John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon
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The Right Honourable The Earl of Eldon PC QC FRS FSA |
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|---|---|
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| Lord Chancellor | |
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In office 1801–1806 |
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| Monarch | George III |
| Prime Minister |
Henry Addington Hon. William Pitt the Younger |
| Preceded by | The Lord Loughborough |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Erskine |
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In office 1807–1827 |
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| Monarch |
George III George IV |
| Prime Minister |
The Duke of Portland Hon. Spencer Perceval The Earl of Liverpool |
| Preceded by | The Lord Erskine |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Lyndhurst |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
4 June 1751 Newcastle upon Tyne, Northumberland |
| Died |
13 January 1838 (aged 86) London |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Tory |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Surtees (d. 1831) |
| Alma mater | University College, Oxford |
John Scott, 1st Earl of Eldon PC QC FRS FSA (4 June 1751 – 13 January 1838) was a British barrister and politician. He served as Lord Chancellor of Great Britain between 1801 and 1806 and again between 1807 and 1827.
Eldon was born in Newcastle upon Tyne. His grandfather, William Scott of Sandgate, a street adjacent to the Newcastle quayside, was clerk to a fitter, a sort of water-carrier and broker of coals. His father, whose name also was William, began life as an apprentice to a fitter, in which service he obtained the freedom of Newcastle, becoming a member of the guild of Hostmen (coal-fitters); later in life he became a principal in the business, and attained a respectable position as a merchant in Newcastle, accumulating property worth nearly £20,000.
Eldon was educated at Newcastle upon Tyne Royal Grammar School. He was not remarkable at school for application to his studies, though his wonderful memory enabled him to make good progress in them; he frequently played truant and was whipped for it, robbed orchards, and indulged in other questionable schoolboy pranks; nor did he always come out of his scrapes with honour and a character for truthfulness. When he had finished his education at the grammar school, his father thought of apprenticing him to his own business, to which an elder brother Henry had already devoted himself; and it was only through the influence of his elder brother William (afterwards Lord Stowell), who had already obtained a fellowship at University College, Oxford, that it was ultimately resolved that he should continue with his studies. Accordingly, in 1766, John Scott entered University College with the view of taking holy orders and obtaining a college living. In the year following he obtained a fellowship, graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1770, and in 1771 won the prize for the English essay, the only university prize open in his time for general competition.
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