Peter King, 7th Baron King of Ockham
(1775-1833), Authority on currencyRegency Portraits Catalogue Entry
Sitter in 7 portraits
Peter King succeeded to the title in 1793 and took his seat in the House of Lords. Britain's war with France was extremely costly, and in 1797, the Bank Restriction Act was passed, freeing the almost-bankrupt Bank of England from converting bank notes into currency. King is best remembered for the detailed study he made of the currency issue, published as Thoughts on the Effects of the Bank Restrictions (1804). He argued that the Act would cause the value of paper money to depreciate; indeed, by the end of the war in 1815, the British currency had depreciated by almost a third. King sat on the Lords' committee on cash payments in 1819 and took part in the debates on it in 1820.
The Trial of Queen Caroline 1820
by Sir George Hayter
oil on canvas, 1820-1823
NPG 999
by Sir George Hayter
pencil, pen and wash, circa 1820
NPG 2662(20)
Peter King, 7th Baron King of Ockham
by John Linnell
oil on panel, 1832
NPG 4020
Leap Frog Down Constitution Hill
by John ('HB') Doyle, published by Thomas McLean
lithograph, published 13 April 1831
NPG D41055
Leap Frog on a Level. or Going Headlong to the Devil - Pl. 2
by John ('HB') Doyle, printed by Charles Etienne Pierre Motte, published by Thomas McLean
lithograph, published 6 May 1831
NPG D41061
Migra-Tory Peers, or The Lords Breaking Up
by John ('HB') Doyle, printed by Alfred Ducôte, published by Thomas McLean
lithograph, published 6 April 1832
NPG D41125
Peter King, 7th Baron King of Ockham
by Maxim Gauci, printed by Graf & Soret, after Eden Upton Eddis
lithograph heightened with red and white, 1833
NPG D36873
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