Caleb Banks
Encyclopedia
Caleb Banks was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons
between 1685 and 1696.
Banks was the son of Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet
and his wife Elizabeth Dethick, daughter of Sir John Dethick. He was educated at Queens College, Cambridge and admitted at Grey's Inn in February 1675. He was a pupil of John Locke
who accompanied him in France his travels in France from 1677 to 1679. Banks stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Winchelsea
in 1679 when he was under age. He was a captain of the militia for Kent and a Deputy Lieutenant
for the county from 1683 with a short interruption in 1688.
Banks was elected Member of Parliament
(MP) for Queenborough
in 1685 and for Maidstone
in 1689. In 1689 he became a J.P.
and a commissioner for assessment. In 1691 he was elected MP for Rochester
until 1695, and was an assistant warden of Rochester Bridge
from 1693. He was elected MP for Queenborough again in 1695 until his death in 1696.
Banks suffered from ill health throughout his life and died aged 36 before his father. He was buried at Aylesford
Church.
Banks married Elizabeth Fortrey, daughter of Samuel Fortrey but there were no children, rendering his father's baronetcy extinct.
House of Commons of England
The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of Great Britain...
between 1685 and 1696.
Banks was the son of Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet
Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet
Sir John Banks, 1st Baronet, was an English merchant and MP, who rose from relatively humble beginnings to be one of the wealthiest merchants in London and owner of several properties.-Life:...
and his wife Elizabeth Dethick, daughter of Sir John Dethick. He was educated at Queens College, Cambridge and admitted at Grey's Inn in February 1675. He was a pupil of John Locke
John Locke
John Locke FRS , widely known as the Father of Liberalism, was an English philosopher and physician regarded as one of the most influential of Enlightenment thinkers. Considered one of the first of the British empiricists, following the tradition of Francis Bacon, he is equally important to social...
who accompanied him in France his travels in France from 1677 to 1679. Banks stood unsuccessfully for parliament at Winchelsea
Winchelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Winchelsea was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1366 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-Boundaries:...
in 1679 when he was under age. He was a captain of the militia for Kent and a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
for the county from 1683 with a short interruption in 1688.
Banks was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Queenborough
Queenborough (UK Parliament constituency)
Queenborough was a rotten borough situated on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent.From 1572 until it was abolished by the great reform act of 1832, it returned two Members of Parliament. The franchise was vested in the freemen of the town, of whom there were more than 300. Its electorate was therefore one...
in 1685 and for Maidstone
Maidstone (UK Parliament constituency)
Maidstone was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom.The parliamentary borough of Maidstone returned two Members of Parliament from 1552 until 1885, when its representation was reduced to one member...
in 1689. In 1689 he became a J.P.
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and a commissioner for assessment. In 1691 he was elected MP for Rochester
Rochester (UK Parliament constituency)
Rochester was a parliamentary constituency in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
until 1695, and was an assistant warden of Rochester Bridge
Rochester Bridge
Rochester Bridge was for centuries the lowest fixed crossing of the River Medway in Kent, southern England. There have been several generations of bridge at this spot, and the current "bridge" is in fact four separate bridges: two carrying the A2 road, one carrying the railway and one carrying all...
from 1693. He was elected MP for Queenborough again in 1695 until his death in 1696.
Banks suffered from ill health throughout his life and died aged 36 before his father. He was buried at Aylesford
Aylesford
Aylesford is a village and civil parish on the River Medway in Kent, 4 miles NW of Maidstone in England.Originally a small riverside settlement, the old village comprises around 60 houses, many of which were formerly shops. One pub, a Post Office and four small independent shops remain...
Church.
Banks married Elizabeth Fortrey, daughter of Samuel Fortrey but there were no children, rendering his father's baronetcy extinct.