Thomas Bramston (1658–1737), of Waterhouse, Writtle, Essex, was a British chancery clerk and Tory 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. ...

from 1712 to 1727. Bramston was baptized on 10 November 1658, the sixth son of Sir Mundeford Bramston, Master in Chancery, and his wife Alice Le Hunt, daughter of Sir George Le Hunt of Little Bradley, Suffolk. He became a clerk in the six clerks’ office in Chancery Lane, probably through the influence of his father. He married Grace Gregory, daughter of Sir Henry Gregory, rector of Middleton Stoney, Oxfordshire on 7 August 1690 and may have had lodgings, near Chancery Lane as his children were christened at St. Andrew's, Holborn. Bramston was returned as Tory

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 ...

for

Maldon Maldon (, locally ) is a town and civil parish on the River Blackwater, Essex, Blackwater estuary in Essex, England. It is the seat of the Maldon District and starting point of the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation. It is known for Maldon Sea ...

on the family interest at a by-election on 28 January 1712. In April 1713 he became an alderman of Maldon. He voted for the French commerce bill on 18 June 1713, and was returned unopposed 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 ...

. He was brought into the commission of the peace for Essex in March 1714. Bramston was returned in a contest for Maldon 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 ...

In October 1715 when his cousin, Anthony Bramston and others were arrested on suspicion of being disaffected to George I, it was probably Thomas Bramston who donated ‘a sirloin of beef and a turkey’ to those imprisoned, which may account for his removal from the bench in March 1716. He was bailiff of Maldon in 1716, and 1720. 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 ...

he was returned for Maldon again in a contest and listed as a Tory. At the

1727 British general election The 1727 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 7th Parliament of Great Britain to be summoned, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election was trigg ...

he was probably replaced by his namesake Thomas Bramston of Skreens. Bramston died on 30 May 1737, leaving two surviving sons and three daughters. Most of his estate went to his eldest son George, who married the daughter of Lawrence Alcock. A trust fund was set up, to be administered partly by Thomas Bramston of Skreens, for his daughters and younger son. His eldest daughter married the third son of

Sir Herbert Croft, 1st Baronet Sir Herbert Croft, 1st Baronet ( – 3 November 1720) was a British politician. Family Croft was the only son of the Right Reverend Herbert Croft, Bishop of Hereford and Anne Browne, the only daughter of the Very Rev. Dr. Jonathan Browne an ...

. It took two years to obtain probate, because in spite of Bramston's role in the chancery office, his will was full of confusing obliterations and interspersed text

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bramston, Thomas 1658 births 1737 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 British MPs 1722–1727