Sir Thomas Woollaston White, 1st Baronet of

Tuxford Tuxford is a historic market town and a civil parish in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 2,516, increasing to 2,649 at the 2011 census. Geography Nearby towns are Ollerton, Ret ...

and

Wallingwells Wallingwells is a small civil parish and hamlet in the Bassetlaw district of Nottinghamshire, England, with a population at the 2001 census of 22. The population remained less than 100 at the 2011 census. Details are included in the civil pa ...

(20 January 1767 – 28 October 1817) was the eldest son and heir of Taylor and Sarah White. His grandfather, also Taylor White, was the founding

Treasurer A treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The significant core functions of a corporate treasurer include cash and liquidity management, risk management, and corporate finance. Government The treasury ...

of The Foundling Hospital, a judge,

Fellow of The Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathemat ...

, and

Patron of the Arts Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

Prior to inheriting, in 1795, his father's substantial estates, including

, he occupied himself primarily with the army and militia.

The Raising of The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry Cavalry and The Grant of Baronetcy

When it appeared that an invasion of England by

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

was imminent Thomas twice raised, quartered, fed, clothed and armed a force of volunteers to help defend the nation.

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George III George III (George William Frederick; 4 June 173829 January 1820) was King of Great Britain and of Ireland from 25 October 1760 until the union of the two kingdoms on 1 January 1801, after which he was King of the United Kingdom of Great Br ...

heard of these deeds and offered to share half of the cost from his privy purse, as he saw this as too much a burden for a private gentleman to bear. Thomas declined His Majesty's generous offer, saying that he considered it the duty of every loyal gentleman to assist to the utmost of his means at such a crisis. He was subsequently rewarded by the

with a

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 ...

being conferred upon him on 20 December 1802. Thomas was subsequently known as Sir Thomas White, Bt. of

and

. When the corps was raised, a barrack was erected in

Park. Some trees still stand which formed the corners of it. An oak tree is also shown at the side of the drive to Langold, in which a platform was erected. On this a sentry was posted day and night to watch for the lighting of the beacon on Gringley Hill, near Gainsborough, as a signal of the landing of the French. Two horses in the stable were kept constantly saddled, in readiness to send out to assemble the men. When the French camp at Boulogne was broken up and all fear of an invasion was past, the English Government decided to test through some part of the country the popular feeling, and to see whether there would be a general rising of the people. With this object they caused several beacons to be lighted, amongst which was Gringley. The alarm soon spread; the men of Sir Thomas' regiment assembled at

at once, and were marched to Doncaster, the place of rendezvous. Here they learnt that the French had not landed, and after Sir Thomas had treated them to breakfast and given them a guinea apiece - he dismissed them to their homes. The corps raised by Sir Thomas eventually became what is today known as 'A' Squadron (

Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry The Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry (SRY) was a British Yeomanry regiment. In 1967 it was amalgamated with other units to form the Royal Yeomanry (RY), a light cavalry regiment of the Army Reserve. Originally raised as the Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Cav ...

Cavalry), The

Royal Yeomanry The Royal Yeomanry (RY) is the senior reserve light cavalry regiment of the British Army. Equipped with Supacat Jackal variants, their role is to conduct mounted and dismounted formation reconnaissance. The Regimental Headquarters is located in ...

. Sir Thomas was at the same time

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of the 3rd Nottinghamshire Militia.

Army career

Sir Thomas White's career in the army was documented by the London Gazette as below.

Deputy Lieutenant and High Sheriff of Notthinghamshire

On 23 July 1803 Sir Thomas was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of the County of Nottinghamshire. On 1 February 1806, Sir Thomas White, Bt. was appointed High Sheriff of

Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated Notts.) is a landlocked county in the East Midlands region of England, bordering South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. The trad ...

Family

As well as his military life, Thomas was a keen sportsman and kept a substantial stable and hawking establishment at

. These met most days of the week and his house was renowned for its hospitality. On 3 January 1801 Thomas married Elizabeth Blagg, daughter of W. Blagg of

. They had 11 children, of whom 7 died young.

Death and Burial

Sir Thomas died at Wallingwells of heart disease after an hour's illness on 28 October 1817. The Gentleman's Magazine (Volume 87, Part 2, Pages 565-566) reported his final hours thus. "At Walling Wells, near Worksop, Sir Thomas Wollaston White, bart. He had been attending the sale of the late Col. Mellish’s effects at

Hodsock Priory Hodsock Priory is an English country house in Hodsock, Nottinghamshire, north of Worksop, England, and south of Blyth. Despite its name, it is not and never has been a priory. Hodsock is renowned for its snowdrops in early spring. It is also ...

; and on his way home complained of a slight pain in his arms, to which he had been occasionally subject; on his alighting from his horse the pain increased considerably. He went into the house, and placed himself upon a sofa; when, the pain continuing to increase, and extending across his chest, he desired to go to bed. His steward and a gentleman who was in the house attended him to his bed-room, and after he had been in bed a short time he said that he was easier; in a few minutes he was again seized, and almost instantly expired." He was buried on 7 November 1817 in the new vault in the White Chapel at

Church. His widow, Elizabeth lived until her death on 16 July 1850 at

Hall.

Succession to the Baronetcy

Sir Thomas was succeeded in the baronetcy by his eldest son. He was also named Thomas Woollaston and was formally known as Sir Thomas Woollaston White, 2nd Baronet of Tuxford and Wallingwells.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:White, Thomas Wool 4th Queen's Own Hussars officers British Militia officers 1817 deaths Baronets in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry officers High Sheriffs of Nottinghamshire