Thomas Tollemache, also spelt Talmash or Tolmach, (c. 16511694) was an English soldier and Member of Parliament. Beginning his military career in 1673, in 1686 he resigned his commission in protest at the introduction of Catholic officers into the English army by

James II James II may refer to: * James II of Avesnes (died c. 1205), knight of the Fourth Crusade * James II of Majorca (died 1311), Lord of Montpellier * James II of Aragon (1267–1327), King of Sicily * James II, Count of La Marche (1370–1438), King C ...

. A supporter of military intervention by the Protestant William of Orange, in early 1688 he joined a regiment of the Anglo-Scots Brigade, a long established mercenary unit in the Dutch army. In November 1688, he accompanied William to England in the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

and shortly afterwards became colonel of the Coldstream Guards, and MP for Malmesbury. He fought in Flanders and Ireland during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

, as well as being appointed Governor of Portsmouth in 1690 and elected for

Chippenham Chippenham is a market town A market town is a settlement most common in Europe that obtained by custom or royal charter, in the Middle Ages, a market right, which allowed it to host a regular market; this distinguished it from a village ...

in 1692. In 1694, he was badly wounded at the Battle of Camaret; he died of his injuries on 12 June and was buried in St Mary's Church, Helmingham.

Personal details

Thomas Tollemache was born in 1651, second son of Sir Lionel Tollemache (1624-1669) of Helmingham Hall,

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

and Elizabeth, 2nd Countess of Dysart, whose second husband was John Maitland, Duke of Lauderdale. Tollemache never married.

Career

According to his own account, Tollemache spent several years travelling in Europe before returning to England in 1668, when he attended

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

, followed by legal training at the Inner Temple. Details of his early military career are unclear; by 1673 he was based in Germany during the

Franco-Dutch War The Franco-Dutch War, also known as the Dutch War (french: Guerre de Hollande; nl, Hollandse Oorlog), was fought between France and the Dutch Republic, supported by its allies the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Brandenburg-Prussia and Denmark-Nor ...

, where he served with John Churchill. In 1678, he became a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the Coldstream Guards, with which he served with the Tangier Garrison, along with Percy Kirke and Charles Trelawny. Although he lost his commission after fighting a duel, in 1685 he was appointed lieutenant-colonel in the newly formed

Royal Fusiliers The Royal Fusiliers (City of London Regiment) was a line infantry regiment of the British Army in continuous existence for 283 years. It was known as the 7th Regiment of Foot until the Childers Reforms of 1881. The regiment served in many wars ...

. In 1686, he resigned in protest at the admission of Catholic officers by

, and became a leading member of the "Treason Club", which supported armed intervention by the Protestant William of Orange on behalf of James' daughter

Mary II of England Mary II (30 April 166228 December 1694) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England, List of Scottish monarchs, Scotland, and Monarchy of Ireland, Ireland, co-reigning with her husband, William III of England, William III & II, from 1689 unt ...

. He was also associated with the Association of Protestant Officers, whose members included Trelawny, Churchill and Kirke, all of whom opposed James. In early 1688, he joined one of the regiments in the Anglo-Scots Brigade, a long established mercenary unit in the Dutch army and accompanied William of Orange during the November 1688

. He was made governor of Portsmouth and colonel of the Coldstream Guards, as well as being elected MP for Malmesbury in 1689. His regiment was posted to Flanders during the

, seeing action at the Battle of Walcourt in August 1689. During 1691, he served in Ireland as a major general, fighting at the Battle of Aughrim and the sieges of

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

and Limerick. Following the Treaty of Limerick which ended the war, he returned to Flanders where he took part in the battles of Steenkirk and Landen. In 1694 Tollemache led an assault on the port of Brest; warned of the proposed attack, the French under

Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Seigneur de Vauban, later Marquis de Vauban (baptised 15 May 163330 March 1707), commonly referred to as ''Vauban'' (), was a French military engineer who worked under Louis XIV. He is generally considered the ...

reinforced the garrison and strengthened the defences. The ensuing Battle of Camaret was disastrous for the English who were repulsed with heavy losses; Tollemache was wounded and later died of his injuries in

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymout ...

on 12 June 1694. He was buried in the church of St Mary's at Helmingham.

References

Sources

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Tollemache, Thomas 1651 births 1694 deaths People from Mid Suffolk District Coldstream Guards officers Royal Fusiliers officers English generals Younger sons of earls Younger sons of baronets Williamite military personnel of the Williamite War in Ireland British military personnel of the Nine Years' War 17th-century English soldiers

Thomas Tollemache Thomas Tollemache, also spelt Talmash or Tolmach, (c. 16511694) was an English soldier and Member of Parliament. Beginning his military career in 1673, in 1686 he resigned his commission in protest at the introduction of Catholic officers i ...

English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695 Soldiers of the Tangier Garrison Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Military personnel from Suffolk British military personnel killed in action in the Nine Years' War