Sir Thomas Meres (1634 – 9 July 1715), of Lincoln and Bloomsbury, Middlesex, was an English lawyer and Tory politician who sat in the
English and
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 memb ...
between 1659 and 1710. He showed a remarkable level of activity both within and outside Parliament, particularly during the reign of Charles II.
Early life
Meres was baptised on 17 September 1634, the eldest son of Robert Meres,
DD, of
Kirton, Lincolnshire, chancellor of
Lincoln Cathedral
Lincoln Cathedral, also called Lincoln Minster, and formally the Cathedral Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Lincoln, is a Church of England cathedral in Lincoln, England, Lincoln, England. It is the seat of the bishop of Lincoln and is the Mo ...
, and his first wife Elizabeth Williams, daughter of Hugh Williams of Wegg, Caernarvonshire who was the widow of
William Dolben, DD, prebendary of Lincoln. He was thus the half-brother of
John Dolben
John Dolben (1625-1686) was an English priest and Church of England bishop and archbishop.
Life
Early life
He was the son of William Dolben (died 1631), prebendary of Lincoln and bishop-designate of Gloucester, and Elizabeth Williams, n ...
, Archbishop of York, and
Sir William Dolben, a judge. He was educated at
Carre's Grammar School in Sleaford, Lincolnshire, under Mr Gibson and was admitted at
Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Sidney Sussex College (historically known as "Sussex College" and today referred to informally as "Sidney") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge in England. The College was founded in 1 ...
on 23 January 1651 aged 15.
He was admitted to
Inner Temple
The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional association for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practice as a barrister in England and Wa ...
in 1652 and in the same year succeeded to his father's property. He married Anne de la Fountaine, daughter of
Sir Erasmus de la Fountaine of
Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire in January 1658.
[
]
Career
In 1659, Meres was chosen as Member of Parliament for Lincoln in the Third Protectorate Parliament
The Third Protectorate Parliament sat for one session, from 27 January 1659 until 22 April 1659, with Chaloner Chute and Thomas Bampfylde as the Speakers of the House of Commons. It was a bicameral Parliament, with an Upper House having a po ...
. In January 1660, he was appointed Commissioner for assessment for Lincolnshire, and in March 1690 Commissioner for militia for Lincolnshire and Justice of the Peace for Lindsay and for Holland. He was returned unopposed as MP for Lincoln at the 1660 English general election for the Convention Parliament. He was knighted on 11 June 1660 and was also called to the bar in 1660. In July 1660 he became Justice of the Peace for Kesteven and in August a Commissioner for sewers for Hatfield chase and a Commissioner for assessment for Lindsey and Lincoln. He was appointed Commissioner for maimed soldiers in September 1660. In 1661 he was re-elected MP for Lincoln. In the 18 years of the Cavalier Parliament
The Cavalier Parliament of England lasted from 8 May 1661 until 24 January 1679. With the exception of the Long Parliament, it was the longest-lasting English Parliament, and longer than any Great British or UK Parliament to date, enduring ...
he made over 500 speeches and served on 686 committees. He produced over 100 reports and acted as teller 35 times.
Outside Parliament, Meres was Commissioner for oyer and terminer at Lincoln 1661, and Commissioner for assessment for Lincolnshire from 1661 to 1663. From 1662 to 1663 he was a Commissioner for corporations and in 1663 a Commissioner for loyal and indigent officers for Lincolnshire, Commissioner for complaints for the Bedford level and Commissioner for assessment for Lindsey and Lincoln to 1664, and for Westminster until 1680. He was Commissioner for assessment for Lincolnshire from 1664 to 1680, and a Commissioner for enclosures for Deeping fen in 1665. In 1670 he became Deputy lieutenant for Lincolnshire and in 1671 a Commissioner for concealments. In Parliament he was chairman of the committee of elections and privileges from 8 February 1673 to 30 December 1678. He was a Commissioner for recusants in 1675 and an assistant to the Sons of the Clergy in 1678.
Meres was re-elected MP for Lincoln at the first general election of 1679 and was chairman of the committee of elections and privileges from 19 March to 27 May 1679. He was returned again at the second general election of 1679. He was a Lord of the Admiralty from 1679 to 1684 and a Commissioner for assessment for Essex, Leicestershire and London from 1679 to 1680. By 1680 he was a captain in the foot militia. He was returned in a contest as MP for Lincoln at the 1681 English general election and also became a Justice of the Peace for Holland in 1681. He was unopposed at the 1685 English general election. He lost his position as Deputy Lieutenant and on the Commissions of the Peace in 1688 after the Test Acts.
After the Glorious Revolution
The Glorious Revolution, also known as the Revolution of 1688, was the deposition of James II and VII, James II and VII in November 1688. He was replaced by his daughter Mary II, Mary II and her Dutch husband, William III of Orange ...
, in October 1688, Meres was restored to the Commission of the Peace as JP for Lindsey and Kesteven and was Commissioner for assessment for Lincolnshire in 1689. By 1689 he had lost his support at Lincoln and did not stand for the Parliaments in that year. He was restored as deputy lieutenant for Lincolnshire in 1691 and was appointed a Commissioner for rebuilding St Paul's in 1692. He stood for Lincoln at the 1695 English general election
The 1695 English general election was the first to be held under the terms of the Triennial Act 1694, which required parliament to be dissolved and fresh elections called at least every three years. This measure helped to fuel partisan rivalry ov ...
and at the 1698 English general election
After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' su ...
but was unsuccessful on both occasions. In 1696 he was vice-president of the Sons of the Clergy. He was appointed a Commissioner for collecting subscriptions to the land bank in 1699.
Meres was eventually returned as MP for Lincoln in a contest at the first general election of 1701 but did not stand at the second election of that year. He was returned for Lincoln in a contest at the 1702 English general election
The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Briti ...
. At the 1705 English general election
The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 United Kingdom constituencies, 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 ...
, he was returned for Lincoln unopposed and voted against the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705. He was named to two drafting committees and spoke frequently in debates on the Regency bill. He was returned unopposed as a Tory for Lincoln 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 gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November the Whi ...
. He made little contribution in Parliament, but voted against the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. At the 1710 British general election
The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...
he was defeated and did not stand for Parliament again. He was involved in a scandal in 1711 as one of the commissioners for rebuilding St Paul's, who were accused of awarding a contract on a corrupt basis to Richard Jones against the wishes of Sir Christopher Wren
Sir Christopher Wren FRS (; – ) was an English architect, astronomer, mathematician and physicist who was one of the most highly acclaimed architects in the history of England. Known for his work in the English Baroque style, he was acc ...
.
Death and legacy
Meres died at his home in London on 9 July 1715 and was buried at Kirby Bellars, Leicestershire. He and his wife had three sons Thomas, 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
* Second E ...
and William and three daughters. He disinherited his son Thomas and was thus succeeded by his second son John. .
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meres, Thomas
1634 births
1715 deaths
People from Kirton, Lincolnshire
Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge
Members of the Inner Temple
English MPs 1659
English MPs 1660
English MPs 1661–1679
English MPs 1679
English MPs 1680–1681
English MPs 1681
English MPs 1685–1687
English MPs 1701
English MPs 1702–1705
English MPs 1705–1707
Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies
British MPs 1707–1708
British MPs 1708–1710
Lords of the Admiralty