John Loft

John Henry Loft (20 February 1769 – 13 July 1849) was a British soldier and politician.

Loft was born on 20 February 1769, in Grainthorpe, Lincolnshire.

In 1769 he enlisted in the 15th Regiment of Foot and had been promoted to Lieutenant-Colonel within four years, of an unattached Corps of 4,000 men which he had raised himself.

Loft was the member of Parliament for Great Grimsbyand was much involved with recruiting during the Napoleonic Wars. He was a controversial but influential figure in the development of Grimsby as a port, being one of the original shareholders named in the act of parliament which created the Grimsby Haven Company in 1796.

Between around 1826 and 1844, Loft obsessively recorded details of churches, gravestones and memorials around Lincolnshire, many of which have survived and become a useful resource for historians.

Loft died on 13 July 1849, in a house on Loft Street, Grimsby, which had been named after him.