Arthur Piggott

Sir Arthur Leary Piggott
Born	(1749-10-19)19 October 1749 Saint Michael, Barbados
Died	(1819-09-06)6 September 1819 Eastbourne,Sussex,England
Alma mater	Trinity College, Oxford
Occupation(s)	Lawyer and politician
Political party	Whig
Spouse(s)	Jane Dunnington of Manchester, Lancashire

Sir Arthur Leary Piggott(19 October 1749 – 6 September 1819) was an English lawyer and politician.

Biography

He was born in the parish ofSaint Michael, Barbadoson 19 October 1749, the son of John Piggott of Grenada, and trained for the law at theMiddle Temple,beingcalled to the Barin 1777. He then enteredTrinity College, Oxford.

He began his legal career in Grenada, where he was appointedAttorney-General,returning to England in 1783, where after building up a practice as a common lawyer, he moved to the court of Chancery. He was Solicitor-General to the Prince of Wales from 1783 to 1792, when he was discharged because of his membership of theSociety of the Friends of the People,a radical reform group. He was elected aFellow of the Royal Societyin 1787.

Under theWhigadministration of 1806, he was selected to be Attorney-General, was knighted by the king and given a safe parliamentary seat by the Duke of Norfolk atSteyning.In the 1806 general election, the Duke found him a seat atArundel,which he held until 1812. In 1812, he was returned forHorsham,sitting until 1818. In that year, he was again provided with the Arundel seat but died the following year and was replaced by Robert Blake.

Although he did not appear in court, he was involved in the 1812 trial ofWilliam Boothfor forgery, in his role as "constant Counsel for the Bank of England".Booth was sentenced to hang.

Piggott died inEastbourne,Sussexon 9 September 1819. He had married Jane Dunnington of Manchester, Lancashire.

References

• "Piggott, Sir Arthur Leary (1749-1819), of Gower Street, Mdx".History of Parliament Online.Retrieved5 December2012.