Theophilus John Levett
Encyclopedia
Colonel
Theophilus John Levett (11 December 1829 – 27 February 1899) was a Conservative Party
politician in the United Kingdom
, who served as Member of Parliament
(MP) for Lichfield
from 1880 to 1885
.
Levett
was the son of John Levett of Wychnor Park
, Staffordshire
and his wife Sophia Eliza Kennedy, the daughter of Hon. Robert Kennedy, third son of Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis
. Levett was a Captain in the 1st Life Guards and inherited Wychnor on the death of his father. Levett also owned Smallwood Manor at Uttoxeter
. He was elected as the MP for Lichfield in at a by-election in July 1880, but when the parliamentary borough
of Lichfield was abolished at the 1885 general ection
, he did not stand again. He was a JP
and DL
for Staffordsire and served on Staffordshire County Council for Lichfield from 1889 until his death in 1899. Originally from Sussex
, Levett's ancestors came to Staffordshire in the eighteenth century.
Capt. Theophilus Levett was, unsurprisingly for the era, a fox-hunter, and he was long associated with the Meynell hounds, the fox-hunting group established by Hugo Meynell
, who had defeated Capt. Levett's father John when he ran to keep his seat in Parliament
. "He was a remarkably good shot," noted an obituary of Levett, "and the way he used to work his coverts made the hearts of true sportsmen to rejoice." (The covert, in fox-hunting jargon, means a patch of woods or brush where a fox might be found.)
Levett married Lady Jane Lissey Harriet Feilding, daughter of William Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh
on January 10, 1856, and they had a son Theophilus Basil Percy Levett, a Justice of the Peace for Staffordshire who married Lady Margaret Emily Ashley-Cooper, daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury
. Theophilus John Levett was named for his ancestor Theophilus Levett
, who had served as Lichfield Town Clerk in the early eighteenth century. A second son of Theophilus Levett and his wife Lady Jane was Berkeley John Talbot Levett
, an officer in the Scots Guards
. A third child, a daughter, never married.
Theophilus John Levett was a member of London's Carlton Club
.
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
Theophilus John Levett (11 December 1829 – 27 February 1899) was a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, who served as Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Lichfield
Lichfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Lichfield is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.- Boundaries :...
from 1880 to 1885
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
.
Levett
Levett is an Anglo-Norman territorial surname deriving from the village of Livet-en-Ouche, now Jonquerets-de-Livet, in Eure, Normandy. Ancestors of the earliest Levett family in England, the de Livets were lords of the village of Livet, and undertenants of the de Ferrers, among the most powerful of...
was the son of John Levett of Wychnor Park
Wychnor Hall
Wychnor Hall is an early 18th century country house near Burton on Trent, Staffordshire. Formerly owned by the Levett family, descendants of Theophilus Levett, Steward of the city of Lichfield in the early eighteenth century, the hall has been converted to a Country Club. It is a Grade II listed...
, 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...
and his wife Sophia Eliza Kennedy, the daughter of Hon. Robert Kennedy, third son of Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis
Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis
Captain Archibald Kennedy, 11th Earl of Cassilis was a Scottish peer, the son of Archibald Kennedy, the descendant of the second son of the 3rd earl...
. Levett was a Captain in the 1st Life Guards and inherited Wychnor on the death of his father. Levett also owned Smallwood Manor at Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter
Uttoxeter is a historic market town in Staffordshire, in the West Midlands region of England. The current population is approximately 13,711, though new developments in the town will increase this figure. Uttoxeter lies close to the River Dove and is near the cities of Stoke-on-Trent, Derby and...
. He was elected as the MP for Lichfield in at a by-election in July 1880, but when the parliamentary borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...
of Lichfield was abolished at the 1885 general ection
United Kingdom general election, 1885
-Seats summary:-See also:*List of MPs elected in the United Kingdom general election, 1885*Parliamentary Franchise in the United Kingdom 1885–1918*Representation of the People Act 1884*Redistribution of Seats Act 1885-References:...
, he did not stand again. He was a JP
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for Staffordsire and served on Staffordshire County Council for Lichfield from 1889 until his death in 1899. Originally from Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, Levett's ancestors came to Staffordshire in the eighteenth century.
Capt. Theophilus Levett was, unsurprisingly for the era, a fox-hunter, and he was long associated with the Meynell hounds, the fox-hunting group established by Hugo Meynell
Hugo Meynell
Hugo Meynell is generally seen as the father of modern fox hunting, became Master of Fox Hounds for the Quorn Hunt in Leicestershire in 1753 and continued in that role for another forty-seven years . Meynell pioneered an extended chase at high speeds through open grassland...
, who had defeated Capt. Levett's father John when he ran to keep his seat in Parliament
Parliament
A parliament is a legislature, especially in those countries whose system of government is based on the Westminster system modeled after that of the United Kingdom. The name is derived from the French , the action of parler : a parlement is a discussion. The term came to mean a meeting at which...
. "He was a remarkably good shot," noted an obituary of Levett, "and the way he used to work his coverts made the hearts of true sportsmen to rejoice." (The covert, in fox-hunting jargon, means a patch of woods or brush where a fox might be found.)
Levett married Lady Jane Lissey Harriet Feilding, daughter of William Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh
William Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh
William Basil Percy Feilding, 7th Earl of Denbigh, 6th Earl of Desmond, GCH, PC was a British peer and courtier.-Biography:...
on January 10, 1856, and they had a son Theophilus Basil Percy Levett, a Justice of the Peace for Staffordshire who married Lady Margaret Emily Ashley-Cooper, daughter of Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury
Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 8th Earl of Shaftesbury , styled Lord Ashley between 1851 and 1885, was a British peer, the son of the 7th Earl of Shaftesbury....
. Theophilus John Levett was named for his ancestor Theophilus Levett
Theophilus Levett
Theophilus Levett was an attorney and early town clerk of Lichfield, Staffordshire, a prominent early Staffordshire politician and landowner, and a member of a thriving Lichfield social and intellectual circle which included his friends Samuel Johnson, the physician Erasmus Darwin, the writer Anna...
, who had served as Lichfield Town Clerk in the early eighteenth century. A second son of Theophilus Levett and his wife Lady Jane was Berkeley John Talbot Levett
Berkeley John Talbot Levett
Berkeley John Talbot Levett CVO , was a Major in the Scots Guards and later a Gentleman Usher for the Royal family. He was a witness in the Royal Baccarat Scandal of 1890 in which the future King Edward VII was drawn into a gambling dispute which painted him in an unflattering light.-Life and...
, an officer in the Scots Guards
Scots Guards
The Scots Guards is a regiment of the Guards Division of the British Army, whose origins lie in the personal bodyguard of King Charles I of England and Scotland...
. A third child, a daughter, never married.
Theophilus John Levett was a member of London's Carlton Club
Carlton Club
The Carlton Club is a gentlemen's club in London which describes itself as the "oldest, most elite, and most important of all Conservative clubs." Membership of the club is by nomination and election only.-History:...
.
Further reading
- The Lunar Men: Five Friends Whose Curiosity Changed the World, Jenny Uglow, Farrar, Straus & Giroux, New York, 2002 (see John Levett, MP)