Thomas Rowney (30 April 1668 – 31 August 1727) was a British

Tory A Tory () is a person who holds a political philosophy known as Toryism, based on a British version of traditionalism and conservatism, which upholds the supremacy of social order as it has evolved in the English culture throughout history. Th ...

politician who sat in the

English House of Commons The House of Commons of England was the lower house of the Parliament of England (which incorporated Wales) from its development in the 14th century to the union of England and Scotland in 1707, when it was replaced by the House of Commons of ...

between 1695 and 1708 and 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 1708 to 1722.

Early life

Rowney was baptised on 31 April 1668. He was the only surviving son of Thomas Rowney, of

St Giles, London St Giles is an area in the West End of London in the London Borough of Camden. It gets its name from the parish church of St Giles in the Fields. The combined parishes of St Giles in the Fields and St George Bloomsbury (which was carved out o ...

by his second wife, Catherine Bateman (d. 1705). His father, the son of a minor Worcestershire gentleman, had first settled in Oxford around 1650, setting up practice as an attorney. He married the widow of a fellow lawyer which enhanced his wealth and standing, and he acquired considerable property in Oxford's outlying parishes. He was educated at

Shilton Shilton may refer to: Places *Shilton, Oxfordshire, England *Shilton, Warwickshire, England **Shilton railway station, a former station Other *Shilton (surname) *Earl Shilton, a town in Leicestershire, England *Chilton (disambiguation) *Shelton ( ...

, near

Burford Burford () is a town on the River Windrush, in the Cotswolds, Cotswold hills, in the West Oxfordshire district of Oxfordshire, England. It is often referred to as the 'gateway' to the Cotswolds. Burford is located west of Oxford and southeas ...

, in

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

, in a small school which produced at the same time a

Lord High Treasurer The post of Lord High Treasurer or Lord Treasurer was an English government position and has been a British government position since the Acts of Union of 1707. A holder of the post would be the third-highest-ranked Great Officer of State in ...

( Lord Oxford and Mortimer), a Lord High Chancellor ( Lord Harcourt) and a Lord Chief Justice of the Common Pleas ( Lord Trevor). He then matriculated at

St John's College, Oxford St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Founded as a men's college in 1555, it has been coeducational since 1979.Communication from Michael Riordan, college archivist Its founder, Sir Thomas White, intended to pro ...

in 1684. He entered 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 ...

in 1686, and was

called to the bar The call to the bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received "call to ...

in 1694.

Career

He served as

High Sheriff of Oxfordshire The High Sheriff of Oxfordshire, in common with other counties, was originally the King's representative on taxation upholding the law in Saxon times. The word Sheriff evolved from 'shire-reeve'. The title of High Sheriff is therefore much olde ...

from 1691 to 1692. In 1694, he succeeded to his father's extensive landed property outside Oxford, less than two months after qualifying as a barrister. "His wealth was considerable, by 1721 comprising landholdings in

Berkshire Berkshire ( ; in the 17th century sometimes spelt phonetically as Barkeshire; abbreviated Berks.) is a historic county in South East England. One of the home counties, Berkshire was recognised by Queen Elizabeth II as the Royal County of Berk ...

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a county in the West Midlands region of England. The county town is Warwick, and the largest town is Nuneaton. The county is famous for being the birthplace of William Shakespeare at Stratford-upon-Avon an ...

Worcestershire Worcestershire ( , ; written abbreviation: Worcs) is a county in the West Midlands of England. The area that is now Worcestershire was absorbed into the unified Kingdom of England in 927, at which time it was constituted as a county (see His ...

, and including ancestral lands at Great Hurdington in

Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( abbreviated Glos) is a county in South West England. The county comprises part of the Cotswold Hills, part of the flat fertile valley of the River Severn and the entire Forest of Dean. The county town is the city of Gl ...

where he remained a magistrate after 1714." For most of his adult life, Rowney was a prominent and much-respected figure in Oxford. and was well acquainted with senior

politicians and

university don A don is a fellow or tutor of a college or university, especially traditional collegiate universities such as Oxford and Cambridge in England and Trinity College Dublin in Ireland. The usage is also found in Canada. Like the term don used for Ro ...

s. In August 1717, the corporation elected him to the ancient office of "barge commissioner," which was reserved for eminent citizens. He was instrumental in the rebuilding of

Oxford Town Hall Oxford Town Hall is a public building in St Aldate's Street in central Oxford, England. It is both the seat of Oxford City Council and a venue for public meetings, entertainment and other events. It also includes the Museum of Oxford. Although ...

, and his son Thomas saw its completion in 1751.

Political career

In the election of 1695, Rowney stood for

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

. He was put up on the Tory slate, likely at the bidding of the 1st Earl of Abingdon, and "was elected after several weeks of bitter campaigning, during which a Whig mob once came close to attacking his house in St. Giles parish." Rowney was returned unopposed in the first election of 1701. Rowney sat for Oxford until 1722 when he was succeeded by his eldest son,

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 A ...

Personal life

He married, by license dated 27 May 1691, Elizabeth Noel (d. 1730), a daughter of Edward Noel of

St Clement Danes St Clement Danes is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London. It is situated outside the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. Although the first church on the site was reputedly founded in the 9th century by the Danes, the current ...

, London. Rowney spent most of his time within the city, where his house, which was extensively rebuilt and finished in 1702, was considered one of the finest. Together, they were the parents of three sons and one daughter, including: * Thomas Rowney (–1759), who married Ms. Trollope in 1756. * Elizabeth Rowney, who married

Sir Clobery Noel, 5th Baronet Sir Clobery Noel, 5th Baronet ( – 30 July 1733), of Kirkby Mallory, Leicestershire, was an English Tory politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1727 to 1734. Early life Noel was the eldest son of Sir John Noel, 4th Baronet and his wif ...

, of

Kirkby Mallory Kirkby Mallory is a village in Leicestershire, England that is part of the civil parish of Peckleton. It is known mainly for its Race Circuit, Mallory Park, a one-mile (1.6 km) track where car and motorbike races take place. Its church is A ...

, in 1714. Rowney died on 31 August 1727 and was buried in the parish church of St Giles, Oxford.

References

External links

Thomas Rowney the Elder (1668–1727), High Sheriff of Oxfordshire (1691), MP for Oxford (1695–1722)
by

Peter Lely Sir Peter Lely (14 September 1618 – 7 December 1680) was a painter of Dutch origin whose career was nearly all spent in England, where he became the dominant portrait painter to the court. Life Lely was born Pieter van der Faes to Dutch ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rowney, Thomas 1668 births 1727 deaths Members of the Parliament of Great Britain for English constituencies English MPs 1695–1698 English MPs 1698–1700 English MPs 1701 English MPs 1701–1702 English MPs 1702–1705 English MPs 1705–1707 British MPs 1708–1710 British MPs 1710–1713 British MPs 1713–1715 British MPs 1715–1722 Members of the Inner Temple Alumni of St John's College, Oxford High Sheriffs of Oxfordshire