Thomas Strangways (1643–1713) of

Melbury House Melbury House is an English country house in the parish of Melbury Sampford near Evershot, Dorset, This Grade I listed mansion is the home of the Honorable Mrs Charlotte Townshend, a major landowner in east Dorset, through her mother, Theresa ...

in Melbury Sampford near Evershot, DorsetMelbury House (map)
/ref> was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

landowner and

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. The ...

politician who sat in the

and British House of Commons between 1673 and 1713. As a militia colonel he was active in opposing the Monmouth rebellion. For his last nine years in Parliament, he was the longest sitting member of the House of Commons ( Father of the House).

Early life

Strangways was born in 1643, the fourth but second surviving son of Giles Strangways (1615-1675), MP of Melbury Sampford and his wife Susanna Edwards, daughter of Thomas Edwards, Mercer, of London and Fair Crouch, Wadhurst, Dorset. He matriculated at

Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road. Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...

on 6 June 1660. He was a captain in the

Dorset Militia The Dorset Militia (also titled Dorsetshire Militia) was a county Militia regiment of the British Army that was in existence from 1757 to 1881. Purpose The militias that were listed in the army of Queen Victoria were those units created by the M ...

Foot by 1671 and became

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

in 1675. On 19 January 1675 he married Susan Ridout, daughter and heiress of John Ridout of Frome, Somerset. He succeeded his brother

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

in 1676, inheriting the Melbury Sampford estate, where he extended

Career

Strangways’ father obtained the reversion of the post of Clerk of the Pells, an Exchequer sinecure for him in 1673 and nominated him as Country party candidate at by-elections for Weymouth and Melcombe Regis on 31 January 1673 and for Poole on 3 February 1673. Strangways was defeated in both by-elections, but was returned as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

for Poole at another by-election on 3 March 1673 through an electoral bargain with Lord Chancellor Shaftesbury. At the 1679 general elections, he was returned as MP for

Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , ...

his family's pocket borough and was also successful in returning supporters at four other Dorset constituencies. He was returned again at the general elections in

1681 Events January–March * January 1 – Prince Muhammad Akbar, son of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, initiates a civil war in India. With the support of troops from the Rajput states, Akbar declares himself the new Mughal Empero ...

and

1685 Events January–March * January 6 – American-born British citizen Elihu Yale, for whom Yale University in the U.S. is named, completes his term as the first leader of the Madras Presidency in India, administering the colony ...

. After the Duke of Monmouth landed at Lyme, Strangways' militia regiment was engaged by the rebels at Bridport and his brother, Wadham Strangways, was killed in the skirmish. His regiment rendered useful service during the rebellion, but King James was unwilling to reward him with the Clerkship of the Pells for the support, which made him uneasy. His concerns increased in the light of the King's religious policy and from his responses to the repeal of the Test Act and Penal Laws, he lost his local offices, and King James agents were seeking to replace him in Parliament. Nevertheless, he was slow to take sides with William of Orange until the Prince arrived in the country when he was one of the Dorset leaders to welcome him. He was returned to the Convention at the 1689 English general election and served on the elections committee. Strangways was a leader of the Tories in Dorset, and was returned unopposed at the

1690 English general election The 1690 English general election occurred after the dissolution of the Convention Parliament summoned in the aftermath of the Glorious Revolution, and saw the partisan feuds in that parliament continue in the constituencies. The Tories made signi ...

. Though generally acting with the Country party, he was sometimes seen as a Court Tory. He took several leaves of absence during the Parliament. Returned again at the

1695 English general election The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act of 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ...

