Thomas Hardres (1610–1681) was an English barrister and politician. He was the

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 o ...

for

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

from 1664.

Life

He was descended from a family owning the manor of Broad Oak at Hardres, near

, and was fourth son of Sir Thomas Hardres and Eleanor, sole surviving daughter and heiress of Henry Thoresby of Thoresby, a master in chancery. Thomas became a member of

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and W ...

, and was called to the bar. From 1649 until his death he was steward of the manor of Lambeth. In the vacation after Michaelmas term 1669 he became a

serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are wri ...

, in 1675 was appointed

King's Serjeant A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are wr ...

, and in 1679 was elected M.P. for Canterbury. He also received the honour of knighthood. In December 1681 he died, and was buried at Canterbury.

Works

His ''Reports of Cases in the Exchequer, 1655–1670'' was published in 1693.

Family

He was twice married, first to Dorcas, daughter and heiress of George Bargrave, who died in 1643; and secondly to Philadelphia, daughter of one Franklyn of Maidstone, and widow of Peter Manwood.

References

;Attribution 1610 births 1681 deaths Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge Members of Gray's Inn English barristers English MPs 1661–1679 English MPs 1679 Politics of Canterbury 17th-century English lawyers Serjeants-at-law (England) {{17thC-England-MP-stub