Francis Perceval Eliot
Encyclopedia
Eliot was the son of General Granville Elliott
Granville Elliott
Major-General Granville Elliott , was a British military officer. He served with distinction in several other European armies and subsequently in the British Army...
(1713–1759) and his second wife, Elizabeth Duckett (1724–1804). He was born at Kew Green, Richmond-upon-Thames, Surrey
Surrey
Surrey is a county in the South East of England and is one of the Home Counties. The county borders Greater London, Kent, East Sussex, West Sussex, Hampshire and Berkshire. The historic county town is Guildford. Surrey County Council sits at Kingston upon Thames, although this has been part of...
, and baptised on 9 October 1755 at St Anne's Church, Kew Green
St. Anne's Church, Kew
St Anne's Church, Kew is the parish church of Kew, London, situated on Kew Green.-History:Originally built in 1714, on land given by Queen Anne as a church within the parish of Kingston, St. Anne's Church has been extended several times since, as the settlement of Kew grew with royal patronage. In...
.
Following his father's death on 10 October 1759, the family moved on 15 April 1760 to Richmond. In 1762, Francis lodged at Hargreaves in St Martin's Lane, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. On 17 April 1764, he lodged with Mrs Bathurst, Charterhouse Square
Charterhouse Square
Charterhouse Square is a historic square in Smithfield, between Charterhouse Street and Clerkenwell Road. It lies in the extreme south of the London Borough of Islington, just north of the City of London....
and attended the public school of St Bartholomew. In 1770, he went to Mrs Betesworth's Academy in Kingston, near Portsmouth, Hampshire
Hampshire
Hampshire is a county on the southern coast of England in the United Kingdom. The county town of Hampshire is Winchester, a historic cathedral city that was once the capital of England. Hampshire is notable for housing the original birthplaces of the Royal Navy, British Army, and Royal Air Force...
, leaving in 1772 to join Mr Lockee's Military Academy, Little Chelsea
Little Chelsea
Little Chelsea was a hamlet spread across the parishes of Chelsea and Kensington, in the hundred of Ossulstone, Middlesex, half a mile S.W. of Chelsea. It has been overtaken by the spread of London....
, London, and later to Colonel Gallatin's School of Equitation for 7 months.
On 15 December 1773, he was commissioned as Ensign in the 14th Regiment of Foot. On 28 March 1774, he joined his first regiment, moving to quarters in Dover on 13 May 1774. In March 1775, he left for America, where, on 25 August 1775, he was appointed Lieutenant in the 14th Regiment of Foot. By 28 November 1778, he had returned to St George's, Hanover Square, London, where he married Anne Breynton ( 1756 – 15 August 1829), the daughter of the famous minister in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, Rev Dr John Breynton
John Breynton
John Breynton was a renowned minister in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada....
( 1719–1799). In 1790, he bought Elmhurst Hall
Elmhurst Hall
Elmhurst Hall was a country house in the village of Elmhurst, Staffordshire. The house was located approximately 1.5 miles north of the city of Lichfield.-First hall :...
and various other properties in Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
, while still maintaining a house in London. In 1794 he raised the Staffordshire Yeomanry Cavalry and became its Major and subsequently Colonel. In 1797, he tried to sell off his Staffordshire estates. The following year 1798 he raised the Staffordshire Yeomanry Infantry. By 1800 he had moved to Lichfield
Lichfield
Lichfield is a cathedral city, civil parish and district in Staffordshire, England. One of eight civil parishes with city status in England, Lichfield is situated roughly north of Birmingham...
and in 1803 raised the 2nd Staffordshire Militia, eventually becoming its Lieutenant-Colonel.
In 1806, he finally disposed of his Staffordshire properties, pulling down the derelict Elmhurst Hall. He moved back to London full-time, and took an oath as a Commissioner of Public Accounts, based at Somerset House
Somerset House
Somerset House is a large building situated on the south side of the Strand in central London, England, overlooking the River Thames, just east of Waterloo Bridge. The central block of the Neoclassical building, the outstanding project of the architect Sir William Chambers, dates from 1776–96. It...
in the Strand
Strand, London
Strand is a street in the City of Westminster, London, England. The street is just over three-quarters of a mile long. It currently starts at Trafalgar Square and runs east to join Fleet Street at Temple Bar, which marks the boundary of the City of London at this point, though its historical length...
. Around this time he became a man of letters, addressing the foremost politicians of the time, while also writing for a magazine — The Aegis
The Aegis (magazine)
For the American newspaper, see The Aegis The Ǣgis; or, Independent weekly expositor was a short-lived London-based weekly newspaper, published from July 3 to at least 18 September 1818. Francis Perceval Eliot was writing for it at the time of his death.Copies of the newspaper are held at the...
. The next year, he attempted to be elected as MP for Westminster in the United Kingdom general election, 1807
United Kingdom general election, 1807
The election to the 4th Parliament of the United Kingdom in 1807 was the third general election to be held after the Union of Great Britain and Ireland....
. On Friday 8 May 1807, he attended a meeting at Covent Garden
Covent Garden
Covent Garden is a district in London on the eastern fringes of the West End, between St. Martin's Lane and Drury Lane. It is associated with the former fruit and vegetable market in the central square, now a popular shopping and tourist site, and the Royal Opera House, which is also known as...