, he refused to sign the

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in February 1696 and voted against fixing the price of guineas at 22s in March. He voted against the

attainder In English criminal law, attainder or attinctura was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditar ...

of Sir John Fenwick on 25 November 1696. In 1698 he tried to claim the post of Clerk of the Pells for which his father had purchased the reversion, but was unsuccessful. He was returned as a Tory at the 1698 English general election and was expected to oppose the standing army in October. He was returned again at the two general elections in 1701 and was blacklisted for opposing preparations for war with France. On 26 February 1702 he supported the motion to vindicate the Commons’ proceedings in impeaching William III's ministers in the previous session. Strangways was returned again at the 1702 English general election and voted on 13 February 1703 against the Lords’ amendments to the bill regarding the time to take the oath of abjuration. He also voted for the tack on 28 November 1704, in spite of lobbying by Robert Harley. He was returned at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of "Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pre ...

and voted against the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705. He seconded a motion to make further provision for the Duke of Marlborough, and was appointed to the committee to bring in a bill for settling on the Duke a pension of £5,000 p.a. For his last nine in Parliament, Strangways was the Father of the House being the longest serving member. At the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

, he was returned as a Tory and voted against the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. After the 1710 British general election, he was classed as a

Hanoverian Tory Hanoverian Tories were Tory supporters of the Hanoverian Succession of 1714. At the time many Tories favoured the exiled Jacobite James Francis Edward Stuart to take the British and Irish thrones, while their arch rivals the Whigs supported the ...

and was a member of the

October Club The October Club was a group of Tory Members of Parliament, established after the 1710 general election. The Club was active until approximately 1714. The group took its name from the strong ale they reportedly drank.Pat Rogers, �October Club ('' ...

. He was one of the ‘worthy patriots’ who detected the mismanagements of the previous administration. He obtained leave of absence on the grounds of ill-health on 8 April 1712 and stood down at the 1713 British general election in favour of his son

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Death and legacy

Strangways died on 21 December 1713. By his wife Susan, he had five sons (three of whom predeceased him) and four daughters. His children included: *Thomas Strangways (died 1726), who died without issue. *Elizabeth Strangways (died 1729), a co-heiress of her brother Thomas Strangways (died 1726). She married

James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton James Hamilton, 5th Duke of Hamilton and 2nd Duke of Brandon KT FRS (5 January 1703 – 2 March 1743) was a Scottish peer, the son of the 4th Duke of Hamilton. Hamilton attended Winchester College from 1716 to 1717. He matriculated at Christ ...

, but died without issue, when her heir became her sister Susanna Strangways. *Susanna Strangways, a co-heiress of her brother Thomas Strangways (d.1726), and three years later sole heiress of her sister Elizabeth Strangways (died 1729), Duchess of Hamilton. She married Thomas Horner (1688-1741), MP, of

Mells Manor Mells Manor at Mells, Somerset, England, was built in the 16th century for Edward Horner, altered in the 17th century, partially demolished around 1780, and restored by Sir Edwin Lutyens in the 20th century. The house, along with the garden walls ...

in Somerset,

Sheriff of Somerset The office of High Sheriff of Somerset is an ancient shrievalty which has been in existence since the 11th century. Originally known as the "Sheriff of Somerset", the role was retitled on 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government ...

in 1711/12.HORNER, Thomas (1688-1741), of Mells, Som. and Melbury, Dorset.
/ref> In accordance with the terms of his wife's inheritance from her childless brother in 1726, Thomas Horner adopted for himself and his descendants the surname and arms of Strangways. Their only surviving child and sole heiress was Elizabeth Strangways (born 1722), who in 1735 at the age of 13 entered into an arranged marriage with Stephen Fox (1704-1776), a 31-year-old homosexual, the eldest surviving son of Sir Stephen Fox (1627-1716), the first

Paymaster of the Forces The Paymaster of the Forces was a position in the British government. The office was established in 1661, one year after the Restoration of the Monarchy to King Charles II, and was responsible for part of the financing of the British Army, in ...

, deemed the "richest commoner in the

three kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

". In accordance with the marriage Fox also adopted the additional surname of Strangways and the arms of that family, and was later created

Earl of Ilchester Earl of Ilchester is a title in the Peerage of Great Britain. It was created in 1756 for Stephen Fox, 1st Baron Ilchester, who had previously represented Shaftesbury in Parliament. He had already been created Baron Ilchester, of Ilchester in ...

. The couple had many children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Strangways, Thomas (1643-1713) 1643 births 1713 deaths Politicians from Dorset Onslow, Richard, 2nd Baronet Tory MPs (pre-1834) English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1685–1687 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713