Thomas Northmore (c.1643-1713) of Cleve in the parish of St Thomas,

Exeter Exeter () is a city in Devon, South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter was established as the base of Legio II Augusta under the personal comm ...

, in Devon was a Barrister-at-Law, a Master in Chancery and 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 ...

for

Okehampton Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based i ...

in Devon 1695–1708.

Origins

He was the 4th son of John Northmore (d.1671) of Well in the parish of

South Tawton South Tawton is a village, parish and former manor on the north edge of Dartmoor, Devon, England. An electoral ward bearing the same name exists. At the 2011 census the population was 1,683. Historic estates Located in the parish of South Tawt ...

and of

and East Ash, all in Devon, an Attorney of the Court of King's Bench and Forester of Dartmoor, by his wife Joan Stronge (d.1686) a daughter of John Stronge of Torr Hill (''alias'' Thornhill). Thomas's eldest brother was John Northmore (1635/6-1713) who in 1684 was appointed as the first town clerk of

. Thomas's younger brother was Jeffery Northmore (1643-1724) of Well, whose descendants by his second wife Grace Risdon continued at Cleve and Well. Jeffery's great grandson was

Thomas Northmore Thomas Northmore (1766–1851) was an English writer, inventor and geologist. Origins He was born at Cleve in the parish of St Thomas, Exeter, St Thomas, Exeter, in Devon, the eldest son of Thomas Northmore of Cleve, by his wife Elizabeth Osgood ...

(1766–1851), writer, inventor, geologist and antiquary.

Career

In 1705 he purchased the

manor Manor may refer to: Land ownership *Manorialism or "manor system", the method of land ownership (or "tenure") in parts of medieval Europe, notably England *Lord of the manor, the owner of an agreed area of land (or "manor") under manorialism *Man ...

of Cleve in the parish of St Thomas,

. In 1695 Northmore was elected as one of the two

Members 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

. As a lawyer of the

Inner Temple The Honourable Society of the Inner Temple, commonly known as the Inner Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court and is a professional associations for barristers and judges. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wal ...

he acted as a business agent to various members of the Devonshire gentry, including Richard Coffin (1623-1700) of

Portledge Portledge Manor is an English manor house in the parish of Alwington, southwest of Bideford, Devon. It and the land surrounding it belonged to the Coffin family, a noble family of Norman origin, for almost 1000 years. History The house sits on ...

in the parish of

Alwington Alwington is a village and civil parish in the Torridge district of Devon, England. The parish is on the coast and includes the hamlets of Alwington, Fairy Cross, Ford, Knotty Corner and Woodtown. The parish has a total population of 381 (2001 ...

, Devon,

Sheriff of Devon The High Sheriff of Devon is the Queen's representative for the County of Devon, a territory known as his/her bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, they hold the office for one year. They have judicial, ceremonial and administrative f ...

in 1685, to whom he acted as Sheriff-Deputy. Following the defeat of the

Monmouth Rebellion The Monmouth Rebellion, also known as the Pitchfork Rebellion, the Revolt of the West or the West Country rebellion, was an attempt to depose James II, who in February 1685 succeeded his brother Charles II as king of England, Scotland and Ir ...

, he supervised the

Bloody Assizes The Bloody Assizes were a series of trials started at Winchester on 25 August 1685 in the aftermath of the Battle of Sedgemoor, which ended the Monmouth Rebellion in England. History There were five judges: Sir William Montague (Lord Chief Bar ...

Judge Jeffreys George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys, PC (15 May 1645 – 18 April 1689), also known as "the Hanging Judge", was a Welsh judge. He became notable during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving as ...

, commencing on 25 August 1685. He was ordered by Jeffreys to arrange for the whipping of prisoners "only in the greater and more general markets", to economise on expenditure. He informed Coffin that about 400 rebels had been condemned at

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England, with a 2011 population of 69,570. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century monastic foundation, Taunton Castle, which later became a priory. The Normans built a castle owned by the ...

and 700 at

Wells Wells most commonly refers to: * Wells, Somerset, a cathedral city in Somerset, England * Well, an excavation or structure created in the ground * Wells (name) Wells may also refer to: Places Canada *Wells, British Columbia England * Wells ...

, of whom 100 were to be executed and the rest transported. He added: "another such year's trouble I will not undertake for £500".

Marriages and children

He married three times: *Firstly to Anne Pridham (d. 8 April 1686), whose monument survives in St Thomas's Church, Exeter, by whom he had two daughters: **Elizabeth Northmore (1680-1683), died in infancy; **Anne Northmore (died1717), eldest surviving daughter and heiress, who married, in 1711, her cousin

William Northmore William Northmore (1690–1735), of Northmore House, Okehampton and Cleve, near Exeter, Devon, was a British landowner and Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1713 and 1735. Northmore, who was baptized on 1 July 1690, was the ...

(1690-1735), later

for

. She died 6 years later without children. *Secondly in 1686/7 he married Elizabeth Andrew (died 1689), a daughter of Soloman Andrew of

Lyme Regis Lyme Regis is a town in west Dorset, England, west of Dorchester and east of Exeter. Sometimes dubbed the "Pearl of Dorset", it lies by the English Channel at the Dorset–Devon border. It has noted fossils in cliffs and beaches on the Herita ...

in Dorset,

Sheriff of Dorset The High Sheriff of Dorset is an ancient high sheriff title which has been in existence for over one thousand years. Until 1567 the Sheriff of Somerset was also the Sheriff of Dorset. On 1 April 1974, under the provisions of the Local Government ...

in 1697. Without children. *Thirdly in 1690 to Elizabeth St Aubyn (d.1735/6), a daughter of John St Aubyn of Clowance in Cornwall. Without children.

Death, burial & succession

He died on 25 July 1713, leaving no sons, and was buried in St. Thomas's Church, Exeter, where survives his monument, displaying the arms of Northmore, of his first wife, of Andrew of Dorset (''Sable, a saltire argent between four crosses crosslet or'') and of St Aubyn of Clowance (''Ermine, on a cross gules five bezants''). He named as his heir his nephew and son-in-law William Northmore to whom he bequeathed the manor of Cleve and several other properties in Devon and elsewhere, mortgages on the estates of

Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle Christopher Monck, 2nd Duke of Albemarle (14 August 1653 – 6 October 1688) was an English soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England, House of Commons from 1667 to 1670 when he inherited the Dukedom and sat in the ...

, a fellow Devonian, and two-thirds of Topsham Quay in Exeter.Cruickshanks

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northmore, Thomas 1713 deaths Lawyers from Exeter Members of the Inner Temple Members of the Parliament of England for Okehampton English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 Year of birth uncertain