Sir Thomas Culpeper, 3rd Baronet, also known as Colepeper, (c. 1656 – 18 May 1723) of

Preston Hall, Aylesford Preston Hall is a former manorial home and associated estate in Aylesford in the English county of Kent. It dates to the Norman period and was owned by the Culpepper family for over 400 years. Part of the estate became the Royal British Legion ...

, Kent was an English landowner and Whig politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

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 mem ...

between 1705 and 1723.

Early life

Culpeper was the son of Sir Richard Culpeper, 2nd Baronet of Preston Hall, and his wife Margaret Reynolds. He inherited 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 ...

and Preston Hall in infancy on the death of his father on 10 January 1660. He matriculated at

Magdalen Hall, Oxford Hertford College ( ), previously known as Magdalen Hall, is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It is located on Catte Street in the centre of Oxford, directly opposite the main gate to the Bodleian Library. The colleg ...

on 15 June 1672 aged 15.Culpeper Archives - Oxford Alumni
/ref> He took as his mistress Lady Elizabeth Wythens, the wife of Sir Francis Wythens, of Southend, Eltham, Kent which led to great acrimony. In 1693 Lady Wythens tried to have her husband incarcerated in a debtors’ prison. In November 1696 Wythens raised a charge of assault against Culpeper and

Sir Thomas Taylor, 2nd Baronet Sir Thomas Taylor, 2nd Baronet (1657–1696), of Park House, Maidstone and Shadoxhurst, Kent, was an English politician. He was a Member of the Parliament of England (MP) for Maidstone Maidstone is the largest town in Kent, England, of ...

, Lady Wythens' brother, but failed to gain a conviction when several worthies testified to Culpeper's ‘great worth and honour’. After Wythens’ death on 9 May 1704, Culpeper married his widow on 23 August 1704, but it was reported that he never lived with her as a husband.

Career

Culpeper was

High Sheriff of Kent The high sheriff is the oldest secular office under the Crown (prior to 1974 the office previously known as sheriff)."Sheriffs appointed for a county or Greater London shall be known as high sheriffs, and any reference in any enactment or instrum ...

in 1704. At the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 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 several boroughs. During the pr ...

he was returned as a Whig

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 of ...

(MP) for

Maidstone, Kent 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 with ...

. He voted for the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705, but, probably in support of the Country Whigs, he voted against the Court on the ‘place clause’ of the regency bill, on 18 February 1706. He was returned as a Whig again 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 finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

and he voted for the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709 and the for 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 topped the poll, but is not recorded in any divisions in that Parliament. He decided not to stand at the

1713 British general election The 1713 British general election produced further gains for the governing Tory party. Since 1710 Robert Harley had led a government appointed after the downfall of the Whig Junto, attempting to pursue a moderate and non-controversial policy, b ...

. At the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

, Culpeper was returned again as MP for Maidstone. He voted for the septennial bill in 1716, and against the

Peerage Bill {{short description, Proposed British law of 1719 The Peerage Bill was a 1719 measure proposed by the British Whigs (British political party), Whig government led by James Stanhope, 1st Earl Stanhope and Charles Spencer, 3rd Earl of Sunderland whic ...

. He was returned again at the

1722 British general election The 1722 British general election elected members to serve in the House of Commons of the 6th Parliament of Great Britain. This was the fifth such election since the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. Tha ...

Death and legacy

Culpeper died without issue on 18 May 1723 at the age of 66 and the baronetcy became extinct. His estates passed to his sister Alicia's son, Sir Thomas Taylor, 3rd Baronet. He also left 500 guineas to Lady Catharine Twisden, born Wythens, who may have been Culpeper's natural daughter, and 100 guineas to mistress Swayne, ‘her woman’, for faithful service.

References

1656 births 1723 deaths High Sheriffs of Kent English MPs 1705–1707 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1715–1722 Baronets in the Baronetage of England {{England-GreatBritain-MP-stub