Thomas Noel (c. 1705–1788) was a British politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of ...

in two periods between 1728 and 1788.

Early life

Noel was the son of Hon. John Noel and his wife Elizabeth Sherard, daughter of

Bennet Sherard, 2nd Baron Sherard Bennet Sherard, 2nd Baron Sherard Deputy Lieutenant, DL (''baptised'' 30 November 1621 – 15 January 1700) was a British politician and Irish peer. An influential landowner in Leicestershire and Rutland, he was returned to Parliament by the form ...

. He was a grandson of

Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden Baptist Noel, 3rd Viscount Campden (1611 – 29 October 1682) was an English politician. He was Lord Lieutenant of Rutland, Custos Rotulorum of Rutland and the Member of Parliament for Rutland (UK Parliament constituency), Rutland. Early life B ...

. His father died in 1718 and 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 * Second E ...

on 6 January 1728 so he succeeded to the family estate at Walcot in Northamptonshire. In 1730 he established his pack of hounds, initially at Exton in Rutland and he became the first master of the

Cottesmore Hunt The Cottesmore Hunt, which hunts mostly in Rutland, is one of the oldest foxhound packs in Britain, with origins dating back to 1666. Its name comes from the village of Cottesmore, Rutland, Cottesmore where the hounds were kennelled. History T ...

, as they were named after he moved them to Cottesmore in 1740. As an authority on hound breeding, he published the first book on the subject in 1732.

Political career

The Noel family had represented Rutland since the middle of the sixteenth century. In 1728 Noel was elected Member of Parliament for

Rutland Rutland is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Leicestershire to the north and west, Lincolnshire to the north-east, and Northamptonshire to the south-west. Oakham is the largest town and county town. Rutland has a ...

in a by-election caused by the death of his brother who held the seat. He was re-elected unopposed at Rutland with his cousin James Noel in

1734 Events January– March * January 8 – Salzburgers, Lutherans who were expelled by the Roman Catholic Bishop of Salzburg, Austria, in October 1731, set sail for the British Colony of Georgia in America. * February 16 – ...

. He did not stand at the 1741 general election. Noel was again returned at Rutland in a by-election in 1753 after the death of James Noel. In

1754 Events January–March * January 28 – Horace Walpole, in a letter to Horace Mann, coins the word ''serendipity''. * February 22 – Expecting an attack by Portuguese-speaking militias in the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plat ...

he topped the poll in the contested election at Rutland. He married Elizabeth Chapman, daughter of William Chapman, gamekeeper at Exton and widow of his cousin Baptist Noel, 4th Earl of Gainsborough on 6 November 1756. At the 1761 election he topped the poll in the contest at Rutland again. After 1766 his attendance at parliament became irregular. He was returned unopposed at subsequent elections in

1768 Events January–March * January 9 – Philip Astley stages the first modern circus, with acrobats on galloping horses, in London. * February 11 – Samuel Adams's circular letter is issued by the Massachusetts House of Re ...

and

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and feathers British customs ...

. The Public Ledger wrote about him in 1779 “A very old Member of Parliament, and attends but very seldom. He is an independent man, and inclined to the minority.” He was returned at Rutland unopposed in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to all ...

and

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

Later years and legacy

Noel died on 18 June 1788, aged 83.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Noel, Thomas 1788 deaths British MPs 1727–1734 British MPs 1734–1741 British MPs 1747–1754 British MPs 1754–1761 British MPs 1761–1768 British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 British MPs 1784–1790 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies Year of birth uncertain