George Colebrooke was conspicuous by his wealth and ostentation, and the ambitious and speculative nature of his financial activities.
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13 Facts About George Colebrooke
2.
George Colebrooke was born in 1729 at Chilham, Kent, the third son of James George Colebrooke, a London banker, and was educated at Leiden University around 1745, likewise John Wilkes and Charles Townshend.
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3.
George Colebrooke acquired Arnos Grove house in 1752 on the death of his father.
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4.
When James died, and Robert was appointed as ambassador to Switzerland, George Colebrooke inherited both the baronetcy, Gatton Park and the Lordship of the Manor at Gatton with its guaranteed control of one of the parliamentary seats there.
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5.
George Colebrooke had Gatton Park landscaped by Capability Brown between 1762 and 1768.
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6.
George Colebrooke offered Jean Jacques Rousseau to live on his estate.
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7.
In 1761 George Colebrooke was left in sole charge of the family bank in Threadneedle Street, and invested some of his wealth in buying up control of the borough of Arundel in Sussex, where the family lived.
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8.
Nevertheless, George Colebrooke kept control for twenty years, sitting himself as Arundel's MP from 1754 to 1774 and for most of the period being able to choose who held the other seat.
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10.
George Colebrooke was a member of a syndicate to settle the Ohio Valley in 1768, and had interests in New England.
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11.
George Colebrooke's final year in office was a disastrous one: the company got into financial difficulties, he was accused of speculating in its stock while Chairman, and was left heavily in debt to a number of the other leading figures in the company, partly through arrangements to procure votes in the company's elections.
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12.
George Colebrooke played a prominent role in Bath, Somerset, particularly in the philanthropic arena.
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13.
George Colebrooke had married Mary Gayner, daughter of Peter Gayner of Antigua, in 1754, and they had three sons and three daughters:.
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