Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet

Sir John Wrottesley, 8th Baronet (22 December 1744 – 23 April 1787), of Wrottesley Hall in Staffordshire, was a British army officer and Member of Parliament.

Wrottesley was the eldest son of the Reverend Sir Richard Wrottesley, 7th Baronet, Dean of Worcester, and Mary, the daughter of John Leveson-Gower, 1st Earl Gower. This grandfather was head of the most powerful Whig political dynasty in Staffordshire, based at Trentham Hall: the Leveson Gowers controlled a number of seats in the unreformed House of Commons. In 1754, Gower died and was succeeded by Wrottesley's uncle, Granville Leveson-Gower.

Wrottesley determined on an army career, being commissioned as ensign in the 2nd Foot Guards in 1761 and transferring as captain in the 85th Foot the following year. From 1766 to 1767, he was equerry to the Duke of York.

Wrottesley's political connections were strengthened when his uncle, Gower, joined the Cabinet as Lord President of the Council in 1767, and again two years later when his sister married the Prime Minister, the Duke of Grafton. However, Gower and Grafton belonged to different, often competing, factions of the shifting coalition that constituted the Whig party.

Wrottesley was nominated for Parliament at the general election of 22 March 1768 by Earl Gower as member for Newcastle-under-Lyme. The borough was regarded as belonging the Gower Leveson family, who owned much of the property and allowed the tenants to get into serious arrears, as well as providing lavish hospitality during elections. However, the borough had a large electorate and had recently been made a little less comfortable by the emergence of a malcontent group of electors, who invited Robert Clive to challenge the controlling interest. The challenge came to nothing and Wrottesley was returned unopposed, alongside Alexander Forrester, a key member of the Bedfordite faction of conservative Whigs, placed in the seat at the request of the Duke himself. The Gowers were now closely allied with the Duke of Bedford's faction and this was to determine most of Wrottesley's parliamentary career.

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