Thomas Harley (c.1667–1738), of Kinsham Court, Herefordshire. was a British lawyer, diplomat and Tory politician who sat in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

and

British House of Commons The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the upper house, the House of Lords, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. The House of Commons is an elected body consisting of 650 mem ...

from 1698 to 1715. He was an ally of his cousin Robert Harley.

Early life

Harley was the eldest surviving son of Thomas Harley, of

Kinsham Court Kinsham is a civil parish which lies in the wooded hills of Herefordshire, England in the Marches near to the border with Wales, about east of the Welsh town of Presteigne. The parish has two small settlements, Upper Kinsham and Lower Kinsham, in ...

, Herefordshire and his wife Abigail Saltonstall, daughter of Sir Richard Saltonstall of Huntwick and Woodsome, Yorkshire and granddaughter of Sir Richard Saltonstall . He succeeded his father in 1685. He was admitted at

Middle Temple The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known simply as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers, the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn an ...

in 1682 and called to the bar in 1690.

Career

Harley was made a deputy lieutenant of

Herefordshire Herefordshire () is a county in the West Midlands of England, governed by Herefordshire Council. It is bordered by Shropshire to the north, Worcestershire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Monmouthshire ...

in 1694, and was a commissioner for subscriptions to the land bank in 1696. He went abroad to

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

in 1697, and observed the negotiations for the

Treaty of Ryswick The Peace of Ryswick, or Rijswijk, was a series of treaties signed in the Dutch city of Rijswijk between 20 September and 30 October 1697. They ended the 1688 to 1697 Nine Years' War between France and the Grand Alliance, which included England, ...

on the way home. With the support of his cousin Robert, he was returned in a contest 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

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

at the

1698 English general election After the conclusion of the 1698 English general election the government led by the Whig Junto believed it had held its ground against the opposition. Over the previous few years, divisions had emerged within the Whig party between the 'court' sup ...

. Like the rest of his family, he was politically a Tory, and a loyal supporter of his cousin. He was returned for Radnorshire unopposed at the first general election of 1701. He was blacklisted for opposing preparations being made for war in 1701, and signed a Tory rejoinder. He was returned unopposed again at the second general election of 1701 and voted on 26 February 1702 for the motion which vindicated the proceedings of the Commons in impeaching the four Whig Lords. Harley was returned unopposed again at the

1702 English general election The 1702 English general election was the first to be held during the reign of Anne, Queen of Great Britain, Queen Anne, and was necessitated by the demise of William III of England, William III. The new government dominated by the Tories (Britis ...

. He was returned again at the

1705 English general election The 1705 English general election saw contests in 110 constituencies in England and Wales, roughly 41% of the total. The election was fiercely fought, with mob violence and cries of " Church in Danger" occurring in several boroughs. During the pr ...

and although a Tory, supported the Court over the Court candidate for Speaker on 25 October 1705, and over the ‘place clause’ in the proceedings on the regency bill on 18 February 1706. At the 1708 British general election, he was returned as Tory MP for Radnorshire, and voted against the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell. He was returned again at the

1710 British general election The 1710 British general election produced a landslide victory for the Tories. The election came in the wake of the prosecution of Henry Sacheverell, which had led to the collapse of the previous government led by Godolphin and the Whig Junto. ...

and was listed as a ‘worthy patriot’ who exposed the mismanagements of the previous ministry, and a ‘Tory patriot’ favouring peace in April 1711. He was a commissioner for taking subscriptions to the

South Sea Company The South Sea Company (officially The Governor and Company of the merchants of Great Britain, trading to the South Seas and other parts of America, and for the encouragement of the Fishery) was a British joint-stock company founded in Ja ...

in 1711. Under his cousin's Administration, he was appointed Junior Secretary to the Treasury in June 1711. Harley was an entertaining wit, and a member of

Jonathan Swift Jonathan Swift (30 November 1667 – 19 October 1745) was an Anglo-Irish Satire, satirist, author, essayist, political pamphleteer (first for the Whig (British political party), Whigs, then for the Tories (British political party), Tories), poe ...

's circle, and was invited to join the 'Society of Brothers', a dining/drinking-club founded by Henry St John. However he was turned out in January 1712 for non-attendance. However his tactfulness and subtle dialogue marked him out as a natural diplomat, and he was chosen envoy to Hanover in 1712 to soothe the

Elector Elector may refer to: * Prince-elector or elector, a member of the electoral college of the Holy Roman Empire, having the function of electing the Holy Roman Emperors * Elector, a member of an electoral college ** Confederate elector, a member of ...

over Great Britain's willingness to negotiate a peace with France, ending the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...

. While he was well received in Holland and in Hanover, his mission was ultimately unsuccessful. In Parliament, he voted in favour of the French commerce bill on 18 June 1713. He was returned again for Radnorshire at the 1713 British general election. He was sent on another embassy to Hanover in 1714, and was again well-received but unsuccessful. The Elector was suspicious of him, and upon King George's ascent to the British throne he lost his place at the Treasury. At the

1715 British general election The 1715 British general election returned members to serve in the House of Commons of the 5th Parliament of Great Britain to be held, after the 1707 merger of the Parliament of England and the Parliament of Scotland. In October 1714, soon afte ...

he was defeated in Radnorshire and lost his place on the Commission of the Peace. He was also arrested at the request of the committee of secrecy investigating the peace negotiations, and imprisoned for two months.

Death and legacy

Harley died unmarried in January 1738, leaving most of his estate to

Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer Edward Harley, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer ( – 11 April 1755) was a British peer and Member of Parliament. He was the nephew of Britain's First Minister between 1710 and 1714 Robert Harley. Early life Harley was the son and heir o ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harley, Thomas 1660s births 1738 deaths English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 Deputy Lieutenants of Herefordshire Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for Welsh constituencies Members of the Parliament of England (pre-1707) for constituencies in Wales Tory MPs (pre-1834) British MPs 1707–1708 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715