangles			Merchant		EB
George Burton					EB
Anthony Calvert					EB
Thomas Brown					EB
Philip Bromfield				Capt	EB
Francis Easterby					EB
G Reed					EB
Joseph Cotton				Capt	EB
Henry Hinde Pelly				Capt	EB
James Strachan					EB
Thomas King					EB
Thomas Metcalfe				Dir
Robert Wigram			Merchant	SS		LL <1791	Later held the funds collected for Cort’s widow in 1800.
John Brickwood			Merchant
JAMES WATSON		1790 Bridport				LI	Married to cousin of Cort’s wife. Probably the instigator of the petition
Phyn Ellis & Inglis			Merchant
John Dent		1790 Lancaster				***GI
John Roberts				Dir		GI
John Travers				Dir	EB	CF
Stephen Williams				Dir	EB	BofE
Hugh Inglis				Dir		BR
Robert Preston				Capt	EB
William Davis					EB
Henry Rice				Capt	EB
JOHN EAMES						Law	Master of Chancery. Comes from Gosport.
Sir John Call		1784 Callington		Eng			Knighted 28 July 1791.

*Brook Watson		1784 London	Alderman			BED HC LL <1791	Probably no relation to James Watson. Possibly related to the Thorntons, whose mother is a Watson. Both she and Brook come from Hull.