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ROUND, John (1783-1860), of Danbury Place, Essex.
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Biography Detail
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Family and Education
b. 8 Mar. 1783, 1st surv. s. of John Round, barrister, of Colchester by Catherine, da. of Edward Green of Lawford Hall, wid. of Rev. Richard Daniel. educ. G. Inn 1800; Balliol, Oxf. 1801-5. m. 18 Mar. 1815, Susan Constantia, da. of George Caswall of Sacombe Park, Herts., 3s. 2da. suc. fa. 1813.
Offices Held
Steward, Colchester 1818-d.; sheriff, Essex 1834-5.
Biography
A banker at Colchester like Robert Alexander Crickitt*, Round was returned unopposed for Ipswich under the latter’s aegis in 1812.1 As anticipated by them, he was a government supporter whose voting record was remarkably similar to his colleague’s, except that he was more often present and sometimes spoke. In his maiden speech, 26 Feb. 1813, he opposed Catholic relief, in unison with a petition from his constituents; and he voted against it throughout the Parliament. He was in the majority in favour of Christian missions to India, 22 June 1813. In 1814 he was a Pitt Club steward. On 10 Mar. 1815 he announced his support of the corn bill. Like his colleague he was in the minority on the East India ships registry bill, 6 June 1815. Unlike him he attended to oppose Whitbread’s motion on behalf of the Spanish Liberals at Gibraltar, 1 Mar. 1815, and to support ministers on civil list questions, 8, 31 May 1815, 6 and 24 May 1816, and expressed his support of the property tax, 13 Mar. 1816. He supported the suspension of habeas corpus and its consequences, 23 June 1817, 10, 11 Feb., and was in the government minority on the Duke of Clarence’s marriage grant, 15 Apr. 1818.
Round was in 1817 nominated high steward of Colchester under its new charter and on 2 June 1818 wrote to Lord Sidmouth announcing his retirement from Parliament. Sidmouth replied:
By your retirement the constitution and the government will lose a truly independent and most valuable supporter in Parliament, but there are public duties of great importance consistent with and well-suited to private life, the discharge of which I feel persuaded that you will not decline.
Round re-entered Parliament later, but retired from public life after the tragic death of his wife in a fire.2 He was grandfather of the antiquary John Horace Round. He died 28 Apr. 1860.
