HOUBLON, Jacob (1710-70), of Hallingbury, Essex

The Houblons came over from Flanders as Protestant refugees in the tim eof Elizabeth I, and became very considerable London merchants.Lady A. Archer-Houblon, Houblon Fam. But Jacob Houblon was a country gentleman and never went into business. The old Houblons had been Whigs; Jacob Houblon was returned for Colchester as a Tory; was a member of the Cocoa Tree Club; and by his marriage with John Hynde Cotton’s daughter became connected with the more extreme Tories. In 1761 he stood on a joint interest with Charles Gore, a Pelhamite: Houblon was returned but not Gore. Houblon is not in Fox’s list of December 1762 of Members favourable to the peace preliminaries, but did not vote against them. He remained an independent. In the autumn of 1763 he was classed by Jenkinson as ‘pro’, but in at least one division on general warrants, 15 Feb. 1764, voted with Opposition. Rockingham, in the summer of 1765, correctly classed him as ‘contra’: he voted against the repeal of the Stamp Act, 22 Feb. 1766. As a Tory country gentleman he voted against the Chatham Government over the land tax, 27 Feb. 1767. He did not stand again in 1768—his son was to be a candidate in his place,Bamber Gascoyne to John Strutt, 9 Feb. 1768, Strutt mss. but finally stood for Essex and was defeated. There is no record of Houblon having spoken in the House.

He died 15 Feb. 1770.