Thomas Edwards-Freeman (c. 1726–1808) was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1768 to 1780 .

Early life

Edwards Freeman was the eldest son of Walter Edwards of St. Dunstan’s, London, and his wife Mary Freeman, daughter of Richard Freeman of Batsford, Gloucestershire. In March 1742, he succeeded his uncle Richard Freeman in the

Batsford Batsford is a village and civil parish in the Cotswold district of Gloucestershire, England. The village is about 1½ miles north-west of Moreton-in-Marsh. There is a falconry centre close to the village and Batsford Arboretum is nearby, ...

estates and assumed the additional name of Freeman. He matriculated at Queen's College, Oxford, on 3 February 1744, aged 17. He married Elizabeth Reveley, daughter of Henry Reveley of Newby Wisk, Yorkshire on 23 July 1753.

Political career

At the

1768 general election The 1768 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 13th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland in 1707. The election took plac ...

, Edwards Freeman was returned unopposed as Member of Parliament for Steyning on the interest of Sir John Honywood, 3rd Baronet to whom he was distantly related. He seems to have acted completely independently in Parliament. In 1769 he became Director of the South Sea Company. He was reelected MP for Lewes unopposed in

1774 Events January–March * January 21 – Mustafa III, List of Ottoman Sultans, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire, dies and is succeeded by his brother Abdul Hamid I. * January 27 ** An angry crowd in Boston, Massachusetts seizes, tars, and f ...

but did not stand again in

1780 Events January–March * January 16 – American Revolutionary War – Battle of Cape St. Vincent: British Admiral Sir George Rodney defeats a Spanish fleet. * February 19 – The legislature of New York votes to allow ...

Later life

Edwards Freeman died on 15 February 1808, aged 81. His son Thomas was also MP for Steyning.,.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards Freeman, Thomas 1720s births 1808 deaths Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies