Lieutenant-General Thomas Meredyth or Meredith (after 1661–1719), of

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, historic county in South East England, southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the Ceremonial counties of ...

, was an Irish officer of the British Army and a politician who sat in the

Parliament of Ireland The Parliament of Ireland ( ga, Parlaimint na hÉireann) was the legislature of the Lordship of Ireland, and later the Kingdom of Ireland, from 1297 until 1800. It was modelled on the Parliament of England and from 1537 comprised two chamb ...

from 1703 to 1719 and as a Whig in the

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 1709 to 1710..

Early life

Meredyth was the second son of Arthur Meredyth of Dollardstown in

County Meath County Meath (; gle, Contae na Mí or simply ) is a county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. It is bordered by Dublin to the southeast, Louth to the northeast, Kildare to the south, Offaly to the sou ...

and his wife Dorothea Bingley, daughter of John Bingley of Dublin. He was originally intended for a legal career but joined the military instead. He served

William III William III or William the Third may refer to: Kings * William III of Sicily (c. 1186–c. 1198) * William III of England and Ireland or William III of Orange or William II of Scotland (1650–1702) * William III of the Netherlands and Luxembourg ...

as a cavalry officer in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

during the

Nine Years' War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

. In April 1691, he was made Captain in the 3rd Horse, later 2nd Dragoon Guards. He later became Lieutenant-Colonel, and on 1 June 1701 was appointed

Adjutant-General of the Forces The Adjutant-General to the Forces, commonly just referred to as the Adjutant-General (AG), was for just over 250 years one of the most senior officers in the British Army. The AG was latterly responsible for developing the Army's personnel polic ...

with promotion to the brevet rank of Colonel of Horse.

Career

In February 1702, Meredyth was appointed Colonel of the 37th Regiment of Foot in the expansion of the Army prior to 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 ...

. The regiment was part of the force led by the

Duke of Marlborough General (United Kingdom), General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 Old Style and New Style dates, O.S.) was an Engl ...

and Meredyth was promoted Brigadier-General after Blenheim in August 1704.Cannon, ''Historical Record of the Twenty-First Regiment, or Royal North British Fusiliers'' (1849
p. 55
Now in command of a

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division. Br ...

, he participated in the campaigns of 1705 and 1706, including the Moselle expedition and the forcing of the French lines at

Eliksem Eliksem is a village located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It is part of the municipality of Landen. The village is known for the Battle of Elixheim The Battle of Elixheim, 18 July 1705, also known as the Passage of the Lines of ...

and Neer-Hespen. Meredyth was made Major-General in 1706 and Governor of

Tynemouth Castle Tynemouth Castle is located on a rocky headland (known as Pen Bal Crag), overlooking Tynemouth Pier. The moated castle-towers, gatehouse and keep are combined with the ruins of the Benedictine priory where early kings of Northumbria were buri ...

on 20 February 1708. He stood for parliament for

Midhurst Midhurst () is a market town, parish and civil parish in West Sussex, England. It lies on the River Rother inland from the English Channel, and north of the county town of Chichester. The name Midhurst was first recorded in 1186 as ''Middeh ...

at the

1708 British general election The 1708 British general election was the first general election to be held after the Acts of Union had united the Parliaments of England and Scotland. The election saw the Whigs finally gain a majority in the House of Commons, and by November ...

and after defeat in the poll was seated on petition 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 Midhurst on 8 March 1709. He supported the naturalization of the Palatines in 1709 and after being very ill at Brussels came back to England in October 1709. He was promoted to Lieutenant-General in 1709 and the Duke of Marlborough tried to obtain a colonelcy for him. However the Queen had promised the intended regiment to John Hill, the brother of her favourite Abigail Masham. However he became Colonel of Lord Mordaunt's regiment, the

Royal_Scots_Fusiliers The Royal Scots Fusiliers was a line infantry regiment of the British Army that existed from 1678 until 1959 when it was amalgamated with the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) to form the Royal Highland Fusiliers (Princess Mar ...

or 21st Foot in May 1710. He voted in favour of the impeachment of Dr Sacheverell in 1710. He lost his seat 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 dismissed from all his positions in December 1710 for his opposition to the Tory Harley Ministry.Dalton, ''English Army Lists'', vol. VI
p. 98
When the Tories fell in 1714, Meredyth was reinstated and appointed

Governor of Londonderry The Governor of Londonderry and Culmore was a British military appointment. The Governor was the officer who commanded the garrison and fortifications of the city of Derry and of Culmore fort. The Governor was paid by The Honourable The Irish Soc ...

, member of the

Irish Privy Council His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

and Colonel of the 20th Regiment of Foot.Stuart Handley
MEREDYTH, Thomas (aft.1661-1719), of Chelsea, Mdx.
in ''

The History of Parliament The History of Parliament is a project to write a complete history of the United Kingdom Parliament and its predecessors, the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of England. The history will principally consist of a prosopography, in w ...

: the House of Commons 1690-1715'' (2002).

Richard Cannon Richard Cannon (1779–1865) was a compiler of regimental records for the British Army. Career On 1 January 1802 Cannon was appointed to a clerkship at the Horse Guards, and attained the grade of first-clerk in 1803. Under a Horse Guards order ...

, ''Historical Record of the Twentieth, or the East Devonshire Regiment of Foot'' (1848
p. 62–63

Death and legacy

Meredyth died at Dublin on 19 June 1719, leaving three children by his marriage. His son Arthur inherited his estate in Oxfordshire. He also made provision in his will, for two illegitimate daughters living in Hertfordshire and a son at school in Lisburn, country Antrim.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meredyth, Thomas 1660s births 1719 deaths People from County Meath Members of Gray's Inn Members of the Privy Council of Ireland Whig (British political party) MPs Irish MPs 1703–1713 British MPs 1708–1710 Irish MPs 1715–1727 British Army generals 2nd Dragoon Guards (Queen's Bays) officers Lancashire Fusiliers officers Royal Scots Fusiliers officers 37th Regiment of Foot officers Irish soldiers British military personnel of the Nine Years' War British military personnel of the War of the Spanish Succession Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Meath constituencies Members of the Parliament of Ireland (pre-1801) for County Waterford constituencies Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the Ap ...