John Purling

Although Purling came second on the poll he was declared elected Member of Parliament by the returning officer who was concerned at the level of bribery and corruption by other candidates.

In 1772 the East India Company ran into financial difficulties, and Purling as its chairman was criticized for misleading the proprietors about their position.

Although the control of the company's affairs really rested with Sulivan and Sir George Colebrook and Purling's responsibility was largely nominal, he refused to stand for re-election as chairman in 1773.

In 1774 he took the lead in pressing for the compensation of East India commanders adversely affected by the shipping reforms resulting from the Regulating Act 1773.

His will mentions property near Weymouth and Ramsay in Huntingdonshire, and also at St. Vincent in the West Indies[1] He built up a large collection of works of art by Raphael, Correggio, Carracci, Guido, Parmegiano, Claude Titian, Tintoretto, S. Ricci, Domenichino, P. Veronese, P. Da Cortona, C. Maratti, Poussin, Murillo, Cuyp, Rubens, Teniers, Zuccarelli, Wilson, Wouvermans, P. Potter, Vanderwerff, Vandervelde, Berchem, Ferg and others.