Sir Christopher Hawkins
Encyclopedia
Sir Christopher Hawkins, 1st Baronet (29 May 1758 – 6 April 1829) was a Cornish
landowner, mine-owner, Tory Member of Parliament
, and patron of steam power. He was Recorder
of Grampound
, of Tregony
, and of St Ives
, Cornwall
.
. Thomas Hawkins had a lifelong fear of smallpox
and died following an inoculation to prevent it. Christopher's elder brother John was drowned in the Thames whilst at Eton
, whilst a younger brother Thomas died "of a fever in consequence of eating an ice-cream after dancing." His youngest brother, John Hawkins
, survived and became a noted geologist. On his father's death in 1766, Christopher inherited his estates.
for 1783 . He then followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a member of parliament at the age of 26. He subsequently earned notoriety as the leading commoner engaged in 'boroughmongering', the purchase and sale of rotten boroughs, parliamentary constituencies that had very few electors and as a result could be bought and sold through patronage, influence, and straightforward bribery. At his peak, Hawkins wholly or partly controlled six such boroughs, each returning two MPs, giving him the ability to ensure the successful election of candidates in return for cash or favours. He normally reserved these seats for government (Tory party) supporters.
He himself was MP for several of his own Cornish boroughs, namely Grampound
from 1800 to 1807, Mitchell
from 1784 to 1799 and again from 1806 to 1807, Penryn
from 1806 to 1807 and again from 1818 to 1820, and St Ives
from 1821 to 1828. His appearances in the chamber of the house were not memorable. He appears to have spoken just four times: once very briefly in 1807, when charged with bribery he left "his case entirely to the justice and liberality of the house", twice in 1819 with regard to the Penryn Bribery Bill, when, according to Hansard
, he was on both occasions "quite inaudible", and once in 1827 when he was "totally inaudible".
Following the 1806 Penryn election, Hawkins was found guilty of bribery by a parliamentary committee and dispossessed of his seat, but unusually was not barred from the House. Since he had also been elected MP for Grampound and for Mitchell, he remained in the House of Commons, albeit under considerable censure. The Attorney General
had been asked to take up the charge and Christopher Hawkins was sent for trial at Bodmin
Assize Court in 1808, but was there acquitted. The political reformer William Cobbett
attended and reported on the trial, and was less than impressed by its outcome. In 1810, the bribery charge and ensuing bad feeling led to Hawkins fighting a duel with his fellow boroughmonger and former Whig MP for Penryn Lord Dunstanville
. Neither party was injured.
Christopher Hawkins earned himself a reputation as a miser and it was claimed that, to reduce election expenses, he pulled down the houses of electors on his land thus depriving them of the right to vote. In this way, he was said to have reduced the number of electors at Mitchell to three.
For his loyal service to the Tory government, he was created a baronet
in 1791 by William Pitt the Younger
and by the time of his death had become Father of the House
.
, and of St Ives - in order to gain possession of rotten boroughs.
He acquired the manors of Cargoll and of Trelundra to further his interests in Mitchell, but whilst attempting to improve some wasteland in Cargoll by deep-ploughing, lead ore was discovered. Sir Christopher set up the Old Shepherds Mine to exploit the lead
and found additional silver
, making the mine a considerable source of profit before it closed in 1820. In 1818 he opened a copper
and tin
mine at St Ives, later known as St Ives Consols. At his stream works at Ladock
, near Grampound, gold
was found as well as tin. A specimen of Ladock gold was presented to the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall
by Sir Christopher, who also published observations on the find in their Transactions. Sir Christopher was a partner in The Cornish Copper Company which established a smelting works at Copperhouse, built a canal to Hayle
and extended the harbour there to export metal and import coal, timber, and other goods. He owned china clay mines in the St Austell
area and substantially rebuilt the harbour at Pentewan
to serve as a china clay port, connected to St Austell by a horse-drawn tramway.
Sir Christopher obtained the post of Vice Lord Warden of the Stannaries
, giving him considerable influence and control over mines and mining in Cornwall.
, was purchased by Philip Hawkins of Trewinnard in 1715 and substantially and grandly rebuilt. His cousin, Sir Christopher's father, inherited the house in 1738 and was responsible for much of its landscaping. Sir Christopher, known locally as "Sir Kit", extended the grounds but added little to the house, reinforcing his reputation as a miser among his local tenants. The following verse was said to have been fixed to the gates of Trewithen:
Trewithen House, now a Grade I listed building, is still privately owned by a family descendant. It houses a portrait of Sir Christopher and is open to the public.
