Sir Thomas Frankland Lewis, 1st Baronet (14 May 1780 – 22 January 1855) was a

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

Poor Law Commissioner and moderate Tory MP. Thomas Frankland Lewis

Early life

Lewis was the son of

John Lewis John Robert Lewis (February 21, 1940 – July 17, 2020) was an American politician and civil rights activist who served in the United States House of Representatives for from 1987 until his death in 2020. He participated in the 1960 Nashville ...

and Anne Frankland, daughter of

Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th Baronet Admiral Sir Thomas Frankland, 5th Baronet (26 June 1718 – 21 November 1784) was a British naval officer, MP and slave trader. He was the second son of Henry Frankland and Mary Cross. Frankland was born in the East Indies (probably India), his f ...

. Born in

Great Ormond Street Great Ormond Street Hospital (informally GOSH or Great Ormond Street, formerly the Hospital for Sick Children) is a children's hospital located in the Bloomsbury area of the London Borough of Camden, and a part of Great Ormond Street Hospital ...

, London, he was educated at

Eton College Eton College () is a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1440 by Henry VI under the name ''Kynge's College of Our Ladye of Eton besyde Windesore'',Nevill, p. 3 ff. intended as a sister institution to King's College, C ...

, and attended

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

without taking a degree. His father died in 1797.

Parliamentarian

Lewis was an improving landlord of the family estates in

Radnorshire , HQ = Presteigne , Government = Radnorshire County Council (1889–1974) Radnorshire District Council (1974–1996) , Origin = , Status = historic county, administrative county , Start ...

, and was appointed

High Sheriff of Radnorshire History The office of High Sheriff is over 1000 years old, with its establishment before the Norman Conquest. The Office of High Sheriff remained first in precedence in the counties until the reign of Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; ...

for 1804–05. He was ambitious to enter national politics as a

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 ...

, which he did in 1812 as a follower of Lord Bulkeley, at

Beaumaris Beaumaris ( ; cy, Biwmares ) is a town and community on the Isle of Anglesey in Wales, of which it is the former county town of Anglesey. It is located at the eastern entrance to the Menai Strait, the tidal waterway separating Anglesey from ...

. Lewis was an MP for most years between 1812 and 1855, for

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

(1826–1828), for

(1828–1834) and for Radnor Boroughs (1847–1855). Initially he was known as a

Grenvillite The Grenville Whigs (or Grenvillites) were a name given to several British political factions of the 18th and the early 19th centuries, all of which were associated with the important Grenville family of Buckinghamshire. Background The Grenv ...

; while he supported the landowner and agricultural interest, his sympathy with

Catholic emancipation Catholic emancipation or Catholic relief was a process in the kingdoms of Great Britain and Ireland, and later the combined United Kingdom in the late 18th century and early 19th century, that involved reducing and removing many of the restricti ...

made him unacceptable to the Tory ministry. From 1821 onwards he took the advice of

Lord Grenville William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, (25 October 175912 January 1834) was a British Pittite Tory politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807, but was a supporter of the Whigs for the duration of ...

to establish himself by means of public commission work. He was elected a

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 science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1820.

Commissioner

On 24 June 1824, Lewis was appointed to the Royal Commission ''for inquiring into the nature and extent of the Instruction afforded by the several Institutions in Ireland established for the purpose of Education'' where he served with the other Commissioners: John Leslie Foster, William Grant,

James Glassford James Glassford (1771 – 1845) was a Scottish legal writer and traveller. Life He was son of John Glassford of Dougalston by his third wife, Lady Margaret Mackenzie, sixth daughter of George Mackenzie, 3rd Earl of Cromartie. Glassford was admit ...

and Anthony Richard Blake. As chairman (1834 - 1839) of the

Poor Law Commission The Poor Law Commission was a body established to administer poor relief after the passing of the Poor Law Amendment Act 1834. The commission was made up of three commissioners who became known as "The Bashaws of Somerset House", their secretary a ...

, he immediately clashed with

Edwin Chadwick Sir Edwin Chadwick KCB (24 January 18006 July 1890) was an English social reformer who is noted for his leadership in reforming the Poor Laws in England and instituting major reforms in urban sanitation and public health. A disciple of Uti ...

, who had been the driving force for Poor Law reform. Chadwick was Secretary, not (as he had hoped) on the Board itself; and Lewis with George Nicholls and

John Shaw-Lefevre Sir John George Shaw Lefevre KCB (24 January 1797 – 20 August 1879) was a British barrister, Whig politician and civil servant. Life Shaw Lefevre was the son of Charles Shaw Lefevre by his wife Helen, daughter of John Lefevre. Charles Sh ...

proceeded to overrule his views. Lewis chaired the commission on the

Rebecca Riots The Rebecca Riots (Welsh: ''Terfysgoedd Beca'') took place between 1839 and 1843 in West and Mid Wales. They were a series of protests undertaken by local farmers and agricultural workers in response to levels of taxation. The rioters, often me ...

, and the subsequent commission that abolished the

turnpike trusts Turnpike trusts were bodies set up by individual acts of Parliament, with powers to collect road tolls for maintaining the principal roads in Britain from the 17th but especially during the 18th and 19th centuries. At the peak, in the 1830s, o ...

. He was created a baronet in 1846.

Family

He married Harriet Cornewall, a daughter of

Sir George Cornewall, 2nd Baronet Sir George Cornewall, 2nd Baronet (8 November 1748 – 26 August 1819) of Moccas Court, Herefordshire, was a British politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1774 and 1807. Origins Born George Amyand, he was the eldest son and heir o ...

and Catherine Cornewall. They had two children: *

George Cornewall Lewis Sir George Cornewall Lewis, 2nd Baronet, (21 April 180613 April 1863) was a British statesman and man of letters. He is best known for preserving neutrality in 1862 when the British cabinet debated intervention in the American Civil War. Early ...

(21 April 1806 – 13 April 1863). * Gilbert Frankland Lewis (21 July 1808 – 18 December 1883).

References

External links

''Victorianweb article on the Poor Law Commissioner''
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Thomas Frankland 1780 births 1855 deaths People educated at Eton College Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford People from Powys Lewis, Sir Thomas, 1st Baronet Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for County Clare constituencies (1801–1922) UK MPs 1812–1818 UK MPs 1818–1820 UK MPs 1820–1826 UK MPs 1826–1830 UK MPs 1830–1831 UK MPs 1831–1832 UK MPs 1832–1835 UK MPs 1847–1852 UK MPs 1852–1857 Conservative Party (UK) MPs for Welsh constituencies Fellows of the Royal Society High Sheriffs of Radnorshire Tory MPs (pre-1834) Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for Beaumaris