John Pitt (of Encombe)


John Pitt of Encombe House, Dorset was a British MP for 35 years from which there remains one reported speech to Parliament.

Life

John was the fourth son of George Pitt MP of Strathfieldsaye and second son by his second wife née Lora Grey of Kingston Maurward nr Dorchester. He was educated at Queen's College, Oxford.
The property enabling George Morton Pitt's control of the Pontefract seat came to John Pitt by remainder but he sold it in 1766.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1775.

Elections to Parliament

Constituencies:
A procedure to allow resignation from the House of Commons was invented by Pitt to vacate his Wareham seat, as he wished to stand for Dorchester but could not be a candidate while still an MP. Pitt wrote to Prime Minister Henry Pelham in May 1750 reporting that he had been invited to stand in Dorchester, and asking for "a new mark of his Majesty's favour enable me to do him these further services". Pelham wrote to William Pitt indicating that he would intervene with King George II to help. On 17 January 1751 Pitt was appointed to the office of Steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, and was then elected unopposed for Dorchester.
His one reported speech was on a petition of West Country merchants who complained of French encroachments at Newfoundland.

Political appointments

Death

He died in 1787. He had married, on 26 January 1753, Marcia daughter of Mark Anthony Morgan of Cottelstown County Sligo and they had one daughter and four sons including William Morton Pitt of Kingston House, Dorset. His daughter, Marcia Pitt, married George James Cholmondeley.