, and of the Antiquarian Society. He was also a life subscriber to the Royal Institution
.
In 1811 he published a short book entitled Observations on the tin trade of the ancients in Cornwall, concerning his theories on the involvement of the Phoenicians in the mining and trading of Cornish tin.
Sir Christopher was a patron and supporter of the Cornish steam pioneer Richard Trevithick
and in 1812 commissioned from him the world's first steam threshing machine
, powered by a "semi-portable" barn engine. The machine continued in use till the 1880s and has been preserved by the Science Museum
.
In 1813, he brought the Cornish Gillyflower apple, found in a cottage garden in Truro
, to the attention of the Royal Horticultural Society who awarded him a silver medal "for his exertions". The apple is still grown today and is commercially available.
Sir Christopher never married. On his death, his estate passed to his youngest brother, John, and then to his nephew, Christopher Henry Thomas Hawkins.
Cornish people
The Cornish are a people associated with Cornwall, a county and Duchy in the south-west of the United Kingdom that is seen in some respects as distinct from England, having more in common with the other Celtic parts of the United Kingdom such as Wales, as well as with other Celtic nations in Europe...
landowner, mine-owner, Tory Member of Parliament
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,...
, and patron of steam power. He was Recorder
Recorder (judge)
A Recorder is a judicial officer in England and Wales. It now refers to two quite different appointments. The ancient Recorderships of England and Wales now form part of a system of Honorary Recorderships which are filled by the most senior full-time circuit judges...
of Grampound
Grampound
Grampound is a village in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the A390 road six miles west of St Austell.Grampound with Creed is the civil parish of which the village of Grampound and the village of Creed are the main settlements...
, of Tregony
Tregony
Tregony is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It lies on the River Fal. In the village there is a post office, shop, and two churches. Tregony has bus links to the nearest town, which is Truro. The village is made up from two parishes namely, Tregony and Cuby...
, and of St Ives
St Ives, Cornwall
St Ives is a seaside town, civil parish and port in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The town lies north of Penzance and west of Camborne on the coast of the Celtic Sea. In former times it was commercially dependent on fishing. The decline in fishing, however, caused a shift in commercial...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
.
The Hawkins family
Christopher Hawkins was the second son of Thomas Hawkins of Trewithen, a considerable landowner and former MP for GrampoundGrampound (UK Parliament constituency)
Grampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...
. Thomas Hawkins had a lifelong fear of smallpox
Smallpox
Smallpox was an infectious disease unique to humans, caused by either of two virus variants, Variola major and Variola minor. The disease is also known by the Latin names Variola or Variola vera, which is a derivative of the Latin varius, meaning "spotted", or varus, meaning "pimple"...
and died following an inoculation to prevent it. Christopher's elder brother John was drowned in the Thames whilst at Eton
Eton College
Eton College, often referred to simply as Eton, is a British independent school for boys aged 13 to 18. It was founded in 1440 by King Henry VI as "The King's College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor"....
, whilst a younger brother Thomas died "of a fever in consequence of eating an ice-cream after dancing." His youngest brother, John Hawkins
John Hawkins (geologist)
John Hawkins was a geologist, traveller and writer,He was the youngest son of Thomas Hawkins of Trewinnard, St Erth, Cornwall, M.P. for Grampound, by Anne, daughter of James Heywood of London...
, survived and became a noted geologist. On his father's death in 1766, Christopher inherited his estates.
MP and Boroughmonger
Hawkins was appointed High Sheriff of CornwallHigh Sheriff of Cornwall
High Sheriffs of Cornwall: a chronological list:Note: The right to choose High Sheriffs each year is vested in the Duchy of Cornwall, rather than the Privy Council, chaired by the Sovereign, which chooses the Sheriffs of all other English counties, other than those in the Duchy of...
for 1783 . He then followed in his father's footsteps by becoming a member of parliament at the age of 26. He subsequently earned notoriety as the leading commoner engaged in 'boroughmongering', the purchase and sale of rotten boroughs, parliamentary constituencies that had very few electors and as a result could be bought and sold through patronage, influence, and straightforward bribery. At his peak, Hawkins wholly or partly controlled six such boroughs, each returning two MPs, giving him the ability to ensure the successful election of candidates in return for cash or favours. He normally reserved these seats for government (Tory party) supporters.
