1st Baron Parker of Macclesfield (1716-1732)
1st Earl of Macclesfield (1721-1732)
Lord Chancellor (1718-1725)
Born c.1666 Died 1732
The son of Thomas Parker, an attorney at Leek, young Parker was a student at Trinity College, Cambridge, and became a barrister in 1691. In 1705 he was elected member of parliament for Derby, and having gained some reputation in his profession, he took a leading part in the proceedings against Sacheverell in 1710. In the same year he was appointed Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench, but he refused to become Lord Chancellor in the following year; however he accepted this office in 1718, two years after he had been made Baron Parker of Macclesfield by George I, who held him in high esteem. In 1721 he was created Viscount Parker and Earl of Macclesfield, but when serious charges of corruption were brought against him he resigned his position as Lord Chancellor in 1725.
In the same year Macclesfield was impeached, and although he made a very able defence he was found guilty by the House of Lords. His sentence was a fine of £30,000 and imprisonment until this was paid. He was confined in the Tower of London for six weeks, and after his release he took no further part in public affairs. The earl, who built a grammar school at Leek, died in London on the 28th of April 1732.
For Lord Chancellor Macclesfield, see Lord Campbell, Lives of the Lord Chancellors and Keepers of the Great Seal (1845-1869).
Extracted from the entry for MACCLESFIELD, CHARLES GERARD, 1ST EARL OF in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica, the text of which lies within the public domain.
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