Charles Paul Phipps
Encyclopedia
Charles Paul Phipps of Chalcot House, Westbury
, Wiltshire
, was an English
merchant
in Brazil
and later Conservative
MP
for Westbury
(1869 - 1874) and High Sheriff of Wiltshire
(1875).
with twenty pounds in his pocket to seek his fortune. In 1837 he went into partnership with his brother, John Lewis Phipps
, buying out the Brazilian coffee business of Heyworth Brothers. Despite a number of alarms, the business eventually flourished, becoming for a while one of the largest coffee exporters from Brazil
. Between 1850 and the mid-1870s, the volume of coffee exported by the firm increased from 94,000 to about half a million bags per annum (valued at £2,000,000).
Member of Parliament for Westbury
, by 499 votes to 488 for the Liberal candidate, Abraham Laverton
. He lost his seat to Laverton in 1874 by 22 votes.
Phipps died on 8 June 1880, having suffered a stroke the previous year.
(1738-1806). Their eldest son, Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps
, was also subsequently MP for Westbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire. Their second son, William Wilton Phipps, was the grandfather of both Joyce Grenfell
and Simon Wilton Phipps
MC, the Bishop of Lincoln.
Westbury, Wiltshire
Westbury is a town and civil parish in the west of the English county of Wiltshire, most famous for the Westbury White Horse.-Name:The most likely origin of the West- in Westbury is simply that the town is near the western edge of the county of Wiltshire, the bounds of which have been much the same...
, Wiltshire
Wiltshire
Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...
, was an English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
in Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
and later Conservative
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...
MP
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,...
for Westbury
Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Westbury was a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire from 1449 to 2010. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, and then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
(1869 - 1874) and High Sheriff of Wiltshire
High Sheriff of Wiltshire
This is a list of High Sheriffs of Wiltshire.Until the 14th century the shrievalty was held ex officio by the castellans of Old Sarum.-To 1400:*1066: Edric*1067-1070: Philippe de Buckland*1085: Aiulphus the Sheriff*1070–1105: Edward of Salisbury...
(1875).
Origins
Charles Paul Phipps was the eighth son of Thomas Henry Hele Phipps (1777-1841), of Leighton House, Westbury, Wiltshire, and Mary Michael Joseph Leckonby (1777-1835). The Phippses had originally emerged as prominent Wiltshire clothiers by the end of the 16th century. Over the next hundred years prosperity propelled them into the ranks of the landed gentry but, by the early 19th century, they found themselves in rather reduced financial circumstances.Coffee merchant
In 1830, at the age of 15, Phipps was sent to Rio de JaneiroRio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro , commonly referred to simply as Rio, is the capital city of the State of Rio de Janeiro, the second largest city of Brazil, and the third largest metropolitan area and agglomeration in South America, boasting approximately 6.3 million people within the city proper, making it the 6th...
with twenty pounds in his pocket to seek his fortune. In 1837 he went into partnership with his brother, John Lewis Phipps
John Lewis Phipps
John Lewis Phipps , of Leighton House, Westbury, Wiltshire, was a Brazil merchant, briefly Conservative MP for Westbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire ....
, buying out the Brazilian coffee business of Heyworth Brothers. Despite a number of alarms, the business eventually flourished, becoming for a while one of the largest coffee exporters from Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. Between 1850 and the mid-1870s, the volume of coffee exported by the firm increased from 94,000 to about half a million bags per annum (valued at £2,000,000).
Political career
In 1869, Phipps was elected as the ConservativeConservative 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...
Member of Parliament for Westbury
Westbury (UK Parliament constituency)
Westbury was a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire from 1449 to 2010. It was represented in the House of Commons of England until 1707, and then in the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
, by 499 votes to 488 for the Liberal candidate, Abraham Laverton
Abraham Laverton
Abraham Laverton , of Westbury, Wiltshire, was a cloth mill owner, philanthropist, and Liberal member of parliament for the parliamentary borough of Westbury from 1874 to 1880.-Mill owner and philanthropist:...
. He lost his seat to Laverton in 1874 by 22 votes.
Phipps died on 8 June 1880, having suffered a stroke the previous year.
Family
In 1844, Phipps married Emma Mary Benson, who came from a mercantile family, being the daughter of Moses Benson of Liverpool and grand-daughter of Moses BensonMoses Benson
Moses Benson was a successful British West Indies merchant, who became heavily engaged in the Liverpool slave trade.-Origins:Benson was the son of John Benson , a salt dealer of Mansriggs, near Ulverston, in Furness.-Career:...
(1738-1806). Their eldest son, Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps
Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps
Charles Nicholas Paul Phipps , of Chalcot House, Westbury, Wiltshire, was a Brazil merchant, Conservative MP for Westbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire ....
, was also subsequently MP for Westbury and High Sheriff of Wiltshire. Their second son, William Wilton Phipps, was the grandfather of both Joyce Grenfell
Joyce Grenfell
Joyce Irene Grenfell, OBE was an English actress, comedienne, diseuse and singer-songwriter.-Early life:...
and Simon Wilton Phipps
Simon Wilton Phipps
Simon Wilton Phipps MC was Bishop of Lincoln between 1974 and 1987.-Life:He was born on 6 July 1921, the son of Captain William Duncan Phipps R.N. and Pamela Ross, and was educated at Eton and Trinity College, Cambridge....
MC, the Bishop of Lincoln.
Sources
- Notes on the 'Westbury' Phipps Pedigrees by John C. Phipps (1983, unpublished)
- Papers of the Phipps Family of Chalcot (1574-1988) (Ref.540), Wiltshire and Swindon Record Office