Sir John Call, 1st Baronet
Encyclopedia
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
engineer
Engineer
An engineer is a professional practitioner of engineering, concerned with applying scientific knowledge, mathematics and ingenuity to develop solutions for technical problems. Engineers design materials, structures, machines and systems while considering the limitations imposed by practicality,...
and baronet
Baronet
A baronet or the rare female equivalent, a baronetess , is the holder of a hereditary baronetcy awarded by the British Crown...
.
He was born at Fenny Park, Tiverton, Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, educated at Blundell's School
Blundell's School
Blundell's School is a co-educational day and boarding independent school located in the town of Tiverton in the county of Devon, England. The school was founded in 1604 by the will of Peter Blundell, one of the richest men in England at the time, and relocated to its present location on the...
and went to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
at the age of 17 with Benjamin Robins
Benjamin Robins
Benjamin Robins was a pioneering English scientist, Newtonian mathematician, and military engineer.He wrote an influential treatise on gunnery, for the first time introducing Newtonian science to military men, was an early enthusiast for rifled gun barrels, and his work had substantive influence...
, the chief engineer and captain-general of artillery in the East India Company's settlements. After the death of Robins, Call became engineer-in-chief, and eventually chief engineer with a seat on the Governor's Council. Robert Clive strongly recommended Call for the Governorship of Madras, but he had to return to England on the death of his father on 31 December 1766. On his return, he became High Sheriff of Cornwall
High 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...
in 1771, MP for Callington
Callington (UK Parliament constituency)
Callington was a rotten borough in Cornwall which returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons in the English and later British Parliament from 1585 to 1832, when it was abolished by the Reform Act 1832.-History:...
in 1784, and 1st Baronet Call in 1791. Call built Whiteford House
Whiteford House
Whiteford House was an English country house built in 1775 in Stoke Climsland, Cornwall. The house was built by Sir John Call of Whiteford on his return from India....
in Stoke Climsland
Stoke Climsland
Stoke Climsland is a village in the River Tamar Valley, Cornwall, United Kingdom within the civil parish of Stokeclimsland.The manor of Climsland was one of the 17 Antiqua maneria of the Duchy of Cornwall.-Notable buildings:...
(demolished in 1913) and the nearby folly, Whiteford Temple, now owned by the Landmark Trust
Landmark Trust
The Landmark Trust is a British building conservation charity, founded in 1965 by Sir John and Lady Smith, that rescues buildings of historic interest or architectural merit and then gives them a new life by making them available for holiday rental...
. He also built the reproduction Civil War fort on the summit of Kit Hill
Kit Hill
Kit Hill dominates the area between Callington and the River Tamar in southeast Cornwall, UK. The word 'Kit' comes from Old English for Kite, a reference to birds of prey . Buzzards and Sparrowhawks can still be seen on the hill...
and was responsible for the construction of Bodmin Gaol in 1779.
He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1775, and a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
in 1785.
Call's son, William Pratt Call succeeded him, becoming the 2nd Baronet Call on his father's death.