Memories of a cheating Tory MP

A friend of mine came round specially to see me this week after he had read Four Centuries at The Lion Hotel, Shrewsbury.

Keen fisherman Len Handy enjoyed the stories in the books about Shrewsbury’s most eccentric MP, John ‘Mad Jack’ Mytton, who was born at Halston Hall, near Oswestry, as he fished the lake there regularly, pictured below.

‘Mad Jack’ was born on September 30, 1796, and as he father died when he was two he inherited the family seat which was worth about £60,000 then and £5m today, he had few financial worries.

In 1819, he decided to continue the family tradition by becoming MP for Shrewsbury and was easily elected – helped no doubt by offering constituents £10 each if they would vote for him and spending £10,000 on bribes, equivalent to £750,000 today.

He celebrated at being elected MP in typical Mad Jack fashion. While he was being carried shoulder high by the enthusiastic burgesses back to The Lion Hotel for a celebratory dinner, he leapt from on high into the hotel bar through the window in a shower of glass.

Charles G Harper says in his book The Holyhead Road (Chapman and Hall 1902): “No one was surprised for his was a freakish nature; but they would have been astonished if he had walked in, in the normal way, by the door.”

‘Mad Jack’ found the debates boring and attended Parliament only once – and that was for just 30 minutes. He preferred to spend his time horse racing, gambling and hunting and his horse Euphrates won The Cheltenham Gold Cup in 1825.

He also enjoyed playing practical jokes and challenging his friends to a wager in a carriage race round the Halston Hall estate, which ‘Mad Jack’ always won.

The Conservative MP easily beat his friends because he took a short cut along a path he had built at the bottom of the lake.

My friend Len from Stone said the path in the lake can still be seen there today.

If you would like to read more about ‘Mad Jack’ and other stories about this fascinating hotel signed copies of the book are available for £6.50 including postage in the UK and £7.50 anywhere in the world by emailing John@jbutterworth.plus.com