MOORE, George Peter (1778-bef.1828), of 7 Great George Street, Westminster.

Published in The History of Parliament: the House of Commons 1790-1820, ed. R. Thorne, 1986
Available from Boydell and Brewer

Constituency

Dates

1802 - Mar. 1806

Family and Education

bap. 25 May 1778, 3rd but 1st surv. s. of Peter Moore* by Sarah, da. of Col. Richmond Webb. educ. Westminster 1793; Christ’s, Camb. 1798-1802; L. Inn 1799. m. 25 May 1809, Harriet, da. of John Marsh of St. Paul’s, Covent Garden, Mdx., s.p.

Offices Held

Capt. Oxon. militia 1806-9.

Biography

Moore’s two elder brothers perished in India, where his father had made his fortune. He was put up by the latter, together with John Prinsep*, in a successful bid to oust Queenborough from the ministerial nominees in 1802. He thus entered Parliament before his father. No speech in the House can with any certainty be attributed to him. The vote for inquiry into the Prince of Wales’s financial claims attributed to him, 4 Mar. 1803, was one of five subsequently contradicted on the grounds that he voted ‘with the minister’, but, like his father, he steadily opposed Addington from the resumption of hostilities in May 1803 and was listed a Foxite. He opposed Pitt’s additional force bill, 8 June 1804, being locked out on 11 June, and was in opposition in the divisions of 12 Feb., 1 and 6 Mar., 8 Apr. and 12 June 1805.

On 9 Mar. 1806 Moore’s father wrote to Fox who had asked for his seat to accommodate Sir Samuel Romilly, solicitor-general in the Grenville ministry, suggesting compensation for his compliance:

The equivalent I ask is, a provision for my son, for whom I had three several offers under Mr Addington’s administration (without meaning any act of kindness towards me), but all of which I declined ... But, as I am unable, at this time, to point out any certain specific object, I must place my implicit confidence, that it will be realized to my son as soon as may be, and put down as a debt due to me. My son is perfectly well qualified for any office or place which may be entrusted to him ... I shall thus consider my son as specially placed under your protection, and a provision for him positively secured. Of course, he will take the Chiltern Hundreds, and I will move for the writ, whenever you shall have arranged for it.

Fox’s death and the change of ministry no doubt frustrated the completion of the bargain. Moore was practically lost to view. He evidently died in his father’s lifetime, not being mentioned in his will in 1828: only his younger brother Macartney was stated to have survived their father.

Morning Chron. 9 Mar. 1803, 13 June 1804; Add. 51469, f. 7.

Ref Volumes: 1790-1820

Author: R. G. Thorne

Notes