He himself was MP for several of his own Cornish boroughs, namely Grampound
Grampound (UK Parliament constituency)
Grampound in Cornwall, was a borough constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England, then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1821. It was represented by two Members of Parliament.-History:Grampound's...
from 1800 to 1807, Mitchell
Mitchell (UK Parliament constituency)
Mitchell, or St Michael was a rotten borough consisting of the town of Mitchell, Cornwall. From the first Parliament of Edward VI, in 1547, it elected two members to the Unreformed House of Commons.-History:The borough encompassed parts of two parishes, Newlyn East and St Enoder...
from 1784 to 1799 and again from 1806 to 1807, Penryn
Penryn (UK Parliament constituency)
Penryn was a parliamentary borough in Cornwall, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1553 until 1707, to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom from 1801 to until 1832...
from 1806 to 1807 and again from 1818 to 1820, and St Ives
St Ives (UK Parliament constituency)
St. Ives is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-History:...
from 1821 to 1828. His appearances in the chamber of the house were not memorable. He appears to have spoken just four times: once very briefly in 1807, when charged with bribery he left "his case entirely to the justice and liberality of the house", twice in 1819 with regard to the Penryn Bribery Bill, when, according to Hansard
Hansard
Hansard is the name of the printed transcripts of parliamentary debates in the Westminster system of government. It is named after Thomas Curson Hansard, an early printer and publisher of these transcripts.-Origins:...
, he was on both occasions "quite inaudible", and once in 1827 when he was "totally inaudible".
Following the 1806 Penryn election, Hawkins was found guilty of bribery by a parliamentary committee and dispossessed of his seat, but unusually was not barred from the House. Since he had also been elected MP for Grampound and for Mitchell, he remained in the House of Commons, albeit under considerable censure. The Attorney General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
had been asked to take up the charge and Christopher Hawkins was sent for trial at Bodmin
Bodmin
Bodmin is a civil parish and major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated in the centre of the county southwest of Bodmin Moor.The extent of the civil parish corresponds fairly closely to that of the town so is mostly urban in character...
Assize Court in 1808, but was there acquitted. The political reformer William Cobbett
William Cobbett
William Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist, who was born in Farnham, Surrey. He believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the rotten boroughs would help to end the poverty of farm labourers, and he attacked the borough-mongers, sinecurists and "tax-eaters" relentlessly...
attended and reported on the trial, and was less than impressed by its outcome. In 1810, the bribery charge and ensuing bad feeling led to Hawkins fighting a duel with his fellow boroughmonger and former Whig MP for Penryn Lord Dunstanville
Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville and Basset
Francis Basset, 1st Baron de Dunstanville and Basset FRS was an English nobleman and politician. He was the first son of Francis Basset and Margaret St...
. Neither party was injured.
Christopher Hawkins earned himself a reputation as a miser and it was claimed that, to reduce election expenses, he pulled down the houses of electors on his land thus depriving them of the right to vote. In this way, he was said to have reduced the number of electors at Mitchell to three.
For his loyal service to the Tory government, he was created a baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
in 1791 by William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger
William Pitt the Younger was a British politician of the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He became the youngest Prime Minister in 1783 at the age of 24 . He left office in 1801, but was Prime Minister again from 1804 until his death in 1806...
and by the time of his death had become Father of the House
Father of the House
Father of the House is a term that has by tradition been unofficially bestowed on certain members of some national legislatures, most notably the House of Commons in the United Kingdom. In some legislatures the term refers to the oldest member, but in others it refers the longest-serving member.The...
.
Land and Mine-owner
Sir Christopher inherited considerable estates from his father, but assiduously purchased additional land, eventually claiming that he could "ride from one side of Cornwall to the other without setting hoof on another man's soil." He bought well over a dozen manors, many of them - such as the manors of Grampound, of MitchellMitchell, Cornwall
Mitchell is a village in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated 14 miles northeast of Redruth and 17 miles west-southwest of Bodmin on the A30 trunk road....
, and of St Ives - in order to gain possession of rotten boroughs.
He acquired the manors of Cargoll and of Trelundra to further his interests in Mitchell, but whilst attempting to improve some wasteland in Cargoll by deep-ploughing, lead ore was discovered. Sir Christopher set up the Old Shepherds Mine to exploit the lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
and found additional silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
, making the mine a considerable source of profit before it closed in 1820. In 1818 he opened a copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
and tin
Tin
Tin is a chemical element with the symbol Sn and atomic number 50. It is a main group metal in group 14 of the periodic table. Tin shows chemical similarity to both neighboring group 14 elements, germanium and lead and has two possible oxidation states, +2 and the slightly more stable +4...
mine at St Ives, later known as St Ives Consols. At his stream works at Ladock
Ladock
Ladock is a village and civil parish in Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated approximately six miles northeast of Truro.Historically, Ladock was two small settlements; Bissick by the river and Ladock on the hill...
