Sir Thomas Clarges (c 1618 – 4 October 1695) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1656 and 1695. He played an important part in bringing about the

Restoration of the Monarchy Restoration is the act of restoring something to its original state and may refer to: * Conservation and restoration of cultural heritage ** Audio restoration ** Film restoration ** Image restoration ** Textile restoration *Restoration ecology ...

in 1660.

Origins

Clarges was the son of John Clarges and his wife Anne Leaver. He was an apothecary in London. William Betham
''The Baronetage of England: or The History of the English baronets ..., Volume 2''
/ref> His sister Anne Clarges was the wife of the royalist General George Monck, later 1st Duke of Albemarle.

Career

In 1656 Clarges was elected Member of Parliament for the Sheriffdoms of Ross, Sutherland, and Cromarty in the Second Protectorate Parliament. In 1659 he was MP for the Boroughs of Banff and Cullen, and Aberdeen and for the Boroughs of Peebles, Selkirk, Jedburgh, Lauder, North Berwick, Dunbar and Haddington in the Third Protectorate Parliament.History of Parliament Online - Clarges, Thomas
/ref> When Richard Cromwell became Lord Protector he ordered Clarges to go immediately to Scotland with his letters to George Monck, Clarge's brother-in-law, to obtain Monck's view of his protectorate. Clarges became Monck's main agent as he set about planning the

. In April 1660 Clarges was elected Member of Parliament for Westminster in the Convention Parliament. On 5 May Monck sent Clarges as an envoy to King Charles II at Breda carrying a letter from the general, in an answer to a letter from Charles, and the address of the officers of the army pledging support. Monck also wrote another short letter in his own hand informing Charles that ''"he chose to send Mr. Clarges to him, because he was the only person to be trusted in the nearest concernments and consultations, for his restoration, as one, to whom he desired his majesty to give credit to what he should say on that behalf"''. Clarges was well received and was knighted at Breda in May 1660. In 1666 Clarges was elected MP

Southwark Southwark ( ) is a district of Central London situated on the south bank of the River Thames, forming the north-western part of the wider modern London Borough of Southwark. The district, which is the oldest part of South London, developed ...

in the Cavalier Parliament and sat until 1679. He was elected MP for Christchurch in 1679 and sat until 1685. He was elected MP for Oxford University in 1689 and sat until his death in 1695. Clarges was a significant landowner in

Mayfair Mayfair is an affluent area in the West End of London towards the eastern edge of Hyde Park, in the City of Westminster, between Oxford Street, Regent Street, Piccadilly and Park Lane. It is one of the most expensive districts in the world. ...

, London, where he had a house in

Piccadilly Piccadilly () is a road in the City of Westminster, London, to the south of Mayfair, between Hyde Park Corner in the west and Piccadilly Circus in the east. It is part of the A4 road that connects central London to Hammersmith, Earl's Court, ...

. In 1686, he acquired 15 St James's Square to serve as the London home of the Marchioness de Gouvernet. His properties in Mayfair are commemorated in the name of Clarges Street, which is near Albemarle Street named after the site of the residencei.e. Clarendon House of his nephew Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle.

Marriage and children

Clarges married Mary Proctor, daughter of George Proctor of Norwell Woodhouse in Nottinghamshire. They had a son

Sir Walter Clarges, 1st Baronet Sir Walter Clarges, 1st Baronet (4 July 1653 – March 1705/6) was an English Tory politician who served four separate terms in Parliament. An early ally of William of Orange, he inherited large holdings of land but no great ability from his fath ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarges, Thomas 1618 births 1695 deaths Members of the pre-1707 Parliament of England for the University of Oxford Members of the Privy Council of Ireland People from Westminster Cavaliers English MPs 1660 English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 English MPs 1680–1681 English MPs 1681 English MPs 1689–1690 English MPs 1690–1695