George Frederick Stratton

He was the elder son of George Stratton, a nabob who purchased Tew Park in Oxfordshire, and his wife Hester Eleanor Light. He matriculated at St John's College, Cambridge in 1797, graduating B.A. in 1801, and M.A. in 1804.{{acad|id=STRN796GF|name=Stratton, George Frederick}}{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1754-1790/member/stratton-george-1734-1800|title=Stratton, George (?1734–1800), of Great Tew, Oxon., History of Parliament Online|accessdate=7 November 2017}} He inherited from his father in 1800, and demolished much of the manor house at Tew Park. He moved into the dower house, to the north, built by the Keck family. Plans were made for a new mansion house, involving Humphry Repton and John Adey Repton; but they were not carried out.{{NHLE|num=1001550|desc=Great Tew, South Newington |accessdate=7 November 2017}}{{cite book|author=Howard Colvin|title=A Biographical Dictionary of British Architects 1600–1840|year=1978|publisher=John Murray|isbn=0-7195-3328-7|page=[https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict0000colv/page/682 682]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/biographicaldict0000colv/page/682}}

In early 1803, Stratton became a captain in the Bloxham and Banbury Gentlemen and Yeomanry Cavalry.{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/londongazette180301greauoft#page/62/mode/1up|title=The London Gazette|date=11 January 1803|work=Internet Archive|accessdate=7 November 2017}} He tried for a seat in parliament, first at Eye. He then in 1803 stood at Coventry, as a supporter of William Pitt the Younger, at a by-election, spent heavily, but was defeated. He later asked Pitt for a baronetcy.{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1790-1820/constituencies/coventry|title=Coventry, 1790–1820, History of Parliament Online|accessdate=7 November 2017}} He received an honorary degree from the University of Oxford in 1806, and served as High Sheriff of Oxfordshire for 1806–7.

In February 1807, Stratton was elected to the Royal Society.{{cite book|last=Britain)|first=Royal Society (Great|title=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0I05AQAAMAAJ&pg=PA23|accessdate=7 November 2017|year=1840|publisher=W. Bowyer and J. Nichols for Lockyer Davis, printer to the Royal Society|page=23}} He undertook an experiment in convertible husbandry on the Great Tew estate with John Claudius Loudon, from about 1808.{{cite web|url=http://www.historyofparliamentonline.org/volume/1820-1832/constituencies/oxfordshire|title=Oxfordshire, History of Parliament Online|accessdate=7 November 2017}} Loudon had published a pamphlet that year on increasing the income from estates, and Stratton leased Tew Lodge Farm to him. Loudon set up a local agricultural training college. In 1811 Stratton took back the lease.{{cite ODNB|id=17031|first=Brent|last=Elliott|title=Loudon, John Claudius}} Financial losses then led him to put the estate up for sale, in 1815. It went to Matthew Robinson Boulton.

In 1819 Charles Powell Hamilton sued Stratton in the court of King's Bench to recover money invested in a yellow fever remedy. Stratton, defended by James Scarlett, settled the case. He gave his address as New Park, Oxfordshire. Another such case involving Stratton was heard that year.{{cite book|last1=Kotar|first1=S.L.|last2=Gessler|first2=J.E.|title=Yellow Fever: A Worldwide History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=odYBDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA145|accessdate=7 November 2017|date=2017-01-27|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476626284|pages=145–7}}

Around 1812, after reading Herbert Marsh's views on the British and Foreign Bible Society, Stratton set up an Auxiliary Bible Society in Oxfordshire.{{cite book|last=Owen|first=John|title=The History of the Origin and First Ten Years of the British and Foreign Bible Society|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoriginan00owengoog|accessdate=7 November 2017|year=1816|publisher=Tilling & Hughes; sold by Hatchard|page=[https://archive.org/details/historyoriginan00owengoog/page/n511 507]}} His religious views were Methodist and anti-Catholic.

