Thomas De Grey (1717–1781) on:
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Thomas de Grey (c. 1717–1781) of
He was the eldest surviving son of Thomas de Grey and Elizabeth Windham, daughter of
Merton Hall, Norfolk
Merton Hall is a 19th century country house in Merton, Norfolk, England. The extant north-west wing is a Grade II listed building. The 17th-century gatehouse, the 19th century stables and other associated buildings are also listed. The house sta ...
was an English landowner and Member of Parliament.
Life
He was the eldest surviving son of Thomas de Grey and Elizabeth Windham, daughter of William Windham
William Windham (4 June 1810) of Felbrigg Hall in Norfolk, was a British Whig statesman. Elected to Parliament in 1784, Windham was attached to the remnants of the Rockinghamite faction of Whigs, whose members included his friends Charles J ...
of Felbrigg
Felbrigg is a small village just south of Cromer in Norfolk, England.''OS Explorer Map 24'' (Edition A 1997) – ''Norfolk Coast Central''. . The Danish name means a 'plank bridge'.
Historians believe that the original village was clustered aro ...
. His brother William de Grey
William de Grey (21 October 1652 - 27 February 1687) of Merton Hall, Norfolk was an East Anglian landowner and Tory Member of Parliament. He was the grandfather of his namesake William de Grey, 1st Baron Walsingham.
Life
The descendant of Suffolk ...
also became an MP. Thomas junior was baptised on 29 September 1717 and attended school in Bury St Edmunds
Bury St Edmunds (), commonly referred to locally as Bury, is a historic market town, market, cathedral town and civil parish in Suffolk, England.OS Explorer map 211: Bury St.Edmunds and Stowmarket Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – ...
before going up to Christ's College, Cambridge
Christ's College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 170 graduate students. The college was founded by William Byngham in 1437 as ...
in 1735. In 1746 he married Elizabeth Fisher, daughter of Samuel Fisher of Bury St Edmunds — this brought him a considerable estate. In 1765 he also inherited Merton Hall on his father's death.
One of the seats for the constituency of Norfolk
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
fell vacant in 1764 when George Townshend George Townshend may refer to:
*George Townshend (Royal Navy officer) (1715–1769), British naval commander
*George Townshend, 1st Marquess Townshend (1724–1807), British field marshal, his nephew
*George Townshend, 2nd Marquess Townshend (1753â ...
succeeded to his father's viscountcy. He recommended that de Grey succeed him and with backing from Townshend's family and the Walpole family
The Walpole family () is a famous English aristocratic family known for their 18th century political influence and for building notable country houses including Houghton Hall. Heads of this family have traditionally been the Earl of Orford. Robe ...
he was returned unopposed. He voted against repealing the Stamp Act in 1766 and against administration on the land tax in 1767, before being returned again for Norfolk in 1768 after a very costly campaign. In 1772 he spoke in favour of the Royal Marriages Act
The Royal Marriages Act 1772 (12 Geo 3 c. 11) was an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain which prescribed the conditions under which members of the British royal family could contract a valid marriage, in order to guard against marriages th ...
but he became more and more affected by gout
Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intensit ...
and so before the next general election in 1773 decided not to stand again.
He died in 1781, leaving no children. Merton Hall passed to his nephew, Thomas de Grey, 2nd Baron Walsingham
Thomas de Grey, 2nd Baron Walsingham PC (14 July 1748 – 16 January 1818), was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1774 to 1781 when he succeeded to the peerage as Baron Walsingham. He served as Joint Postmaster General ...
, son of his brother William.
References