John Eardley Eardley-Wilmot (abt. 1783 - 1847)

Born about 21 Feb 1783 in London, England

Ancestors

Husband of Elizabeth Emma (Parry) Eardley-Wilmot — married about 25 May 1808 in Walcot St Swithin, Somerset, England, United Kingdom

Descendants

Died 3 Feb 1847 at about age 63 in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia

Biography

John Eardley-Wilmot was born in England.

Sir John Eardley Eardley-Wilmot ^[1] (1783-1847), lieutenant-governor, was born on 21 February 1783 in London, the son of John Eardley-Wilmot and his wife Frances, née Sainthill. His grandfather was chief justice of common pleas, his father a master in chancery. Through this background, rather than as a result of personal achievement, Wilmot was created a baronet in 1821. He was called to the Bar in 1806 and was chairman of the Warwickshire Quarter Sessions from 1830 to 1843. He published An Abridgment of Blackstone's Commentaries … (1822) and A Letter to the Magistrates of England (1827), and received an honorary D.C.L. from Oxford (1829). The Letter urged various reforms in the criminal law, especially as it affected juveniles. A fellow of the Royal, Linnean, and Antiquaries' Societies, Wilmot had wide if not deep intellectual interests. He married twice: in 1808 Elizabeth Emma Parry (d.1818; six sons, two daughters), and in 1819 Elizabeth Chester (d.1869; two sons, two daughters).

Wilmot represented North Warwickshire in the House of Commons from 1832 to 1843. He first supported the Whig government, but became attached to Stanley's embryonic third party. This group united around opposition to the government's interference with the revenues of the established Church in Ireland. His biggest coup in parliament was to carry a motion for the end of negro apprenticeship. He continued working for law and prison reforms, urged the need for widespread grammar schools with a commonsense syllabus, and reiterated the importance of the squire-magistrate in the social scheme. Altogether, he justified his self-description as an 'independent country Gentleman', 'A Conservative … who had left Toryism, and who desired to preserve a constitutional and a rational reform' (Parl. Deb., (3), 42, 1215).
When, with all these qualifications, and especially his interest in criminal law, Wilmot was appointed lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land, The Times criticized the appointment, which indeed had a taint of jobbery. Stanley, who was then secretary of state for the colonies, said that he chose Wilmot to administer the probation system because of his interest in juvenile delinquency; that he had recently called the baronet 'a muddle-brained blockhead' (Morrell, Colonial Policy, 389) made his decision strange and culpable. Wilmot later denied having sought the position, but probably its endowments determined him to accept. His three youngest sons, Augustus Hillier, Robert Charles Chester, and Charles Octavius, went with him to Van Diemen's Land, each receiving a public office; Lady Wilmot stayed in England.

When Wilmot arrived at Hobart Town in August 1843, colonial affairs were dominated by the probation system of convict discipline and by economic depression. Probation aspired to new standards of scientific and effective punishment. Early in their sentence convicts would remain in gangs, preferably employed so as to defray their upkeep; later they would enter the labour market as wage-earners. Settled colonists thus reaped no benefit of cheap assigned labour, and therefore abhorred the new system.
They objected most to paying all local police and judicial expenses, insisting that these largely arose from Britain's use of the island as a convict dump and hence should be met by the British Treasury. Feeling against Whitehall rose very high. . . . more . . adb.anu.edu

People – LifeTree

• Edward George Geoffrey Smith-Stanley (1799 - 1869)
• George Arthur (1784 - 1854)

• Cotton, Sir Sydney John (1792–1874)
• Forster, Matthew (1796–1846)
• Pedder, Sir John Lewes (1793–1859)

Timeline

• 1831 Feb 04 Warwickshire Agricultural Society: AT a MEETING of the NOBILITY, GENTRY, CLERGY, and LANDOWNERS of the COUNTY of WARWICK, held at Warwick on Friday the 4th day of February, 1831, to take into consideration the propriety of forming a Society to be called the WARWICKSHIRE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, The Right Hon. the EARL of WARWICK. K.T. IN THE CHAIR, Resolved, ... ; 18.- That Earl HOWE, Sir THEOPHILUS BIDDULPH, Bart. CHANDOS LEIGH, Esq. Sir GRAY SKIPWITH, Bart. the EARL of DENBIGH, and Sir E. EARDLEY WILMOT, Bart. be elected Vice-Presidents.; 20.- That Sir E. EARDLEY WILMOT, Bart. be elected Honorary Secretary.^[2]
• 1834 Jun 30 Quarter Sessions: AT the General Quarter Sessions of the Peace of our Lord the King, holden at Warwick, in and for the said County, ... before Sir John Eardley Eardley Wilmot, Baronet, Henry Hugh Holbech, Esquire, and others, Keepers of the Peace of our said Lord the King, and also Justices of the said King, appointed to hear and determine divers felonies, trespasses, and other misdemeanors done and committed in the said county, and of the quorum, and so forth. ...^[3]

Sources

1. ↑ Michael Roe, Eardley-Wilmot, Sir John Eardley (1783–1847), Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University,
   published first in hardcopy 1966, accessed online 29 May 2019.
2. ↑ Aris's Birmingham Gazette.; Monday, February 14, 1831.; Vol. XC. No. 4656.; p1
   FindMyPast Newspapers
3. ↑ Various newspapers: follow link
   FindMyPast Newspapers

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