, London where he was introduced to the meeting, by Col. Robinson
Frederick Philipse Robinson
Sir Frederick Philipse Robinson, GCB was a Virginian soldier, born in the Highlands, near New York, in September, 1763, who fought for Britain during the American War of Independence....
who at that time commanded London Recruiting District, and the Pimlico battalion of the Queen's Loyal Volunteers from about 1803. His election was unsuccessful and he returned to his literary pursuits.
He died at his home at 22 Portman Street, London on 23 August 1818 and was buried in or by the western wall of the St Marylebone
St Marylebone Parish Church
-First church:The first church for the parish was built in the vicinity of the present Marble Arch c.1200, and dedicated to St John the Evangelist.-Second church:...
burial ground on the south side of Paddington Street, London — near to his father-in-law, Rev Dr John Breynton.
Family
On 28 November 1778 at St George's, Hanover Square, London, Francis married Anne Breynton ( 1756 – 15 August 1829), and had by her 7 sons and 3 daughters:- William Granville Eliot (7 September 1779 – 26 August 1855), Lieutenant-Colonel RHARoyal Horse ArtilleryThe regiments of the Royal Horse Artillery , dating from 1793, are part of the Royal Regiment of Artillery of the British Army...
, who married firstly Harriet Ann Mann (30 June 1776 - 30 December 1812), and secondly Ann Heywood (24 May 1791 - 17 October 1857), a daughter of Samuel HeywoodSamuel Heywood (chief justice)Samuel Heywood was a Serjeant-at-law and a Chief Justice of the Carmarthen Circuit of Wales.Heywood was born in Liverpool, Lancashire to Benjamin and Phoebe Heywood, née Ogden... - Francis Breynton Eliot (1 April 1781–1855), Captain, who married Maria Sweet
- Edward John EliotEdward John EliotCaptain Edward John Eliot was an English soldier.Eliot was the son of Francis Perceval Eliot and his wife Anne née Breynton...
(20 September 1782 – 6 November 1863), Captain, who married Margaret James (died 10 September 1881) - George Augustus Eliot (19 February 1784 – 6 August 1835), Lieutenant-Colonel RSC, who married Jane McCrea (9 March 1794 - 30 November 1877)
- Elizabeth Mary Eliot (11 October 1785 – 21 July 1872) who died unmarried
- Lionel Ducket Eliot (27 March 1787 – March 1855), who married Charlotte Russell (1791 - 16 August 1851)
- Ann Cathrina Eliot (8 November 1789 – 30 October 1891) who died unmarried
- Henry Algernon Eliot (23 August 1790 – 17 August 1857), Rear-Admiral RNRoyal NavyThe Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, who married firstly Jane Crombie (died 27 January 1846), daughter of Alexander CrombieAlexander CrombieThe Rev Dr Alexander Crombie was a Presbyterian minister, schoolmaster and philosopher....
, and secondly Maynard Baring (1813 - 15 January 1856), daughter of George Baring and granddaughter of Sir Francis Baring - Frances Charlotte Eliot (23 December 1790 – 28 October 1819) who died unmarried
- Charles Turberville Eliot (4 July 1794 – 17 February 1875), who married Elizabeth Reed (1809 - January 1863)
Many of his sons went on to play significant roles in the British Armed Forces.
Publications
1791–1800 Common Place Book — University of Birmingham Library Special Collection (Ref: 6/vi/5)1794 "Letters on the subject of the arm'd Yeomanry
Yeomanry
Yeomanry is a designation used by a number of units or sub-units of the British Territorial Army, descended from volunteer cavalry regiments. Today, Yeomanry units may serve in a variety of different military roles.-History:...
, addressed to the … Earl Gower Sutherland, etc." by Francis Perceval Eliot, second edition published Stafford 1794.
1797 "Six letters, etc." by Francis Perceval Eliot — another edition of "Letters on the subject of the arm'd Yeomanry, addressed to the … Earl of Gower Sutherland, etc." — published London 1797 British Library Shelfmark: 8827.f.30
1807 "Demonstration, Or Financial Remarks With Occasional Observations On Political Occurrences" Printed for John Cawthorn, 1807 (London: T. Collins) 117 pages, xi, [10], [13] folded leaves of plates; 22 cm British Library Shelfmark: 8135.g.11
1811 "Observations On The Fallacy Of The Supposed Depreciation Of The Paper Currency Of The Kingdom With Reasons For Dissenting From The Report Of The Bullion Committee" by Francis Perceval Eliot Printed for J.J. Stockdale, London 1811. 171 pages, 24 cm British Library Shelfmark: 1028.e.3(4) and 1028.e.5.(1)
1811 "A Supplement To Observations On The Fallacy Of The Supposed Depreciation Of The Paper Currency Of The Kingdom, &c." Printed for J.J. Stockdale, London 1811 28 pages, 21 cm
1814 "A series of letters on the Political and financial State of the nation at the commencement of 1814" by Falkland (i.e. Francis Perceval Eliot) — published 1814. British Library Shelfmark: P.P.3557.w
1814 "Letters on the Political and financial situation of the country in 1814; addressed to the Earl of Liverpool" by Francis Perceval Eliot — published 1814 British Library Shelfmark: P.P.3557.w
1815 "Three letters on the financial and political situation of the country in the year 1815 … addressed to the Earl of Liverpool" by Francis Perceval Eliot — published 1815 British Library Shelfmark: P.P.3557.w. These letters proposed a system of measures based on a single weight measure, similar to the metric system used in France at the time
1816 "Letters on the political and financial situation of the British Empire, in the year 1816 … addressed to the Earl of Liverpool" — published 1816 British Library Shelfmark: P.P.3557.w and C.T.114(1)