Thomas Halsey (c. 1731–1788) was a British merchant and 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. ...

between 1768 and 1784. Halsey was the son of Charles Halsey of

Great Gaddesden Great Gaddesden is a village and civil parish in Dacorum Hundred in Hertfordshire, England. It is located in the Chiltern Hills, north of Hemel Hempstead. The parish borders Flamstead, Hemel Hempstead, Nettleden and Little Gaddesden and also ...

, Hertfordshire and his wife Agatha Dorrien, daughter of Frederick Dorrien of London. His grandfather had been MP for Hertfordshire and his father, a younger son, was a London merchant in the Hamburg trade. His father in 1739 had inherited the family estates on the death of his elder brother. Halsey himself joined his father in the business, and in or before 1759 he went to Hamburg as a member of the firm of Hanbury and Halsey. In 1760 while still out there, he was appointed a commissary of control to the army under Prince Ferdinand which involved examining the execution of contracts. In 1762 he succeeded to the family estates on the death of his brother, and in February 1763 returned to England, where he settled down as a country gentleman. In 1768 he began the building of

Gaddesden Place Gaddesden Place, near Hemel Hempstead in Hertfordshire, England, was designed by architect James Wyatt and built between 1768 and 1773, and was the home of the Hertfordshire Halsey family. The house is set in an elevated position overlooking the ...

. It is a large Palladian villa, which is said to be the first work of the architect

James Wyatt James Wyatt (3 August 1746 – 4 September 1813) was an English architect, a rival of Robert Adam in the neoclassical and neo-Gothic styles. He was elected to the Royal Academy in 1785 and was its president from 1805 to 1806. Early life W ...

. It was completed in 1774.Historic England Gaddesden Place
/ref> In the 1768 general election Halsey was returned unopposed as

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

Hertfordshire Hertfordshire ( or ; often abbreviated Herts) is one of the home counties in southern England. It borders Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire to the north, Essex to the east, Greater London to the south, and Buckinghamshire to the west. For govern ...

. He was re-elected in the 1774 general election. 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 ...

he was returned again after a contest. The

English Chronicle ''The English Chronicle'' was a thrice-weekly evening newspaper founded in London in 1779. History and profile ''The Chronicle'' was founded in 1779 although the founders are not known. In 1781 it was given the supplementary title ''Or, Universal ...

wrote of him: “His infirm state of health prevents him from all attention to his parliamentary duty, sometimes for a whole sessions together. This amiable character, however, in private life, has so endeared him to his constituents, that notwithstanding several gentlemen of the first opulence in the country have attempted to supplant him, and have promised a stricter attention to the duties of so important a trust; their efforts have, hitherto, proved totally nugatory ... Mr. Halsey resides mostly in the country, where his humanity and generosity, and a friendly familiar intercourse with his neighbours, have gained him the most universal esteem” He stood for Hertfordshire again in

1784 Events January–March * January 6 – Treaty of Constantinople: The Ottoman Empire agrees to Russia's annexation of the Crimea. * January 14 – The Congress of the United States ratifies the Treaty of Paris with Great Brit ...

but was defeated. Halsey died on 9 October 1788, aged 57. He had married Sarah Crawley, daughter of John Crawley of Stockwood, Bedfordshire on 18 March 1784 with whom he had a daughter, Sarah. His estates, including that of Gaddesden Place, were inherited by Sarah, who had married Joseph Thompson Whately, later the MP for St Albans. Whately thereupon adopted the name and arms of Halsey.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Halsey, Thomas 1788 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Hertfordshire British MPs 1768–1774 British MPs 1774–1780 British MPs 1780–1784 Year of birth uncertain