ELTON, Abraham (1679-1742), of Bristol and Clevedon Court, Som.

A merchant and industrialist, Elton is said to have withdrawn to France in 1720 owing to his South Sea losses.J. Latimer, Annals of Bristol in 18th cent. 127. Four years later he was returned for Taunton on the Whig interest, standing unexpectedly two days before the poll.Thos. Brodrick to Ld. Midleton, 25 Jan. 1724, Midleton mss. At the next general election he succeeded his father at Bristol, paying the Tory candidate £1,000 to give up.Jas. Pearce to Humphry Morice, 9 Sept. 1727, Morice mss. In the new Parliament he became a member of the gaols committee, and spoke in February 1730 against the African Company’s petition to be relieved of the cost of maintaining their forts. He presented a petition from the city of Bristol, 27 Feb. 1730, to take off the duty on soap and candles which was rejected; and another from the Bristol merchants in February 1731, complaining of Spanish depredations, which led to an address for papers. During that year he spoke three times against the removal of the duties on the importation of Irish yarn, repeating his objections in 1734 and again in 1739. On the first reading of the excise bill in 1733 he

made a bantering speech against the bill, proving out of the profits and revelations that merchants were the best and most honourable subjects, and the excise a wicked thing.

When constables were sent for by the magistrates to control the anti-excise mob outside the House, he and Sir John Hynde Cotton

went out, and seeing that number of constables, asked, ‘what is the meaning of all these constables? Did Sir Robert Walpole send you?’ Which [it was observed] could not fail to spirit up this mob.HMC Egmont Diary, i. 51, 55, 131, 150, 183, 186, 349-50, 361; ii. 27; iii. 36; Knatchbull Diary.

Both in this and the next Parliament he voted with the Opposition in all recorded divisions; but in his last Parliament, after abstaining from the division on the chairman of the elections committee in December 1741, he was reported to be voting with the Government.Hartington to Devonshire, 22 Dec. 1741, Devonshire mss. He died during the recess, 20 Oct. 1742, leaving the pottery, copper and glass works within the family.PCC 195 Boycott.