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Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath

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The Most Honourable
The Marquess of Bath
KG PC
Portrait by Thomas Lawrence
Secretary of State for the Northern Department
In office
7 March 1779 – 27 October 1779
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterLord North
Preceded byThe Earl of Suffolk
Succeeded byThe Viscount Stormont
In office
20 January 1768 – 21 October 1768
MonarchGeorge III
Prime Minister
Preceded byHenry Seymour Conway
Succeeded byThe Earl of Rochford
Secretary of State for the Southern Department
In office
9 November 1775 – 24 November 1779
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterLord North
Preceded byThe Earl of Rochford
Succeeded byThe Earl of Hillsborough
In office
21 October 1768 – 12 December 1770
MonarchGeorge III
Prime MinisterThe Duke of Grafton
Lord North
Preceded byThe Earl of Shelburne
Succeeded byThe Earl of Rochford
Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
In office
5 June 1765 – 7 August 1765
MonarchGeorge III
Preceded byThe Earl of Northumberland
Succeeded byThe Earl of Hertford
Personal details
Born
The Hon. Thomas Thynne

13 September 1734
Died19 November 1796(1796-11-19) (aged 62)
St George Hanover Square, Westminster, Middlesex, England
Political partyTory
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1759)​
Children6, including:
Parents
ResidenceLongleat
Alma materSt John's College, Cambridge
OccupationPolitician

Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath, KG, PC (13 September 1734 – 19 November 1796), of Longleat in Wiltshire, was a British politician who held office under King George III. He served as Southern Secretary, Northern Secretary and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland. Between 1751 and 1789, he was known as the 3rd Viscount Weymouth. He is possibly best known for his role in the Falklands Crisis of 1770.

Early life

[edit]

He was born on 13 September 1734, the eldest son and heir of Thomas Thynne, 2nd Viscount Weymouth (1710–1751)[1] by his wife Louisa Carteret (c. 1712–1736), a daughter of John Carteret, 2nd Earl Granville, 2nd Baron Carteret (1690–1763). On her father's side, she was a great-granddaughter of John Granville, 1st Earl of Bath (1628–1701), and her father's first-cousin was William Granville, 3rd Earl of Bath (1692–1711), on whose death the Earldom of Bath became extinct.

Family origins

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The Thynnes are descended from Sir John Thynne (c. 1515–1580), the builder of Longleat House, the family seat in Wiltshire, who acquired vast estates after the Dissolution of the Monasteries. Sir John owed his wealth and position to the favour of his master, the Lord Protector Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset.[2] He was comptroller of the household of the future Queen Elizabeth I of England. Another famous ancestor was Thomas Thynne (1648–1682), called on account of his wealth "Tom of Ten Thousand" and celebrated by Dryden as Issachar in Absalom and Achitophel, who was murdered in London in February 1682.[1]

Career

[edit]

He succeeded his father as 3rd Viscount Weymouth in January 1751 and served as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland for a short time during 1765, although he never visited that country.[3] Having become prominent in British politics, he was appointed Secretary of State for the Northern Department in January 1768 and acted with great promptitude during the unrest caused by John Wilkes and the Middlesex election of 1768. He was then attacked and libeled by Wilkes, who was consequently expelled from the House of Commons.[1]

Falklands Crisis

[edit]

Before the close of 1768, he was transferred from the Northern Department to become Secretary of State for the Southern Department, but he resigned in December 1770 in the midst of the "Falklands Crisis", a dispute with Spain over the possession of the Falkland Islands.[1]

American War of Independence

[edit]

In November 1775, Weymouth returned to his former office of Secretary of State for the Southern Department, undertaking in addition the duties attached to the northern department for a few months in 1779, but he resigned both positions in the autumn of that year.[1] This period covered the American War of Independence.

Later life

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He was High Steward of the Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield from 1781 until his death in November 1796, having been created Marquess of Bath in 1789. The title of Earl of Bath that had been held by his Granville ancestor was then unavailable, as it had been recreated for a member of the Pulteney family.