, near Grampound, gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
was found as well as tin. A specimen of Ladock gold was presented to the Royal Geological Society of Cornwall
Royal Geological Society of Cornwall
The Royal Geological Society of Cornwall is a geological society based in Cornwall in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1814 to promote the study of the geology of Cornwall, and is the second oldest geological society in the world....
by Sir Christopher, who also published observations on the find in their Transactions. Sir Christopher was a partner in The Cornish Copper Company which established a smelting works at Copperhouse, built a canal to Hayle
Hayle
Hayle is a small town, civil parish and cargo port in west Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at the mouth of the Hayle River and is approximately seven miles northeast of Penzance...
and extended the harbour there to export metal and import coal, timber, and other goods. He owned china clay mines in the St Austell
St Austell
St Austell is a civil parish and a major town in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. It is situated on the south coast approximately ten miles south of Bodmin and 30 miles west of the border with Devon at Saltash...
area and substantially rebuilt the harbour at Pentewan
Pentewan
Pentewan is a coastal village and former port in south Cornwall, United Kingdom. It is situated at three miles south of St Austell at the mouth of the St Austell River....
to serve as a china clay port, connected to St Austell by a horse-drawn tramway.
Sir Christopher obtained the post of Vice Lord Warden of the Stannaries
Lord Warden of the Stannaries
The Lord Warden of the Stannaries used to exercise judicial and military functions in Cornwall, United Kingdom, and is still the official who, upon the commission of the monarch or Duke of Cornwall for the time being, has the function of calling a Stannary Parliament of tinners...
, giving him considerable influence and control over mines and mining in Cornwall.
Trewithen
The family home of Trewithen, near ProbusProbus, Cornwall
Probus is a civil parish and village in Cornwall, England, in the United Kingdom. It is famous for having the tallest church tower in Cornwall. The tower is high, and richly decorated with carvings...
, was purchased by Philip Hawkins of Trewinnard in 1715 and substantially and grandly rebuilt. His cousin, Sir Christopher's father, inherited the house in 1738 and was responsible for much of its landscaping. Sir Christopher, known locally as "Sir Kit", extended the grounds but added little to the house, reinforcing his reputation as a miser among his local tenants. The following verse was said to have been fixed to the gates of Trewithen:
- A large house, and no cheer,
- A large park, and no deer,
- A large cellar, and no beer,
- Sir Christopher Hawkins lives here.
Trewithen House, now a Grade I listed building, is still privately owned by a family descendant. It houses a portrait of Sir Christopher and is open to the public.
A patron of steam, horticulture, and antiquarian pursuits
Sir Christopher was a Fellow of the Royal Society, of what was to become the Royal Horticultural SocietyRoyal Horticultural Society
The Royal Horticultural Society was founded in 1804 in London, England as the Horticultural Society of London, and gained its present name in a Royal Charter granted in 1861 by Prince Albert...
, and of the Antiquarian Society. He was also a life subscriber to the Royal Institution
Royal Institution
The Royal Institution of Great Britain is an organization devoted to scientific education and research, based in London.-Overview:...
.
In 1811 he published a short book entitled Observations on the tin trade of the ancients in Cornwall, concerning his theories on the involvement of the Phoenicians in the mining and trading of Cornish tin.
Sir Christopher was a patron and supporter of the Cornish steam pioneer Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick
Richard Trevithick was a British inventor and mining engineer from Cornwall. His most significant success was the high pressure steam engine and he also built the first full-scale working railway steam locomotive...
and in 1812 commissioned from him the world's first steam threshing machine
Threshing machine
The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine , was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails,...
, powered by a "semi-portable" barn engine. The machine continued in use till the 1880s and has been preserved by the Science Museum
Science museum
A science museum or a science centre is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in museology have broadened the range of...
.
In 1813, he brought the Cornish Gillyflower apple, found in a cottage garden in Truro
Truro
Truro is a city and civil parish in Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The city is the centre for administration, leisure and retail in Cornwall, with a population recorded in the 2001 census of 17,431. Truro urban statistical area, which includes parts of surrounding parishes, has a 2001 census...
, to the attention of the Royal Horticultural Society who awarded him a silver medal "for his exertions". The apple is still grown today and is commercially available.
Sir Christopher never married. On his death, his estate passed to his youngest brother, John, and then to his nephew, Christopher Henry Thomas Hawkins.