John Mortlock

John Mortlock (1755–1816) was a British banker, Member of Parliament and 13 times mayor of Cambridge.

Portrait in The Guildhall, Cambridge (c. 1779)
"That which you call corruption I call influence" - The quotation on the plaque.

He was the only son of John Mortlock, a prosperous woollen draper of Cambridge.[1] He succeeded his father in the business in 1777. His family seat was Abington Hall in Abington Magna outside Cambridge.

In 1778 Mortlock bought himself the Freedom of Cambridge for £40. In 1780 he founded the first bank in Cambridge. Mortlock's bank, which was originally situated on the corner of Rose Crescent and then moved to Bene't Street, would be run by members of the Mortlock family for over one hundred years. In 1896 the bank was amalgamated with Barclays & Co.[2] In 1782 he became an alderman, then mayor and, in 1784, the Member of Parliament for Cambridge.[1]

Mortlock, who was a great friend and supporter of Pitt the Younger, was called corrupt by his political opponents, though as the plaque suggests he had a different view of things:"without influence, which you call corruption, men will not be induced to support government, though they generally approve of its measures".[3]

In 1792 he was appointed to the lucrative post of Receiver General of the Post Office, a position he held until 1806.[1]

Memorial to John Mortlock, his wife Elizabeth and his son William in St Edward's Church, Cambridge

He died in 1816. He had married Elizabeth, the daughter of grocer Stephen Harrison, and with her had eight sons and two daughters.[1] A son, John Cheetham Mortlock,[4] was knighted. A grandson John Frederick Mortlock wrote an account of his transportation to Australia and another grandson Frederick William Mortlock worked in customs in Jamaica.

Sir John Cheetham Mortlock

John Cheetham Mortlock (1777–1845) graduated B.A. from Queens' College, Cambridge in 1800. When his father died in 1816 he succeeded to the position held by his father in the Corporation of Cambridgeshire, serving as Mayor on nine occasions. John C. Mortlock was knighted in 1816. From 1819 to 1845 he was Commissioner of Excise.[5] His wife died in 1833. When he died in 1845, he was survived by five daughters, two of whom were married.[6] In 1840 his daughter Eleanor Leathes "Letitia" Mortlock married John William Donaldson.[7] In January 1843 Sir John's daughter Lousia Leathes Mortlock married the physician William Harcourt Ranking.[8]

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References
  1. "MORTLOCK, John (1755-1816), of Cambridge and Pampisford, Cambs". History of Parliament Online. Retrieved 15 April 2012.
  2. "The city of Cambridge: Economic history". British History Online. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  3. "The city of Cambridge: Modern history". British History Online. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  4. John Cheetham Mortlock was named for Thomas Cheetham (d. 1785). "The Banking Mortlocks" (PDF). mortlock.info.
  5. "Mortlock, John Cheetham (MRTK796JC)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
  6. "Obituary. Sir John C. Mortlock". The Gentleman's Magazine. 178: 646–647. December 1845.
  7. "Reverend John William Donaldson". thepeerage.com.
  8. "Ranking, William Harcourt (RNKN831RH)". A Cambridge Alumni Database. University of Cambridge.
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