In 1826, Stratton stood as a candidate for Oxfordshire, in the constituency's first contested parliamentary election since 1754. He came third in the poll, behind William Henry Ashhurst and John Fane.{{cite book|last=Wing|first=William|title=The Antiquities and History of Steeple Aston, Oxfordshire|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hUiM2mPVx7oC&pg=PA58|accessdate=7 November 2017|year=1845|publisher=John Samuel Hiron: Pickering ... London: Parker, Oxford: Slatter, Oxford: Deightons, Cambridge: Stone, Banbury|page=58}}

In 1832, as a local patron of the British and Foreign Bible Society, Stratton's address was Bourton on the Water, Gloucestershire.{{cite book|last=Society|first=British and Foreign Bible|title=Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society, with Extracts of Correspondence ....|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cgBSAAAAcAAJ&pg=RA1-PA8|accessdate=7 November 2017|year=1831|publisher=Society House|page=8}} As an Honorary Governor, however, his address was given as Park Hall, Alcester, Warwickshire.{{cite book|last=British and Foreign Bible Society|title=The Report of the British and Foreign Bible Society|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfJFAQAAMAAJ&pg=PR8|accessdate=7 November 2017|year=1832|publisher=Philanthropic Society|page=viii}}

Faced with financial troubles, Stratton emigrated. He died in the USA about 1834, shortly before his mother died.{{cite book|last=Burke|first=Edmund|title=Annual Register|url=https://archive.org/details/annualregister43unkngoog|accessdate=7 November 2017|year=1835|page=[https://archive.org/details/annualregister43unkngoog/page/n695 211]}}

File:Anne Stratton.jpg

Stratton married in 1805 Anne D'Ewes (1776–1861), only daughter of Bernard D'Ewes and his first wife, Anne de la Bere.{{cite book|last=Burke|first=John|title=A Genealogical and Heraldic History of the Landed Gentry; Or, Commoners of Great Britain and Ireland Etc|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vhpVAAAAcAAJ&pg=PA7|accessdate=7 November 2017|year=1838|publisher=Henry Colburn|page=7}}{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/lifeandlettersf02haregoog#page/n65/mode/1up|title=The Life and Letters of Frances Baroness Bunsen|last=Hare|first=Augustus John Cuthbert|year=1879|work=Internet Archive|publisher=G. Routledge|pages=43|volume=I|accessdate=7 November 2017|location=New York}}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X1IDAAAAMAAJ&dq=bernard+dewes+wiki&pg=PA671|title=London Magazine: Or, Gentleman's Monthly Intelligencer...|date=1776|publisher=C. Ackers|pages=671|language=en}} Through the Granvilles, she was great-niece of Mary Delany, who was daughter of Bernard Granville (1671–1723).{{cite ODNB|id=7442|first=Barbara Brandon|last=Schnorrenberg|title=Delany, Mary}} The marriage was childless.

When Stratton left for America to escape his debts, leaving his wife and mother, the residence Park Hall and contents were put up for sale. The noted decoupage work of Mary Delany had been left to Anne Stratton. It was bought at auction by Benjamin Hall, who also purchased Anne Stratton's paintings.{{cite journal|journal=National Library of Wales Journal|title=Benjamin and Augusta Hall 1831-1836| pages=209–10|volume=XIII|url=https://journals.library.wales/view/1277425/1282242/2|via=Llyfrgell Genedlaethol Cymru – The National Library of Wales}} His wife, Augusta Hall, Baroness Llanover, another great-niece of Mary Delany, edited and published The Autobiography and Correspondence of Mrs Delany (1861–2).{{cite ODNB|id=39088|first=Sian Rhiannon|last=Williams|title=Hall, Augusta, Lady Llanover}} She left Delany's work, the Flora Delanica, to the British Museum.{{cite web|url=https://www.britishmuseum.org/pdf/Mrs_Delany_factsheet.pdf|title=Mrs Mary Delany (1700-1788). The British Museum|accessdate=7 November 2017}}

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Category:1779 births

Category:1830s deaths

Category:English landowners

Category:Fellows of the Royal Society

Category:High sheriffs of Oxfordshire

Category:Alumni of St John's College, Cambridge