The Ladbrokes were a Warwickshire family. Sir Robert’s parentage has not been ascertained, and little is known of his early life; he is said to have been a distiller, and his business address in 1754 was St. Peter’s Hill, London. He bought Idlicote in 1759, and in 1771 became a partner with his son and son-in-law, Sir Walter Rawlinson, in a London bank.
He stood unsuccessfully for London in 1747. In 1754 he seems to have had the support of Administration. Newcastle wrote about the London election to the King on 6 Apr.:
In Newcastle’s lists Ladbroke was classed as a Tory; and he appears in Edward Boscawen’s list of Tories who voted against Newcastle on the Mitchell election.
In Bute’s list of 1761 Ladbroke is marked: ‘elected by Presbyterian interest’. He voted against the peace preliminaries, against Grenville’s Administration over Wilkes and general warrants, was classed by Newcastle, 10 May 1764, as a ‘sure friend’, and by Rockingham, July 1765, as ‘pro’. He voted with Chatham’s Administration on the land tax, 27 Feb. 1767, but against them on the nullum tempus bill, 17 Feb. 1768. He voted with the Opposition on the Middlesex election, 1769-70, but was no radical or Wilkite. In the court of aldermen he opposed sending Wilkes notice of his election as alderman of London, 25 Apr. 1769, and protested against the London remonstrance of March 1770. He was classed by Robinson on the royal marriage bill, March 1772, as ‘doubtful, present’. Only three interventions in debate, short and of little consequence, are recorded.