John Aislabie | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Chancellor of the Exchequer | |
| In office 20 March 1718 – 23 January 1721 | |
| Monarch | George I |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Stanhope |
| Succeeded by | Sir John Pratt (interim) |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1670-12-04)4 December 1670 |
| Died | 18 June 1742(1742-06-18) (aged 71) |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Whig |
| Relations | William Aislabie (son) |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge Trinity Hall, Cambridge |
John Aislabie orAslabie (/ˈeɪzləbi/; 4 December 1670 – 18 June 1742), ofStudley Royal, nearRipon,Yorkshire, was a British politician who sat in theEnglish andBritish House of Commons from 1695 to 1721. He was of an independent mind, and did not stick regularly to the main parties. He wasChancellor of the Exchequer at the time of theSouth Sea Bubble and his involvement with the Company led to his resignation and disgrace.
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Aislabie's family were originally Yeoman farmers who lived inHemingbrough. His father George Aislabie married into the highly influential Mallory family through Mary Mallory, daughter of Sir John Mallory ofStudley Royal.[1] He was educated atSt Peter's School, York under the headship of Mr Thomlinson[2] and admitted atSt. John's College, Cambridge, in 1687 and atTrinity Hall, Cambridge, in 1692.[3] He inherited the Studley estate from his mother's family in 1693, and started serious development of the garden around 1716. He was the first in England to introduce naturallandscaping and created thewater garden at Studley Royal. His son,William Aislabie, added the ruins ofFountains Abbey to the estate.[4]
Aislabie was elected as amember of parliament forRipon at the1695 English general election, apparently on the assumption he was aTory, though his political views were somewhat fluid. He voted for theattainder ofSir John Fenwick on 25 November 1696. He was returned again for Ripon at the1698 English general election. The loss of his wife and daughter in a house fire in January 1700 may have dampened his political activity for a while. He was returned again for Ripon at the two general elections of 1701, and he kept well enough in with Robert Harley to be classed as a Tory. He was elected Mayor of Ripon for the year 1702 to 1703, and was returned instead as MP forNorthallerton at the1702 English general election in an exchange deal with William Hustler. As mayor he was generous in paying for the reconstruction of the Market Cross, and making gifts to the corporation. He became more active in politics from 1704, especially on the economy. At the1705 English general election, he was returned again for Ripon and voted for the Court candidate as speaker on 25 October 1705. He eventually became associated with the CountryWhigs. Under the patronage ofRobert Harley he was appointed a Lord of theAdmiralty from 1710 in the Tory administration. This proved a precarious appointment as Aislabie's Whig sympathies manifested in votes against the government.[1]
When the Whigs returned to office in 1714, Aislabie was made Treasurer of the Navy. He became an ally of theEarl of Sunderland who became, in effect, Prime Minister in 1718. Sunderland appointed Aislabie asChancellor of the Exchequer. When in 1719 theSouth Sea Company proposed a deal whereby it would take over the national debt in exchange for government bonds, Aislabie was a very strong supporter of the scheme and negotiated the contract; he piloted the Bill through the House of Commons. The South Sea Company had been built on high expectations which it could never fulfil, and it collapsed in August 1720. An investigation by Parliament found that Aislabie had been given £20,000 of company stock in exchange for his promotion of the scheme. He resigned the Exchequer in January 1721, and in March was found guilty by theCommons of the "most notorious, dangerous and infamous corruption". He was expelled from the House, removed from thePrivy Council, and imprisoned in theTower of London.[5]
After his release from prison, he retired to his estate and continued the development of the gardens.[4]
TheRipon Obelisk in the Market Square,Ripon, the first in England,[6] was provided by John Aislabie in 1702, and is nowgrade I listed.[7]
In 1723, Aislabie constructedWaverley Abbey House on the site of former CistercianWaverley Abbey in Surrey.[8]
John's sonWilliam Aislabie would also serve in Parliament for the Ripon constituency.[9]
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Treasurer of the Navy 1714–1718 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Exchequer 1718–1721 | Succeeded by |
| Parliament of England | ||
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forRipon 1695–1702 With:Jonathan Jennings 1695–1701 John Sharp 1701–1702 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNorthallerton 1702–1705 With:Sir William Hustler 1702 Robert Dormer 1702–1705 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forRipon 1705–1707 With:John Sharp | Succeeded by Parliament of Great Britain |
| Parliament of Great Britain | ||
| Preceded by Parliament of England | Member of Parliament forRipon 1707–1721 With:John Sharp 1707–1715 The Viscount Castlecomer 1715–1719 William Aislabie the elder 1719–1721 | Succeeded by |
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| Artists | |
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