Marriage and issue

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In 1759, he married Lady Elizabeth Bentinck, daughter of William Bentinck, 2nd Duke of Portland and the art collector Margaret Bentinck, Duchess of Portland, with whom he had three sons and five daughters, including:[1]

Legacy

[edit]

Weymouth Street in Marylebone is named after him. His wife's family once owned the land on which the street was later built.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Chisholm 1911.
  2. ^ 'Parliamentary history : 1529–1629', in A History of the County of Wiltshire, vol. 5 (1957), pp. 111–132, accessed 7 July 2011
  3. ^ Desmond Keenan (12 November 2014). Eighteenth Century Ireland 1703-1800 Society and History. Xlibris Corporation. p. 514. ISBN 978-1-4990-8082-7.
  4. ^ The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 16 December 1762.
  5. ^ The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 17 January 1764.
  6. ^ The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 25 February 1765.
  7. ^ The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 29 August 1767.
  8. ^ Buried at St James's Church, Piccadilly, on 31 March 1768. Source: The Register Book for Burials. In the Parish of St James in Westminster in the County of Middlesex. 1754-1812. 31 March 1768.
  9. ^ The Register of Births and Baptisms in the Parish of St James within the Liberty of Westminster. 1761-1786. 5 November 1768.
  10. ^ Weinreb, Ben; Hibbert, Christopher (1992). The London Encyclopaedia (reprint ed.). Macmillan. p. 979.

Attribution:

Political offices
Preceded by Master of the Horse to Queen Charlotte
1763–1765 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Lord Lieutenant of Ireland
1765 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State for the Northern Department
1768 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State for the Southern Department
1768–1770 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the House of Lords
1770 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State for the Southern Department
1775–1779 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State for the Northern Department
1779 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the House of Lords
1779 		Succeeded by
Court offices
Preceded by Groom of the Stole
1782–1796 		Succeeded by
Honorary titles
Preceded by High Steward of Sutton Coldfield
1781–1796 		Succeeded by
Titles of nobility
New creation Marquess of Bath
1789–1796 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Viscount Weymouth
1751–1796
  1. ^ Burke, Sir Bernard, (1938 ed) Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage. Shaw, London. p. 243
  2. ^ a b c Woodfall, H. (1768). The Peerage of England; Containing a Genealogical and Historical Account of All the Peers of that Kingdom Etc. Fourth Edition, Carefully Corrected, and Continued to the Present Time, Volume 6. p. 258.
  3. ^ a b Lee, Sidney; Edwards, A. S. G. (revised) (2004). "Thynne, William (d. 1546)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/27426. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ Girouard, Mark, Thynne, Sir John (1515–1580), estate manager and builder of Longleat in Oxford Dictionary of Biography (Oxford University Press, 2004)
  5. ^ Booth, Muriel. "Thynne, John (?1550–1604), of Longleat, Wilt". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  6. ^ Lancaster, Henry; Thrush, Andrew. "Thynne, Charles (c.1568–1652), of Cheddar, So". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  7. ^ Pugh, R. B.; Crittall, Elizabeth, eds. (1957). "Parliamentary history: 1529–1629". A History of the County of Wiltshire. Vol. 5. London: Victoria County History – via British History Online.
  8. ^ Ferris, John P. "Thynne, Sir James (c.1605-70), of Longbridge Deverill, Wilt". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  9. ^ Helms, M. W.; Ferris, John P. "Thynne, Sir Thomas (c.1610–c.69), of Richmond, Sur". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  10. ^ Marshall, Alan (2008) [2004]. "Thynne, Thomas [nicknamed Tom of Ten Thousand] (1647/8–1682)". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/27423. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  11. ^ Heath-Caldwell, J. J. "Thomas Thynne, 1st Marquess of Bath, 3rd Viscount Weymouth". JJ Heath-Caldwell. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  12. ^ Hayton, D. W. "Thynne, Hon. Henry (1675-1708)". The History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  13. ^ Dunaway, Stewart (2013). Lord John Carteret, Earl Granville: His Life History and the Granville Grants. Lulu. p. 33. ISBN 9781300878070.
  14. ^ "Bath, Thomas Thynne". Encyclopedia Britannica 1911. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  15. ^ Thorne, Roland. "Carteret [formerly Thynne], Henry Frederick". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  16. ^ "Thomas Thynne, 2nd Marquess of Bath (1765–1837)". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  17. ^ Escott, Margaret. "Thynne, Lord Henry Frederick (1797-1837), of 6 Grovesnor Square, Md". History of Parliament. The History of Parliament Trust. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
  18. ^ "John Thynne, 4th Marquess of Bath (1831-1896), Diplomat and landowner". National Portrait Gallery. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
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