Christopher Atkinson Saville

Christopher Atkinson (c. 1738 – 23 April 1819), known as Christopher Atkinson Savile or Saville from about 1798, was an English merchant and politician.

Born in Yorkshire, he moved to London and married the niece of a corn merchant, entering that trade himself.

He was elected at the 1780 general election as one of the two Members of Parliament (MPs) for Hedon. However he was expelled from the House of Commons on 4 Dec 1783, after being convicted of perjury, and sentenced to stand in the pillory.

He was granted a royal pardon in 1791, and returned to Parliament for Hedon in 1796, holding the seat until he stood down at the 1806 general election. He had changed his name to Saville some time after 1798.

He then bought extensive properties in Okehampton in Devon, which gave him control of both seats of Okehampton's two parliamentary seats. He returned himself as an Okehampton MP at the 1818 general election, and held the seat until his death in April 1819, aged over 80.

Marriages and children

He first married Jane Constable daughter of John Constable. She was also the aunt of the painter John Constable

He married Jane Savile daughter of John Savile (1712-1778). They had one son Albany Savile (1783-1831) who was the grandfather of Sir Leopold Halliday Savile. Albany would later become the MP for Okehampton in the years 1807-9 June 1820

He had an illegitimate son called Robert Farrand who later become the MP Hedon in 1818–1820. And also MP for Stafford in 1837

Relationship with John Constable

Constable has this to say of in his early life "He is a native of Yorkshire, and came up to London to get bread as he could. He got into the house of a corn merchant, Abram Constable, a relation of our family, and by degrees obtained the whole business for himself."

Constable also described him as "‘a man whose sole object in this world is gain’, for which ‘he would sacrifice every principle’" and that he was "‘so hardened that reproach and shame have no effect upon him’."