Sir Thomas Roberts, 4th Baronet (2 December 1658 – 20 November 1706) was an English politician who sat in the

House of Commons The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the 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 parliament. T ...

between 1691 and 1702. Roberts was the son of Sir Howland Roberts, 3rd Baronet of Glassenbury, Kent and his wife Bridget Jocelyn daughter of Sir Robert Jocelyn of Hyde Hall, Sawbridgeworth. He succeeded his father in the

baronetcy A baronet ( or ; abbreviated Bart or Bt) or the female equivalent, a baronetess (, , or ; abbreviation Btss), is the holder of a baronetcy, a hereditary title awarded by the British Crown. The title of baronet is mentioned as early as the 14th ...

in infancy on 30 November 1661. He was educated by private tutor Rev. Thomas Brand who was one of the dissenting divines who found refuge at the house of his mother. He then went to St Catharine's College, Cambridge. He was sympathetic to Dissenters and was a commissioner of the inquiry into

recusancy Recusancy (from la, recusare, translation=to refuse) was the state of those who remained loyal to the Catholic Church and refused to attend Church of England services after the English Reformation. The 1558 Recusancy Acts passed in the reign ...

fines in 1688. Also in 1688 he became a Deputy Lieutenant and J.P. Roberts was elected

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 ...

(MP) for

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

on 16 November 1691 and held the seat until 11 November 1695. He was elected MP for

Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of which it is the county town. Maidstone is historically important and lies 32 miles (51 km) east-south-east of London. The River Medway runs through the centre of the town, linking it wi ...

on 17 July 1702 but his election was declared void on 8 December 1702. He contested Maidstone unsuccessfully in 1704. Roberts married Jane Beale, daughter of Sir John Beale, 1st Baronet on 31 May 1683.

References

1658 births 1706 deaths Alumni of St Catharine's College, Cambridge Baronets in the Baronetage of England English MPs 1690–1695 English MPs 1702–1705 {{18thC-England-MP-stub