Thomas Willoughby (11 June 1694 – 2 December 1742) was an English landowner and Tory 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 ...

from 1720 to 1734. Birdsall House - geograph

Willoughby was the second son of Thomas Willoughby, 1st Baron Middleton and his wife Elizabeth Rothwell, daughter of

Sir Richard Rothwell, 1st Baronet Sir Richard Rothwell, 1st Baronet (c. 1628 – 1694) of Stapleford, Lincolnshire was an English Member of Parliament between 1677 and 1681. He was the 2nd son of William Rothwell of Ewerby, Lincolnshire. He succeeded his elder brother c. 1655 a ...

, MP. He was educated at

Eton College Eton College ( ) is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school providing boarding school, boarding education for boys aged 13–18, in the small town of Eton, Berkshire, Eton, in Berkshire, in the United Kingdom. It has educated Prime Mini ...

and was admitted at

Jesus College, Cambridge Jesus College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Jesus College was established in 1496 on the site of the twelfth-century Benedictine nunnery of St Radegund's Priory, Cambridge, St ...

on 1 November 1711. He matriculated there in 1712 and was awarded MA in 1720. In 1719, he married Elizabeth Sotheby, the daughter and heiress of Thomas Sotheby of Birdsall of Birdsall, North Yorkshire. Through his marriage, he inherited Birdsall House Willoughby was elected Tory Member of Parliament for

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

at a by-election on 19 December 1720. He was returned unopposed again for the university at the 1722 general election. At the 1727 general election, Willoughby stood for Parliament at Tamworth on his father's interest and was elected MP. There is little record of his activities in Parliament and he did not stand 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 – ...

. Willoughby died on 2 December 1742 and his wife ten years later on 25 April 1752. They had seven children: * Henry Willoughby, 5th Baron Middleton (1726–1800) *Francis Willoughby (b. 1727), of Hesley Hall, married on 25 May 1762 Octavia Fisher and had issue *Rev. James Willoughby (1731–1816), rector of Guiseley, married Eleanor Hobson and had issue *Cassandra Willoughby *Elizabeth Willoughby, married in 1750 Rev. Edmund Garforth *Emma Willoughby (d. 1781), married Rev. N. Hodgson *Antonina Willoughby, married in 1765 Rev. Henry Hewgill Birdsall House became the chief residence of the Barons Middleton in 1923.

References

1694 births 1742 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Jesus College, Cambridge Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727 British MPs 1727–1734 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Cambridge University Younger sons of barons {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub