John Henry Loft
John Henry Loft (20 February 1769 – 13 July 1849) was a British soldier and politician.
General John Henry Loft | |
|---|---|
 Portrait of John Henry Loft | |
| Born | 20 February 1769 Grainthorpe, Lincolnshire, England |
| Died | 13 July 1849 (aged 80) Loft Street, Grimsby, Lincolnshire, England |
| Burial place | Marshchapel |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Soldier |
| Known for | Corrupt politics, transcribing Lincolnshire graves |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Farr |
Early life
Loft was born on 20 February 1769, in Grainthorpe, Lincolnshire.[1]
Military career
In 1769 he enlisted in the 15th Regiment of Foot and had been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel within four years, of an unattached Corps of 4,000 men which he had raised himself.[2]
Political career
Loft was the member of Parliament for Great Grimsby [3] and was much involved with recruiting during the Napoleonic Wars. He was a controversial but influential figure in the development of Grimsby as a port, being one of the original shareholders named in the act of parliament which created the Grimsby Haven Company in 1796.[4]
The antiquarian
Between around 1826 and 1844, Loft obsessively recorded details of churches, gravestones and memorials around Lincolnshire, many of which have survived and become a useful resource for historians.[5]
Death and legacy
Loft died on 13 July 1849, in a house on Loft Street, Grimsby, which had been named after him.[6]
References
- E.M.B.Loft, Lincolnshire Life vol. 24 no. 11 Feb. 1985 pp. 28-30
- Philippart, John (1815). The royal military calendar: containing the services of every general officer in the British Army, from the date of their commission, with an appendix, containing an account of the operations of the army on the eastern coast of Spain in 1812-13. A. J. Valpy. p. 239. Retrieved 11 November 2016.
- http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/member/loft-john-henry-1769-1849
- An Act for Widening, Deepening, Enlarging, Altering, and Improving the Haven and Town and Port of Great Grimsby, in the County of Lincoln, 1796
- General Loft's Lincolnshire Notes. CD published by the Lincolnshire Family History Society
- http://www.grimsbytelegraph.co.uk/victoria-street-described-miserable-place-earth/story-21242336-detail/story.html%5B%5D
External links
- Hansard 1803 - 2005 Contributions in parliament by John Henry Loft
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Ayscoghe Boucherett William Mellish |
Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby 1802–1803 With: Ayscoghe Boucherett |
Succeeded by Ayscoghe Boucherett William Mellish |
| Preceded by Hon. Charles Anderson-Pelham William Ellice |
Member of Parliament for Great Grimsby 1808–1812 With: William Ellice |
Succeeded by John Peter Grant Sir Robert Heron, 2nd Baronet |