Thomas Sandys (or ''Sands'' or ''Sandes''; 1600–1658) was an English politician, MP for Gatton. Sandys was born in 1600, the elder son of John Sandys of

Leatherhead Leatherhead is a town in the Mole Valley District of Surrey, England, about south of Central London. The settlement grew up beside a ford on the River Mole, from which its name is thought to derive. During the late Anglo-Saxon period, Leath ...

, Surrey. He was educated at

Christ Church, Oxford Christ Church ( la, Ædes Christi, the temple or house, '' ædēs'', of Christ, and thus sometimes known as "The House") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Founded in 1546 by King Henry VIII, the college is uniqu ...

, matriculating in 1617, aged 17. He became a barrister-at-law at the

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 1625, and a bencher in 1648. In the

Long Parliament The Long Parliament was an English Parliament which lasted from 1640 until 1660. It followed the fiasco of the Short Parliament, which had convened for only three weeks during the spring of 1640 after an 11-year parliamentary absence. In Septem ...

elected in 1640, Sandys was elected MP for Gatton along with Sir

Samuel Owfield Sir Samuel Owfield (1595–1644) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1624 and 1644. Owfield was the son of Roger Owfield, Fishmonger, of Billiter Lane, London and his wife Thomasine More, daughter o ...

(who died in 1644 and was replaced by his son

William Owfield William Owfield (1 July 1623 – 1664) was an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1645. Owfield was the eldest son of Sir Samuel Owfield, of Upper Gatton, Surrey and Covent Garden, and his wife Katherine Smith, ...

in 1645). A rival candidate for Sandys' seat was returned by the Copley family, a Mr. Sanders, who was declared not duly elected on 5 November 1641. Although Sandys supported Parliament against the King, both he and William Owfield were secluded from Parliament in Pride's Purge in 1648. Sandys played no part in politics during the ascendancy of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

, and died at the end of 1658.

References

, - 1600 births 1658 deaths People from Leatherhead Alumni of Christ Church, Oxford Members of the Middle Temple English MPs 1640–1648 {{17thC-England-MP-stub