Family and Education

b. 15 Oct. 1750, 1st s. of John Whitmore, Portuguese merchant, of St. Lawrence Pountney, London by 2nd w. Elizabeth née Henkell. m. 1778, Caroline, da. of Thomas Williams of Epsom, 4s. surv. suc. fa. 1791.

Offices Held

Dir. Bank of England 1786-1807, 1810-23; dep. gov. 1807-8, gov. 1808-10.

Lt.-col. Bank of England vols. 1798-1803.

Biography

Whitmore was heir to ‘extensive mercantile establishments’.1 On the death of his country cousin Thomas Whitmore I* in 1795, the other Member for Bridgnorth, Browne, wrote to Pitt:

I shall have great pleasure in giving my support to Mr John Whitmore, a Bank director, and one of the commissioners for the support of private credit under the Act of 1793. He is first cousin to the deceased, and I hope will be prevailed upon to be a candidate. Give me leave to say, that he will be a valuable acquisition to the House of Commons.

Browne added that he was sure Whitmore would not be ‘in the same political system’ as his late cousin, a Foxite Whig.2 He was returned unopposed, ‘pledged to preserve the blessings of the constitution’.3 He had been of financial assistance to his cousin in the contest of 1784,4 and now held the seat until his cousin’s heir was of age, surviving a contest in 1802, in alliance with his colleague.

Whitmore was a silent supporter of Pitt’s administration. He was one of the City men who met on 27 Nov. 1795 to pledge their support to government and again on 7 June 1797 to express their abhorrence of the naval mutiny.5 On 7 Mar. 1796 he presented the West India merchants’ petition in favour of the London wet docks bill. He voted for the assessed taxes, 4 Jan. 1798. His firm had contributed £40,000 and he (as a Bank director) £10,000 to the loyalty loan the year before. In September 1804 and July 1805 he was listed a supporter of Pitt, though on 12 June 1805 he was in the majority for the criminal prosecution of Melville. On his retirement in 1806 he was thanked for his ‘zeal and fidelity’ as a Member.6 As governor of the Bank, he gave evidence several times to the bullion committee in March 1810, stating his evidence for supposing that the resumption of cash payments was not practicable while the war continued. His evidence was reviewed by Francis Horner in the House on 6 May 1811. Whitmore died 9 Oct. 1826.

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: R. G. Thorne

Notes

• 1. Birmingham Ref. Lib. Boulton and Watt pprs. B272.
• 2. PRO 30/8/116, f. 289.
• 3. Sun, 21 Apr. 1795.
• 4. Salop RO 1104, Watkins Pitchford mss, Barnfield letterbks., Barnfield to Messrs Marshall and Lewis, 29 Apr. 1784.
• 5. Morning Chron. 28 Nov. 1795; Oracle, 8 June 1797.
• 6. Salopian Jnl. 29 Oct. 1806.