George Knapp (MP)
George Knapp (1754 – 1809) was a British Member of Parliament. Early life and education George Knapp was born during 1754 in Abingdon, the son of a prominent grocer George Knapp Sr. He was educated at John Roysse's Free School in Abingdon, (now Abingdon School) along with his brother Henry. One of his school friends was William Bagshaw Stevens who became headmaster of Repton School. Career George and his younger brother Henry became grocers, running a shop in West St Helen Street before George became a banker. George started a career in politics and by 1780 was a freeman. He later became a secondary burgess (1780), bailiff, chamberlain (1790) and principal burgess (1791). He became Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames in 1792 and subsequently held office in 1797, 1799 and 1807. Both he and his brother Henry were to become Mayors, following in the footsteps of their father George Knapp Sr. and they both ran the family banking business from the Old Banking House in Ock Street. On 20 July 1798, the Borough records show that Knapp headed a committee to confer with John Lemprière regarding the Ordinances of Abingdon School. Lemprière has been the subject of complaints stating he had been